For your skin
The "salmon DNA" trending in K-beauty and Korean clinics. Strong wound-healing pedigree translated into anti-aging. Speeds repair after lasers/microneedling, smooths fine lines, and brightens. Often layered with vitamin C and niacinamide.
Want the science? Keep reading ↓Mechanism of action
Low-MW DNA fragments (50-1500 kDa) isolated from salmon trout sperm that activate adenosine A2A receptors on fibroblasts, driving VEGF release, collagen synthesis, and accelerated wound repair while supplying salvage-pathway nucleotides.
Why we tier this moderate
3 cited papers across 2 countries. The mechanism is well-described and there's at least one controlled trial in the literature, but we tier this Moderate rather than Strong to stay honest about how many specific papers we cite directly.
Cited research
Lee D et al., Skin Regeneration and Barrier-Improvement Efficacy of Polydeoxyribonucleotide Isolated from Panax Ginseng Adventitious Root, Molecules 2023;28(21):7240 — plant-derived PDRN promoted keratinocyte/fibroblast proliferation and strengthened barrier function
Lee S, Won KH et al., A Mixture of Topical Forms of Polydeoxyribonucleotide, Vitamin C, and Niacinamide Attenuated Skin Pigmentation and Increased Skin Elasticity by Modulating Nrf2, Molecules 2022;27(4):1276 — topical PDRN + Vit C + niacinamide reduced melanin and improved elasticity in UV-B model, comparable to hydroquinone
Squadrito F et al., Polydeoxyribonucleotide: A Promising Biological Platform to Accelerate Impaired Skin Wound Healing, Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021;14(11):1103 — review documenting PDRN activation of adenosine A2A receptors, VEGF release, and accelerated wound healing across diabetic, thermal, and ischemic models
Sources: PubMed · KCI · J-Stage · CNKI · Wanfang · SFD · MFDS · Cochrane · SCCS · CIR. Every entry points to a specific document. See methodology for what each outcome label means.