Journal · 12 min read
What Is PDRN? Salmon-DNA Skincare, Explained for Indian Skin
PDRN is purified DNA, usually from salmon or trout sperm. Here is what the research does and does not show, how to read a PDRN label, and how to use it in an Indian routine.
PDRN, short for polydeoxyribonucleotide, is a purified mix of DNA fragments, usually taken from the sperm of salmon or trout. In medicine it is a registered drug, injected or applied to wounds to support tissue repair. In skincare it appears in creams and serums, usually listed on the label as Sodium DNA. But most of the clinical evidence behind it comes from injections and wound care, not from creams. This guide covers what PDRN is and is not, where it comes from, how injections and creams differ, its side effects, and how to fit it into an Indian routine.
A disclosure first: we sell a PDRN product, the KoreCare PDRN Repair Cream. That is why every outside claim below links to its source, and why we say plainly where the evidence runs out.
What is PDRN? What the name means
"Poly" means many, and a deoxyribonucleotide is one building block of DNA. A 2017 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology describes PDRN as a mixture of DNA pieces weighing 50 to 1,500 kilodaltons, purified at high temperature so that the proteins and peptides in the raw material are inactivated. Measured by length, the chains run from about 50 to 2,000 base pairs (Rho and colleagues, 2024).
The Frontiers review describes PDRN as a drug with tissue-repairing and anti-inflammatory activity. Lab and animal studies suggest it works mainly by activating adenosine A2A receptors on cells, and by supplying nucleotides that cells can reuse (the "salvage pathway"). The "DNA" in the name describes what PDRN is made of. It is not a promise about your own DNA.
PDRN vs PN (polynucleotides)
You will also see PN, short for polynucleotides. A 2026 review in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery (JCAS) calls PN the broader family and PDRN a subset of it, with a proposed dividing line at 1,500 kilodaltons: PN at or above it, PDRN below. PN comes from salmon gonads, PDRN from sperm cells. In clinics, both are mostly injected into the skin or delivered through microneedling.
Why PDRN is listed as "Sodium DNA"
Cosmetic ingredient lists use INCI names (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients), and the EU's CosIng database has no INCI name for "PDRN" or "polydeoxyribonucleotide". DNA ingredients are named by their form. DNA supplied as its sodium salt is Sodium DNA, with the listed function "skin conditioning". Related entries include Hydrolyzed DNA and Hydrolyzed Sodium DNA.
So if the front of a pack says PDRN, look for a DNA name on the back. Ours lists Sodium DNA, and the label prints the amount: 1,200ppm. The name does not tell you the source: COSMILE Europe, an ingredient database run by Cosmetics Europe, lists the origin of Sodium DNA as animal, synthetic or plant.
Salmon DNA? Where PDRN comes from, and why most of it is not vegetarian
PDRN is typically made from the sperm DNA of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) or chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), per the Frontiers review. A 2021 review in Marine Drugs counted 40 studies using PDRN from rainbow trout, 29 from chum salmon and 3 from Chinese sturgeon. It also noted that "several companies are trying to extract PDRN from plants such as roses, aloe, and broccoli."
Put plainly: most PDRN is not vegetarian, and "Sodium DNA" on a label does not settle the question either way. If it matters to you, ask the brand where its PDRN comes from. We go through the question in full, with a list of other animal-derived ingredients, in Is PDRN vegetarian?
The PDRN in our PDRN Repair Cream comes from salmon DNA, so the cream is not vegetarian or vegan. Its hydrolyzed collagen is animal-derived too.
The source also matters for fish allergy. The JCAS review advises that people allergic to fish "should be cautious" with salmon-sourced DNA products, though "not all patients with fish allergy develop reactions". If that is you, check with your doctor before using any PDRN product, ours included.
PDRN injections vs PDRN creams: not the same thing
In clinics, PDRN and PN are injected into the skin as "skin boosters". A 2024 overview of injectable skin boosters in Archives of Plastic Surgery describes two well-known PN injectables, Plinest and Rejuran, as "designed for direct intradermal injection". It says the common reactions to skin-booster injections are mild redness and swelling that last a few hours, and that pain, occasional bruising or needle marks can follow. It is a medical procedure, to be done by a qualified doctor.
Most of PDRN's clinical evidence sits on this medical side. The Frontiers review describes a trial in 216 people with diabetic foot ulcers, in which PDRN was injected into muscle and around the wound, and a pilot study on skin-graft donor sites, which are open wounds, where PDRN was applied in the dressings. In a 2026 systematic review of randomised trials of PN and PDRN for skin, each of the seven trials used injection, microneedling, laser or radiofrequency treatment, or applied the ingredient to a wound. None tested a cream on intact skin, and the authors judged even this evidence "limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous treatment protocols, and variable outcome measures."
Creams face a physical problem. By the "500 Dalton rule" (Bos and Meinardi, 2000), a rule of thumb in dermatology, a molecule needs to be under about 500 daltons to be absorbed through intact skin. PDRN fragments weigh 50,000 to 1,500,000 daltons, a size that "precludes passive diffusion across the stratum corneum", the skin's outer layer, according to a 2025 study in Pharmaceutics. The JCAS review agrees: topicals "may have limited penetration and, hence, are less efficacious than injections." Our article Do collagen masks actually work? explains where the 500 dalton figure comes from, and what it does not prove.
Cream research is thin. That 2025 study, for example, tested a cream on 21 Korean women for two weeks, with no comparison group, using PDRN that had been modified with plasma treatment to make it smaller and less charged.
PDRN benefits for skin: what a cream can realistically do
A PDRN cream is a cosmetic, and the listed cosmetic function of Sodium DNA is skin conditioning. The JCAS review suggests topicals "may be useful as maintenance treatments and in improving skin hydration". So judge a PDRN cream as you would any night cream, on how your skin looks and feels, and do not expect it to do what an injection does. That applies to our cream too.
How to read a PDRN label
- Look for a printed concentration, in ppm (parts per million) or per cent. 10,000ppm is 1%, so 1,200ppm is 0.12%. "With PDRN" and no number tells you only that some is in there.
- Check where Sodium DNA sits, but do not over-read it. Under India's Cosmetics Rules, 2020 (rule 34(7)), ingredients above 1% are listed in descending order, and those at 1% or less follow "in any order". The US rule is the same, per the FDA's labeling guide. So at 1% or less, position says little about the amount. In our cream, Sodium DNA is 19th of 31 ingredients; the printed 1,200ppm is what tells you how much is there.
- Read the rest of the formula. Ours also contains niacinamide, panthenol and sodium hyaluronate, plus fragrance, which matters if fragrance has bothered your skin before.
We compare the PDRN creams and serums sold in India on published facts (concentration, format, price) in PDRN skincare in India, compared. Every ingredient in our cream is listed, with what it does, in our ingredient dictionary.
PDRN for Indian skin: fitting it into your routine
Use it at night. Cleanse, pat dry, apply any thin serums, then warm a small amount of cream and massage it into face and neck until absorbed. If you use an overnight mask, it goes on last. The Duo pairs this cream with our Collagen Night Wrapping Mask in exactly that order.
In humid weather, texture matters. If heavy creams feel sticky on you in the monsoon, try a lighter one. Ours is a cooling gel that absorbs without tack and suits oily, dry and combination skin.
In the morning, sunscreen matters more than any night cream. For dark spots in darker skin tones, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends a broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, tinted sunscreen with iron oxide, reapplied every two hours and after sweating. Our cream can be worn in the morning too; let it absorb fully before sunscreen.
Layering with other actives. Introduce one new product at a time:
| If you also use | What to do |
|---|---|
| Retinol | Use it and the cream on separate nights at first, and patch test. Combine them once your skin is comfortable with both. |
| Exfoliating acids (AHA, BHA) | The same: separate nights at first, and patch test. |
| Niacinamide | The cream already contains niacinamide. If you also use a niacinamide serum, apply the serum first. |
| Vitamin C | The simplest approach is vitamin C in the morning and the cream at night. If you want both at the same time, start slowly and patch test, as with retinol. |
If pigmentation is your main concern, do not build your routine around PDRN. A 2016 study on PDRN and melanin worked mostly on cells in the lab, and its human part tested injections in six women. That is not evidence that a cream fades dark spots. The AAD does warn that irritation can cause dark spots in darker skin tones, listing "a skin or hair care product irritates your skin" among the triggers. Another reason to patch test.
Is PDRN safe? Side effects and who should be careful
Across the seven trials in the 2026 systematic review, adverse events were "generally mild, transient, and localized to treatment sites", with no serious treatment-related events reported.
With a cream, the risk is the ordinary one for any cosmetic: irritation, or an allergic reaction to something in the formula. Patch test using the AAD's method: apply the product to a small, coin-sized spot on the underside of your arm or the bend of your elbow, twice a day for 7 to 10 days. If the skin turns red, itchy or swollen, wash it off and do not use it again.
- Fish allergy: check with your doctor first, as above.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the JCAS review lists both among the contraindications for PN and PDRN, and does not recommend them during pregnancy or breastfeeding because of a lack of studies. Ask your doctor before starting any PDRN product, ours included.
- Sensitive skin: our cream is formulated for sensitive skin, but it contains fragrance, so patch test if fragrance has bothered you before.
- Stinging: the AAD says, "If a product burns or stings when you apply it, stop using it."
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of PDRN?
PDRN stands for polydeoxyribonucleotide: a purified mix of short DNA fragments. On ingredient lists it appears under a DNA name, usually Sodium DNA.
What does PDRN do for skin?
In lab and animal studies, PDRN acts on adenosine A2A receptors and supplies building blocks that cells can reuse; in medicine it is injected or applied to wounds to support tissue repair. In a cream, its listed cosmetic function is skin conditioning, and the 2026 JCAS review suggests topicals may help with skin hydration. Judge a cream by how your skin looks and feels.
Is PDRN made from salmon sperm? Is it vegetarian?
Usually, yes: it is DNA purified from salmon or trout sperm cells, so most PDRN is not vegetarian. Plant sources are being explored, but the ingredient name will not tell you which kind a product contains. The PDRN in our cream comes from salmon DNA, so our cream is not vegetarian or vegan.
Is PDRN safe to use on my face?
Side effects in studies, mostly of injections, have generally been mild. For a cream, patch test first, and ask your doctor if you have a fish allergy or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Can a PDRN cream give the same results as PDRN injections?
No. Injections place PDRN beneath the skin's outer barrier. A cream is applied on top of it, and PDRN molecules are far larger than what normally passes through intact skin. Injections are a medical procedure; a cream is a cosmetic.
Can I use a PDRN cream with retinol or vitamin C?
With ours, retinol and exfoliating acids are fine with a slow start: use them on separate nights first, and patch test. For vitamin C, the simplest approach is to use it in the morning and the cream at night.
About the KoreCare PDRN Repair Cream
Our PDRN Repair Cream is a gel-type night cream made in South Korea, with PDRN (Sodium DNA) at 1,200ppm printed on the label, alongside niacinamide for a more even-looking tone and panthenol for barrier comfort. It is a cooling gel that absorbs without tack and sits under makeup. Its PDRN comes from salmon DNA, so it is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans, and it contains fragrance, so patch test first.
It costs ₹1,149 for 20 ml (price checked 12 October 2026; the product page shows the current price), with Cash on Delivery on every order, free shipping across India and dispatch within 24 to 48 hours. If you would like the overnight mask as well, The Duo pairs the cream with our Collagen Night Wrapping Mask at ₹999 for both (the 20 ml cream and the 75 ml mask; price checked 12 October 2026), with the discount applied automatically in the cart.
