PDRN Skincare: Is It Worth The Hype?

Dr. Andrea Suarez, dermatologist, gives us her professional insights:

The selling point

First of all, what it actually is: PDRN stands for polydeoxyribonucleotide and refers to a mixture of DNA fragments, commonly listed in skincare as sodium DNA. It’s often sourced from salmon or trout sperm and has become especially popular in Korean skincare, including injectable treatments.

However, research on PDRN has so far been largely based on lab studies involving in vitro cells and non-human animals, even if there are some clinical studies investigating wound healing and tissue repair. These studies suggest PDRN may affect signaling pathways involved in healing, but this doesn’t establish that topical PDRN in (for example) an eye cream produces meaningful cosmetic benefits.

Notably, much like with collagen peptides, the skin is quite an effective barrier, so simply applying DNA fragments to the surface doesn’t mean they will penetrate deeply enough to activate the pathways observed in petri dishes. The evidence doesn’t support buying a topical skincare product specifically for its PDRN content for anti-aging, skin tone, smoothness, or suppleness.

In other words, per Dr. Suarez, PDRN in topical skincare is overhyped and a gimmick.

For more on all of this plus some other common ingredients, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

The Evidence-Based Skincare That Beats Product-Specific Hype

Take care!