Would You Put Salmon Jizz on Your Face?
If Salmon sperm could take years off your face, would you slather it on? Well, according to a recent article published by USA Today, salmon testicle DNA is the newest "it" ingredient in Korean skincare.
According to the article, the ingredient is more professionally known as "salmon pdrn," and it's enjoying a spike in popularity lately due to appearances in Netflix's "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" and in Doja Cat's "Vegas" music video.
While coating yourself in salmon sperm might sound disgusting, it turns out that there's plenty of research to back up its regenerative and anti-inflammatory claims. One study even found that salmon sperm was associated with increased skin elasticity and stronger collagen levels.
"Having an open mind to these different types of ingredients can be really great," said Kenna Whitnell, a biochemist and research scientist. "There are a lot of ingredients we're not used to in North America that are very popular in Korea, and there's a reason why they do: there's a lot of evidence behind its benefits."
According to USA Today, salmon pdrn — which stands for polydeoxyribonucleotides — is a sperm DNA that works by targeting a specific protein that promotes wound healing when stimulated. But why salmon? Well, as it turns out, the DNA of salmon is pretty close to humans, so that makes it highly compatible with the way our own skin cell's function. "The extraction and purification process removes active proteins and peptides that could potentially cause immune reactions," said Whitnell. "So it is just very purely DNA and that doesn't contain anything that could interact with our skin in a bad way."
"This ingredient is great because if you have a cut, wound, or acne blemish that is healing, salmon pdrn could help with that," said medical esthetician Cassandra Bankson. "White blood cells will attempt to fix this wound, and salmon pdrn has been shown in research to help with that cell migration, or bringing the healing cells to that affected area."
But it isn't quite a miracle cure. At least not yet. "For salmon pdrn to work, it needs to get across the top layer of the skin, meaning the skin needs to be broken," says Dr. Rachel Ho, an aesthetic doctor based in Singapore. "Most studies have only tested salmon DNA's ability to repair skin that is damaged rather than intact," she added.
While ingredients like Vitamin C, retinol, and sunscreen are still the gold standards in terms of anti-aging, preliminary research on salmon pdrn looks promising. Will you give it a shot?