Why “salmon sperm facials” have enchanted Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston

On a recent episode of “The Kardashians,” Kim Kardashian revealed that she tried a new beauty protocol using the reproductive goo of a fish, casually sharing with People “I got a salmon sperm facial with salmon sperm injected into my face.”

She isn’t the only celebrity to put salmon semen on her face with the intent of improving skin quality. In August 2023, Jenifer Aniston shared that an aesthetician got her into salmon sperm facials, too. For decades, there has been a strange fascination in the world of beauty with putting sperm on a person’s face.

Part of this practice stems from the long-held myth that spermine — an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent found in sperm and cells in the human body — is good for the skin. However, limited research suggests there might be something to salmon sperm after all.

Technically called salmon PDRN, (which stands for polydeoxyribonucleotides), the fishy ingredient is extracted from the sperm cells of chum salmon or salmon trout. According to a 2017 study in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, the manufacturing process “represents a new advancement in the pharmacotherapy” and guarantees the absence of active proteins and peptides that could cause immune reactions. However, several of the study authors do declare holding patents on various therapies employing PDRN technology.

To get into more detail, Dr. Sophie Shotter, an aesthetics doctor, told Salon via email that PDRN is a “gel substance” that contains DNA fragments that are derived from “salmon gonads.”

“It is derived from salmon sperm, rather than actually being salmon sperm.”

“It is different from polynucleotides, which include a mixture of DNA and RNA and the PNs can provide a little more structural support and potentially last a little longer,“ Shotter said. “It is derived from salmon sperm, rather than actually being salmon sperm.”

That seems like an important distinction to make. Shotter added that salmon have been selected because the DNA fragments are compatible with humans. Of course, it’s only natural to be curious about how things are extracted. Shotter said that salmon sperm “is harvested from salmons without harming them.” It’s then filtered, purified and sterilized to create a product that can be injected. As detailed by National Geographic, it is a common practice in salmon hatcheries to harvest salmon sperm, which requires a scientist to squeeze a salmon in the right spot — also known as abdominal massaging. 

The procedure of getting a salmon-sperm facual itself lies between getting injected with filler and just getting a facial. A needle filled with the salmon PDRN is injected into a person’s face via “microneedling.”

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According to research published in the journal Pharmaceuticals in 2021, PDRN has helped improve the healing of wounds in human skin and decrease inflammation. The procedure has been popular for years in South Korea. 

“There is scientific evidence emerging for PNs and some good peer-reviewed publications, although I am sure there will be much more to come,” Shotter said. “It is being lauded for its regenerative effects, and regenerative treatments are so enormously popular now because they are stimulating our body to work harder.”

In 2010, a study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science found that the DNA in salmon sperm increased skin elasticity, collagen levels and production of hyaluronic acid compared to controls. Another study in 2017 found that DNA derived from salmon sperm helped repair cellular damage, and diminished inflammation, with scientists suggesting it could be used in sunscreen and moisturizers.

Shotter added salmon sperm is very “biocompatible,” and “has the potential to effect impressive changes in the skin without changing the face’s shape and structure.” This, she said, makes it suitable for almost everyone. 

“This doesn’t mean, in my opinion, that it replaces other treatments,” she said. “But it is an incredible adjunct, particularly for treating areas which have previously been challenging with injectables such as the eye area.”

Improving your skin isn’t the only potential benefit for salmon sperm either. A report in the New York Post earlier this spring claimed that salmon sperm was being used as “a non-surgical treatment intended to rejuvenate the vagina and increase sexual arousal.”

It has potential in the textiles industry as well, with the potential to help scientists collect human DNA on cotton swabs while researchers in China have developed a bioplastic alternative using salmon sperm. The new plastic required 97 percent fewer carbon emissions than polystyrene plastics.

“To the best of our knowledge, our reported DNA plastics are the most environmentally sustainable materials of any known plastics,” Dayong Yang, of Tianjin University, who led the research, said in 2021.

However, not everyone is hopeful about salmon sperm. Recently, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) asked people to “keep the salmon in the sea” and their “beauty routines cruelty-free.” So while some evidence suggests this sperm-derived treatment can have broad utility, it clearly isn’t vegan.

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