Banks of DNA double helices lit in blush pink at either side of a dark graphite field, representing the salmon-derived polynucleotides (INCI Sodium DNA) in PDRN

Learn

Salmon Sperm Skin Care: What It Is, and How It Differs From the Facial

Salmon sperm skin care is the nickname for PDRN, and no sperm cells are in the bottle.

By the Skingenetix Research Team, medically reviewed by Dr Esther Bodde, 9 October 2026

0

Sperm cells in the bottle

The starting material is salmon milt, but the ingredient is purified DNA fragments, not cells.

23.0% vs 6.6%

Crow's-feet wrinkle area, PDRN vs retinol

The 31-woman split-face trial (Ye 2026): 0.1% PDRN eye cream vs 0.1% retinol, 28 days, no placebo. The result is for the ingredient, not for our product.

3

Routes sold as a salmon sperm facial

Injections, clinic microneedling with a serum and a leave-on cream are different treatments with separate evidence.

PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide, listed on labels as sodium DNA) is a purified mix of DNA fragments taken from salmon milt. The name is shorthand, and it covers three very different things.

The short answers:

Is it real sperm? No. The starting material is salmon milt, but the ingredient is purified DNA fragments, not cells.
Is a salmon sperm facial the same as a cream? No. Injections, clinic microneedling with a serum and a leave-on cream are different treatments with separate evidence, and results do not transfer between them.
Does a cream do anything? In the one controlled trial of a PDRN eye cream on intact skin, crow’s feet fell by up to 23% in 28 days, more than three times the improvement seen with retinol on the other side of the face. It was one trial of 31 women, with no placebo side. The fine lines and wrinkles page explains what to expect from any topical.

Clear, thread-like strands tangled in a pink gel, close up

Is salmon sperm skincare made from actual sperm?

The raw material is the milt of salmon or related fish. A 2021 review describes PDRN as DNA fragments “mainly extracted from the sperm cells of salmon trout or chum salmon” (Kim 2021). That is where the nickname comes from.

The ingredient itself is a purified extract. The process removes the proteins and leaves DNA fragments, so the label says “sodium DNA”, not sperm. Our own PDRN serum lists “1% PDRN (10,000 ppm), salmon-derived sodium DNA”.

Salmon DNA, PDRN, polynucleotides, sodium DNA: the same thing?

They overlap, and the names are used loosely. Sodium DNA is the ingredient-list name. PDRN and polynucleotide (PN) both describe DNA fragments, and a 2025 review proposes PDRN for fragments under 1,500 kDa and PN for longer ones, while noting that the two names are used interchangeably (Marques 2025). A kDa is a unit of molecular size.

The trials show why the name tells you little:

Where the name appears	Name used	Fragment size
Ye 2026 eye-cream trial	Name usedPDRN	Fragment size850 kDa or less
Yogya 2022 clinic microneedling trial	Name usedpolynucleotide	Fragment size65 to 130 kDa
2025 naming proposal (Marques)	Name usedPDRN under 1,500 kDa; PN at 1,500 kDa or more	Fragment sizeby definition

The trial that called its ingredient “polynucleotide” used the smaller fragments. So the word on the label tells you neither the size nor how the ingredient was applied.

What is a salmon sperm facial?

“Salmon sperm facial” is used for three different routes:

A dermatologist in a white coat listening to a client during a skin consultation

Injection

A medical practitioner places tiny amounts under the skin, often called a skin booster.

A glass pipette releasing a single pink droplet onto a rose-coloured surface

Clinic microneedling with a serum

A clinic makes tiny channels in the skin and applies a polynucleotide serum straight afterwards.

A leave-on facial or cream

Nothing breaks the skin. The product sits on the surface, and how far PDRN passes into intact skin is not established.

Prices vary widely. Vogue UK has reported about £1,000 for a full face in London, and one Leeds clinic listed £300 a session when we looked on 9 October 2026. Those are clinic procedures, not products you buy to use at home.

Does salmon sperm skincare work?

Reviews of the injected route call the evidence promising but of low to moderate quality. The only controlled trial of a PDRN cream on intact skin is small and has no placebo side. The microneedling trial shows a faster result after a procedure, which a leave-on product cannot be assumed to share.

For the full appraisal of what the research shows, see our PDRN research page. The table sets the three routes side by side:

Route	Who does it	Best human evidence	What it measured	What it does not show
Injection (“skin booster”)	Who does itA medical practitioner	Best human evidenceReviews of 7 trials (183 people) and 9 studies (219 patients), mostly injected (Alhussain 2026; Lampridou 2025)	What it measuredCalled “promising”; the studies were “of low and moderate quality”	What it does not showAnything about a product used at home
Microneedling plus polynucleotide serum (clinic facial)	Who does itA clinic	Best human evidenceThe microneedling trial (Yogya 2022): 29 women, split face, 0.3% serum vs saline after radiofrequency microneedling	What it measuredWrinkle indentation around the eyes improved significantly within 2 months on the serum side, and 6 months on the saline side	What it does not showThat the result transfers to a leave-on serum on intact skin
Leave-on cream at home	Who does itYou	Best human evidenceThe 31-woman split-face trial (Ye 2026): 0.1% PDRN eye cream vs 0.1% retinol, 28 days, no placebo	What it measuredCrow’s-feet wrinkle area fell 23.0% on the PDRN side, against 6.6% with retinol: more than three times the improvement	What it does not showA result for our product, or against a plain cream

About the Ye figure: it comes from 31 women with self-reported sensitive skin, who used 0.1% PDRN eye cream on one side of the face and 0.1% retinol in the same base on the other, for 28 days. There was no placebo side, and the result is for the ingredient, not for our product.

What can a salmon sperm serum or cream do, including under the eyes?

This is what people usually mean by salmon sperm for skin at home. The honest answer is that one trial points the right way, and the rest is not tested.

Before

After

Ye 2026, PDRN side: −14.8% (retinol side −10.2%)

What a 14.8% smaller eye bag looks like

A larger fall, not double

In the Ye trial, eye-bag volume fell 14.8% on the PDRN side against 10.2% with retinol, under the same conditions as above. That is a larger fall, not double. The trial did not test a plain cream, so it cannot say how much of the change comes from PDRN rather than from moisturising.

The trial used an eye cream with PDRN as the only active. We have not tested our serum or cream ourselves, so we cannot say they will do the same. A cosmetic works on how skin looks and feels, and it does not replace a medical treatment.

Is salmon sperm skincare safe to use, and who should avoid it?

In the Ye trial, no adverse reactions were reported on either side. The Yogya trial reported no infection, pigment change or scarring after the clinic procedure. Both are findings about the ingredient, in small groups, and neither tested our products.

Skip it or ask first if any of these apply:

Fish allergy

The Ye trial excluded people with a known PDRN allergy, and nobody has tested fish-allergic users.

Pregnant or breastfeeding

It has not been tested in these groups. Ask a doctor or pharmacist first.

Broken, irritated or freshly treated skin

That includes skin after a facial, unless the practitioner says otherwise.

Stinging that does not fade

Stop using it.

Patch-test first on the inner forearm or behind the ear. No combination with other actives has been trialled, because in Ye the retinol was on the other half of the face. For injections, see a qualified medical practitioner.

Is salmon sperm skincare legal?

In August 2025, US dermatologists quoted by CNN and NBC Select said that injectable PDRN is not approved by the FDA and that topical products are sold as cosmetics. We report this as their view at that date. Rules differ by country and can change, so check your regulator’s own pages for the current position.