Science › Clinical studies › PDRN
Can PDRN outperform retinol on crow's feet?
A randomised, double-blind, split-face trial of a 0.1% PDRN eye cream against 0.1% retinol in 31 women — read at source, appraised in full.
Up to −23%
Crow's-feet wrinkle area and number, day 28
On the PDRN side, against about −6% to −7% on the retinol side of the same face, by VISIA image analysis (Ye et al., 2026).
+44.0%
Skin elasticity, day 28
On the PDRN side, against +24.8% with retinol; firmness improved 29.6% against 16.3%, and the skin's deeper layer grew 11.5% thicker against 5.5% (Ye et al., 2026).
−12.4%
Crow's-feet wrinkle area by day 14
On the PDRN side, against −3.9% with retinol: already more than the retinol side reached by day 28 (−6.6%). No reactions were reported on either side.
Original research by Ye R, Wang Q, Du L, Li L and Hu F, published in PLOS ONE (2026).
Appraised by the Skingenetix research team. Medically reviewed by Dr Esther Bodde, Cosmetic & Medical Physician. Last reviewed 30 September 2026.
PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide, listed on ingredient labels as sodium DNA) is a purified mix of DNA fragments from salmon. Long used as an injectable in clinics, it is now used in creams and serums for firmer, smoother-looking skin.
The Ye 2026 trial is a randomised, double-blind, split-face study in which 31 women with sensitive skin used a 0.1% PDRN eye cream on one side of the face and 0.1% retinol in the same base on the other, twice a day. After 28 days, crow's-feet wrinkle area and number had fallen by up to 23% on the PDRN side, against about 6–7% with retinol.
Our verdict: the only controlled trial of PDRN on intact skin, and a strong result. PDRN improved crow's feet more than three times as much as retinol within 28 days, visibly by day 14, measured by four instruments with every woman as her own comparison. It is one trial of 31 women, compared with retinol rather than a placebo, so we cite it for the ingredient as studied.
At a glance
The nine things worth knowing before you weigh what this trial found.
Randomised, double-blind, split-face trial: each woman used both creams, one on each side of the face, assigned at random.
31 Chinese women aged 35 to 55 (average 47.5), all with self-reported sensitive skin and visible crow's feet, under-eye lines and eye bags.
A water-in-silicone eye cream with 0.1% PDRN-850K, a medium-length salmon PDRN, as its only active, twice a day around the eyes, with daytime sunscreen.
0.1% retinol in an identical cream base, on the other side of the same face. There was no placebo side.
28 days, with measurements at day 0, day 14 and day 28.
VISIA 7 imaging for wrinkles, Antera 3D for eye bags and tear troughs, a Cutometer for firmness and elasticity, and Ultrascan UC22 ultrasound for dermal thickness and density.
0.1% PDRN-850K (about 1,200 base pairs, up to 850 kDa, at least 96% pure), stated in the methods; 0.1% retinol on the comparison side.
No specific funding. Four authors are affiliated with commercial skincare biotechnology companies (Inertia Shanghai Biotechnology and DermaHealth Shanghai Biotechnology); the paper declares no conflicts. The PDRN came from Ruijiming (Shandong) Biotechnology.
A — randomised, double-blind and instrument-measured, with each woman as her own comparison; compared with retinol rather than a placebo.
What the measurements showed
How much each side improved in 28 days
The change from the start on each side of the same faces, from the paper's Figure 6B. Wrinkles and eye bags fell; elasticity, firmness, thickness and density improved.
0.1% PDRN side0.1% retinol side
Crow's-feet wrinkle area
Number of under-eye lines
Elasticity (R2)
Firmness (F4)
Dermal thickness (ultrasound)
Dermal density (ultrasound)
Eye-bag volume
| Measure | 0.1% PDRN side | 0.1% retinol side |
|---|---|---|
| Crow's-feet wrinkle area | 23.0% | 6.6% |
| Number of under-eye lines | 23.4% | 7.0% |
| Elasticity (R2) | 44.0% | 24.8% |
| Firmness (F4) | 29.6% | 16.3% |
| Dermal thickness (ultrasound) | 11.5% | 5.5% |
| Dermal density (ultrasound) | 9.6% | 4.8% |
| Eye-bag volume | 14.8% | 10.2% |
After 28 days the PDRN side improved significantly more than the retinol side on every measure: crow's-feet wrinkle area fell 23.0% against 6.6%, under-eye lines 23.4% against 7.0%, and eye-bag volume 14.8% against 10.2%; elasticity rose 44.0% against 24.8%, firmness improved 29.6% against 16.3%, and the dermis grew 11.5% thicker and 9.6% denser, against 5.5% and 4.8% (Ye et al., 2026, Figure 6B).
What the researchers did
Thirty-one women with sensitive skin used two eye creams for 28 days, one on each side of the face, assigned at random. The study was double-blind, and the two creams looked the same. One cream contained 0.1% PDRN, the other 0.1% retinol, in exactly the same base, so any difference between the two sides came from the active ingredient.
The skin was measured with four instruments at the start, at day 14 and at day 28, after 20 minutes' rest in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room. Alongside the clinical trial, the team tested the PDRN in skin cells and in samples of human skin damaged by UV light in the laboratory.
How to read this result
- What it was compared with. PDRN was tested against 0.1% retinol, an established anti-ageing ingredient, in an identical base. Both sides improved, and PDRN improved more; with no placebo side, the trial measures PDRN against retinol rather than against no treatment. 0.1% retinol works gradually, and four weeks is a short run for it.
- Why split-face matters. Every woman was her own comparison, which removes differences in age, diet and sun exposure between groups.
- How it was measured. Four instruments measured wrinkles, eye bags, firmness and dermal density rather than judging by eye. Every figure on this page is the measured change on each side, from the paper's Figure 6B.
- What the ultrasound shows. Dermal thickness and density rose about twice as much with PDRN. The authors note that part of the day-28 change may reflect short-term hydration and plumping as well as structural change.
- Scale and setting. 31 women aged 35 to 55, all with sensitive skin, around the eyes, over 28 days, in an eye cream with PDRN as its only active.
- Who ran it. Four authors are affiliated with commercial skincare biotechnology companies; the paper declares no conflicts of interest and no specific funding.
Where this trial sits in the evidence
PDRN has a long record as an injectable, but on intact skin its evidence rests on this trial: the first controlled study of a PDRN cream used without needles or microneedling. A 2026 systematic review of PDRN trials found mostly injected or procedure-assisted studies, and it was completed before this one was published (Alhussain et al., 2026).
In the same paper, in a laboratory study on human skin samples damaged by UV light, the PDRN cream raised nine types of collagen, elastin and fibrillin: a laboratory result that fits the firmer, denser-looking skin measured on the women's faces.
Every study we rely on, graded, is on the PDRN evidence hub, alongside our other ingredient research. For a peptide trial on crow's feet, see our appraisal of the Argireline® trial.
Common questions about this trial
Does this trial prove the ingredient works?
It shows that a 0.1% PDRN eye cream reduced crow's-feet wrinkle area and number by up to 23% in 28 days, more than three times the improvement of 0.1% retinol on the other side of the same face, measured by imaging. It is one trial of 31 women, compared with retinol rather than a placebo; the rest of the evidence is on the PDRN evidence hub.
What concentration did the study use?
0.1% of PDRN-850K, a medium-length salmon PDRN (about 1,200 base pairs, up to 850 kDa), as the only active in an eye cream applied twice a day. The comparison side had 0.1% retinol in the same base.
Is the trial independent?
It was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE with no specific funding. Four of its authors are affiliated with commercial skincare biotechnology companies, and the paper declares no conflicts of interest.
Do Skingenetix products reproduce this result?
Our PDRN 1% Renewal Serum contains 1% salmon PDRN; the trial used 0.1% of one specific medium-length PDRN in an eye cream. No study has compared PDRN concentrations, so a higher percentage should not be read as a bigger effect, and the trial's results are not our serum's results.
Before you try it
This article summarises one published study. It is not medical advice, and your own results may differ. Our products are cosmetics. As with anything new for your skin, try a small amount on your inner forearm for 24 hours first, and add one new product at a time. Stop using it if you notice redness, itching, burning or swelling. If irritation continues, or if you have a skin condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or use prescription skin treatments, please ask your doctor or pharmacist before starting.
PDRN is derived from salmon. If you have a fish allergy, please speak to your doctor before using it, and try a small amount on your forearm first.
What it means for our products
This trial is why PDRN is in our range as a skincare ingredient rather than only a clinic treatment: applied to intact skin, it improved crow's feet more than retinol did within four weeks, with no reactions in women with sensitive skin.
Our PDRN 1% Renewal Serum and PDRN Collagen Night Cream contain salmon PDRN. They are different formulas from the trial's eye cream, so we cite the trial for the ingredient as studied, not as a result our products have repeated. The rest of the evidence is on the PDRN research hub.
Reference
Ye R, Wang Q, Du L, Li L, Hu F. Topical medium-length PDRN enhances dermal extracellular matrix repair in photodamaged skin via PI3K–Akt/TGF-β–regulated pathways. PLOS ONE 2026;21(7):e0350905. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0350905
Read at source: full text, 30 September 2026. Figures on this page come from the methods, the results of the clinical study and Figure 6, not the abstract.