Beauty loves a good quirk. Vampire facials, treatments made of bird feces, and snail mucin—doesn’t the industry deserve an award for making the grotesque sound glamorous? Recent months have proved yes as we arrive at yet another interesting idea: salmon sperm facials. Bold souls—celebrities included—are paying to have fish DNA injected into their faces to get smoother, firmer, and more youthful-looking skin. It’s repackaged as the term “polynucleotide facial” for a more polite, family-friendly connotation, but its essence stays the same: injecting fish ejaculate on the face.
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What is a Salmon Sperm Facial?
The star of these facials is salmon sperm, but the stars within are the PDRNs (polydeoxyribonucleotides). Essentially, these are DNA fragments “mainly extracted from the sperm cells of salmon trout or chum salmon.” While this may still seem weird, salmon DNA has proven to deliver potentially impressive effects on the skin.
How is the sperm collected? The most common method of salmon sperm collection is through abdominal massaging (or stripping), where gently pressing the abdomen releases sperm from the gonads. It’s giving the male salmon a little nudge, literally. For high-quality samples, a catheter or cannula steps in to keep things clean and free from contamination.
How does it work? PDRNs are directly applied to the dermis, often via microneedling or fractional CO2 lasers, which make tiny microchannels in the skin. This allows the DNA to seep into the deeper layers, where it can then activate fibroblasts—also known as the collagen-producing powerhouses of your skin.
What does it promise? Plenty. A recent study shows that their use in aesthetic medicine spans stimulating collagen production, enhancing wound healing, promoting hydration, treating hyperpigmentation, and enhancing the effectiveness of other treatments. It’s no wonder the trend’s been circulating in Korea, Europe, and, more famously, the United States for giving you skin that’s firmer, smoother, and more luminous. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston have opened up about their experiences with it despite the lack of FDA approval of PDRNs in the U.S. This also leaves us wondering how stars get their hands on the treatment.
But Does It Work?
Yes, because any ingredient that encourages skin regeneration has its merits (see vitamin C, centella asiatica, squalene, and more). Women who love their anti-aging and skin repair treatments would love this.
The real verdict? There aren’t enough studies to say for sure. Short-term research points to increased hydration, elasticity, collagen production, and tissue repair, which makes it a staple in Rejuran treatments. However, the long-term effects are still a guessing game. No one truly knows if can keep your skin youthful for years. Some users swear by it, while others barely see a difference.
Just Because You Can, Should You?
The most common extraction process is reportedly non-invasive, meaning sperm can be collected without harming the salmon. But does that automatically make it ethical, or are we now bending the rules to still be considered movers of “clean beauty”?
Even if the salmon are unharmed, it’s not so much about the extraction, too, but about normalizing animal byproducts in cosmetics. It’s obviously a no-no for vegan brands, but for everyone else, animal-derived ingredients still continue to raise eyebrows.
Now, looking at the bigger picture: even if sperm extraction per se is sustainable, the salmon farming industry isn’t. Overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution come with the territory, making salmon one of the more controversial aquaculture products. By using these treatments, consumers indirectly support an industry with significant environmental consequences, even if the final product claims to be “clean” or “safe.”
What Are Better Alternatives?
Truth be told, salmon sperm does wonders (albeit in a short-term perspective) to the skin. However, we don’t need it to look ageless. We have exosomes, the reigning frontier in skin renewal, where these cell messengers can aid in repairing your skin with no need for marine meddling.
If you’re after hydration, opt for hyaluronic acids and ceramides. Even bakuchiol, which is a lesser-known plant-based alternative, can smooth fine lines without any controversy. You can also stick to your usual vitamins A and C. The beauty industry will always try to chase reinvention, but innovation doesn’t need to be questionable.
Just because science says it’s doable doesn’t mean it’s automatically the future of skincare. Opt for something safe, that has a lot of studies that back it up, and that doesn’t support an industry that profits from animals. Skincare can be groundbreaking without crossing ethical lines.
Featured Image and Photos: MEGA ARCHIVES
