It’s pretty obvious that celebs will do pretty much anything to look young forever. Botox, fillers, 20-pound Epsom salt baths, and… salmon sperm? Yup, in the latest absolutely nuts things that celebrities do for skincare, we have the queen of all things beauty Kim Kardashian. And instead of just injecting fillers into her face, she revealed that she’s been injecting salmon sperm too. And no, that isn’t just a fancy name for a skincare brand, we’re talking about the actual sperm of salmon.
In a recent episode of The Kardashians, Kim talked about her salmon sperm facial that includes facial injections and we were reminded that she’d do just about anything to look younger.
If you feel like you’re having Deja Vu, it’s not in your head. Just last year, Jennifer Aniston made headlines for using salmon sperm on her face as well, except she was only using it topically (aka, a salmon sperm facial). For Kimmy, she felt the most effective way was to go skin-deep. So, we had to know: Is salmon sperm good for your skin?
What is a Salmon Sperm Facial?
So what exactly is a salmon sperm facial? The magic ingredient here is Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a fancy scientific term for DNA derived from, you guessed it, salmon sperm. This isn’t just some gimmick dreamed up for shock value — PDRN is packed with powerful regenerative properties that do wonders for your skin. And when you get a facial, you’re basically getting microneedling treatments, allowing the sperm-infused serum to deeply penetrate the skin.
“The way this works is due to the high concentrations of DNA and abundance of amino acids which can help facilitate wound healing and collagen production,” board-certified dermatologist Dr. May Hall, DO, FAAD tells Betches.
Is Salmon Sperm Good For Your Skin?
A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science found that PDRN injections improved skin hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle reduction in participants. This means that salmon sperm isn’t just a bizarre beauty fad — it actually has some serious scientific backing. Go figure.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s 100% an effective treatment.
“There isn’t enough data out there to definitively say whether this is an effective modality of skincare (yet),” Dr. Hall says. “From what we do know, it has shown to improve skin hydration, plumpness, and texture due to the regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties of the polynucleotides.”
So while overseas it’s being used heavily for skin hydration, over here in the U.S., it hasn’t been approved for use by the FDA.
But if Kim K. is all the proof you need, go ahead and book that salmon sperm facial.
