You Got a WHAT Facial?
- Parmis Etezady
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Say hello to salmon sperm: the newest skincare obsession
By: Parmis Etezady
I first stumbled upon the combination of words “salmon sperm facial” at a parking garage in Miami Beach, Florida. A huge advertisement plastered on the wall of the garage by a wellness spa, alongside it were offered treatments such as microneedling and skin boosters — but you can probably guess which one really caught my eye.
Since then, I’ve seen countless posts on the beauty side of social media about “salmon DNA” treatments and injections accompanied by a mixed public reaction, and often a quite hilarious one:
But what actually is a salmon sperm (or DNA) facial?
Thankfully, a “salmon sperm facial” does not actually involve putting fish ejaculate on your face. The treatment includes a key ingredient called PDRN, or polydeoxyribonucleotide, which is extracted from salmon sperm and has been used in medicine since the 1980s, specifically in South Korea. Studies show that PDRN promotes skin regeneration and firmness, reduces inflammation, and accelerates healing.
In Korea, PDRN is injected directly into the skin. However, in the U.S., the Federal Drug Administration has not approved its use as an injection. Instead, salmon DNA is applied as a skin booster alongside other treatments such as microneedling or fractional laser resurfacing, according to Byrdie.
The American salmon sperm craze began with Jennifer Aniston in 2023. During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, she spoke about receiving a recommendation for a salmon sperm facial from her aesthetician. A year later, Kim Kardashian mentioned getting salmon sperm injected into her face on an episode of The Kardashians. Now, talk of salmon DNA is ever present on social media, with those who can afford to pay hundreds, or even up to thousands, of dollars raving about it.
But you don’t need a stack of cash to be able to get your own salmon sperm facial. K-Beauty brands Rejuran and Medicube offer more affordable PDRN products in the form of ampoules, serums, and creams for under $100.
Influencers have also been getting into the PDRN business. KimChi Chic Beauty, owned by drag queen Kim Chi (@kimchieats on TikTok), released its own salmon-sperm infused product, the “Give Me Grip” primer, on January 16. Just days after, makeup influencer Mikayla Nogueira launched a new line of product for her brand POV Beauty named “Snatch It”, containing a salmon-derived PDRN face ampoule and eye serum — packaged in a fashion paying homage to its ingredients. “It only made sense to put it in a fish tin,” Nogueria said in a video of her unboxing the product on TikTok.
In another video, Nogueria claims “You might as well throw away all of the PDRN salmon sperm’s you’re using because I just dropped one of the most efficacious, researched ones on the market — and I’m one of the first U.S. brands to do it.” She claims to have begun working with Korean chemists over a year ago to develop her product line, even though just nine months ago she posted a TikTok video promoting four Medicube PDRN products.
It seems as though salmon sperm is becoming yet another beauty trend pushed onto consumers by a hyper-capitalist society. Regardless of whether or not it truly revitalizes one’s skin, people are considering ethical implications surrounding how it is sourced and raising concerns about animal cruelty. Nudie Glow writes that vegan, bio-synthetic alternatives to PDRN are being developed and may eventually have the same impact of salmon DNA.
That begs the question: would indulging in vegan PDRN be as desirable as getting the iconic (and slightly gross) salmon sperm facial?
Parmis is a second-year student at University of Florida and the Online Editorial Director at Rowdy Magazine. In her free time, she loves to discover new TV shows, visit local coffee shops, and find the nearest thrift store! Keep up with her on Instagram, @parmisetez.
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