Beauty junkies will go to great lengths to stop the clock. The latest buzzword on every aesthetician’s lips? Exosomes.
You might have heard the words ‘stem cells’ being bandied about in beauty. They are cells with the potential to develop characteristics specific to a given organ or tissue, meaning they have incredible powers to regenerate and replace cells in the body.
In medicine, stem cell transplants have been commonplace for some time. They might, for example, be extracted from the blood or bone marrow of a healthy family member and transferred to a cancer patient, or harvested from an umbilical cord and stored in case a baby should need healthy stem cells later in life.
Essentially, they hold a regenerative superpower that beauty disruptors have long wished to bottle. However, there is currently no way for human stem cells to survive in a product vial. And even if they could, using human-derived matter in cosmetics is currently against EU law.
Companies in South Korea and the US have begun harvesting stem cells from human matter like umbilical cords, bone marrow and fat, and extracting exosomes from them for use in beauty. For now at least, the exosome products popping up in the UK are only made from Damascus rose, which researchers have found to be similar in size and shape to human stem cell-derived exosomes. But this whole area is being hailed as a new frontier in beauty.
What is an exosome?
Exosomes are not cells but signalling ambassadors, around 1/800th the size of a cell. They awaken and stimulate your skin at a cellular level by activating cells to work optimally and, therefore, say their proponents, have the power to slow the ageing process. There is no cellular matter in the exosomes, so any risk of disease transfer or cell rejection does not apply. “Big pharma companies excited because it doesn’t contain any DNA,” says Dr Damree, who launched a “5 billion EXO Face treatment” at Urban Retreat in Knightsbridge in January, combining exosomes with a radiofrequency microneedling machine.
“It’s like they are little satellites that travel in from one cell to the other and pass on their signal. The recipient skin cell will become more active. As we age, the concentration of circulating exosomes declines and skin structure becomes disordered and ‘untidy,’ resulting in unevenness, loss of elasticity and wrinkles,” she continues. “We have seen up to a 700 per cent increase in collagen production and 300 per cent increase in elastin production.”
Exosome treatments have popped up everywhere from Dr Barbara Sturm’s Mayfair spa to Andrea Pfeffer’s new Carnaby clinic and even the new Dr. Vali wellness centre in Selfridges.
“This is as cutting edge as it gets,” says Dev Patel, a specialist in aesthetics and regenerative medicine, and medical director of Perfect Skin Solutions clinic, where he has been using exosomes since 2020. “They are like a troubleshooter. You don’t have to have a specific skin indication to use them as they will signal pretty much everything. It could just be pigmentation and open pores, or it could be loss of elasticity.”
If you’re looking to reduce inflammation (which makes you look old), regenerate your skin and increase the thickness of the dermis (which makes you look young), or if you’re someone in want of a full mop of hair, exosomes might just be your new besties.
“I personally think they are an exciting development and I am looking forward to seeing some impressive data on them,” says award-winning aesthetician Dr Sophie Shotter, noting that a lot of the data currently available is from human-derived exosomes, and so not applicable here. “The advantages for skin will be improved skin elasticity and firmness, and they should be very good for post-procedure recovery from lasers and more invasive procedures.”
Exosomes on the market
Over the counter exosome products are new and, for now, fairly few. Among the frontrunners is Dr Sturm, who launched her Exoso-Metic End Level skincare line in October 2021, and an exosome microneedling treatment in her spas globally in November of the same year. “It’s just fascinating what they can do,” says the German skincare guru, who first used exosomes 20 years ago as part of her now-famous ‘vampire facial’. “I was always bound to making exosomes from patients’ own blood instead of just having it [bought in] to use,” says Dr Sturm, who describes her two products as game-changing, and for £380 for a pot of serum you’d hope for little less.
Dr Damree has a skincare line called Cell Tweet, which launched in October 2022. She notes that the skincare market is fairly unregulated and finding an effective product can be difficult. “The most important thing to know is the manufacturing company,” says Dr Damree, who recommends Googling the supplier to see if they supply to clinics, or better still buying from a clinic or doctor direct. “There’s a lot of white labelling, and many products on the market that are claiming to be exosome products that aren’t.”
Others, like Patel, are unconvinced by the efficacy of over-the-counter exosomes. “I find it questionable. It comes to me frozen and when I mix it up I literally have to use it within 30 minutes or it will become inactive.”
Exosomes are currently only legal for topical application, meaning you’re not allowed to inject them Botox/filler-style. You can, however, apply them with microneedling (the needles are shorter so it doesn’t count as far as regulations are concerned). The beauty of microneedling, says Dr Damree, is that different skin concerns can be targeted by using different depths of needle. “A lady in her 60s, for example, might be suffering from skin laxity, fine lines, rosacea and pigment — if you place the exosomes in all different layers, you can correct all these concerns in one. No other product can do this at the moment.”
When Andrea Pfeffer, who founded cult Fitzrovia facial destination Pfeffer Sal in 2015, opened her second clinic Salon C. Stellar in December, exosome treatments were first on her list. “I was really looking for the latest innovative and minimally invasive treatments I could find. Treatments and new technology that made your skin and body work for you rather than relying on freezing and plumping… Microneedling and RF needling have been around for a while now and they are brilliant technologies that target a multitude of skin conditions. However, when you combine them with exosomes you really take it to a whole new level.
“Not only do exosomes get your own cells to respond, rejuvenate and of course correct [pigmentation], they also have incredible inflammatory properties which help with acne, rosacea, psoriasis and much more. I have seen many treatments promising change or improvement but with the exosomes the results really are there!”
Exosomes are set to be the next big thing not just in beauty but also pharmaceutical drugs in the next 20 to 30 years. “The first wave of use is topical innovation but we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” says Dr Damree. “This is not just another type of filler, this is the future.”
