Jennifer Anistons viral ‘Salmon Sperm’ trend started with the K-beauty industry
The Korean beauty industry has boomed, and a viral trend has taken over social media. Now we can get ‘Salmon Sperm’ facials, injections and even skincare products to achieve youthful skin. I have asked a professional aesthetician all about the ‘salmon sperm’ trend and if viral procedures on the internet are healthy for a young audience to consume.
Credit: Emma Louise Jones Props picture, salmon sperm trend
A recent news story on the BBC website says that the k-beauty industry has taken over and is now the global powerhouse for all things beauty. Influencers scream about trending Korean products and general shops like Boots are now flooded with Korean brands such as: Anua, Medicube, Beauty of Joseon and Laneige.
Are we surprised? South Korean beauty standards include smooth, porcelain skin with a flawless complexion. It only makes sense that their skincare is going to be the creme de la creme. Salmon sperm is not the only trend that k-beauty are behind, the 2025 ‘glass-skin’ trend, where people were stripping back the make-up and perfecting their jam-packedskincare routines, also accumulated from Korea.
But why did the salmon sperm trend get so much hype and what about injecting fish DNA made it go viral?
The Salmon Sperm trend
Salmon sperm has been a craze since 2023, but three years later, it is still being talked about. It all started with celebrity, Jennifer Aniston, saying she tried the facial injections to the Wall street journal, now the Kardashians praise the treatment and singer Charli XCX says, after getting them, ‘fillers are kinda over now, according to a BBC article.
However, the internet gate-keeps and never goes into detail about what these procedures actually do. So, I have asked, Natalie, a professional nurse prescriber, to explain what the salmon sperm facial does.
Credit: Emma Louise Jones Interviewee: Natalie, nurse prescriber
What are polynucleotides?
‘So, polynucleotides, also called salmon DNA, is derived by salmon DNA. It’s the closest thing to our natural DNA and it basically brings your cells together make it stronger and firmer. It’s more than a natural treatment rather than the dermal filler root.’
In comparison to dermal fillers, polynucleotides is a natural substance to help with ageing and the elasticity of the skin. Perhaps, societies anti-aging obsession is what made the treatment go viral. Although, many Tik Tok influencers who got the procedure were young and did not necessarily need a fix to aging, so do polynucleotides have any other benefits.
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Does it help with acne and acne scaring?
‘Absolutely. Again, because it’s got anti-inflammatory properties in and helps inflammation of your acne. But again, you can break down the scar tissue and because it’sa regenerative medicine as we call it, it helps the cells around your acne.’
As a girl with acne, I can see why so many have got the salmon sperm facial to target these skin concerns. Trying to find skincare products that helps acne feels like an impossible challenge, so if there is an option to resolve the issue deeper under the skin, no wonder so many people are getting the treatment.
Are they sustainable?
‘When I’ve looked into that a little bit more, they farmed fish and I think it depends on the company, some farm them, some don’t. So yeah. Absolutely not ideal. I do think however, it wouldn’t stop a lot of the population as well.’
Credit: Emma Louise Jones Made on Canvas, free graphics
Why is the K-beauty industry booming?
What makes Korea so different to other countries? Korean beauty standards prioritise youthful appearances and it is expected that they have flawless porcelain skin. According to The Gazelle, fair and undamaged skin was a sign of wealthiness. Their profound culture is the secret behind their intense beauty routines.
I asked, cosmetic scientist, Carly Musleh, why Korean skincare is becoming the powerhouse of the beauty industry.
‘What makes Korea so different isn’t just the innovation itself, it’s the culture behind it. There is a strong mindset in regard to skin health, it is seen as a long-term fix. This mindset filters all the way down to how products are researched, formulated and tested’
Whereas other countries treat the problem when it happens, Korean culture performs preventions, which can be seen in treatments and products from the K-beauty industry.
Carly Musleh says,
‘Korean skincare has been at the forefront of most of the trends that have appeared in the last 10 years. Actives such as snail mucin, Centella asiatica, fermented botanical extracts all sitting alongside some of the most elegant textures in the industry.’
‘A great example of Koreas wider influence that most people don’t realise is the cushion compact. That format, now sold at every luxury counter you can think of was originally pioneered by Korean brand Amorepacific around 2008. Lancome adopted it in the mid-2010’s, and the rest of prestige beauty followed. Consumers were essentially using Korean technology without knowing it.’
K-beauty have been dominating the industry without anyone realising. Now, they are becoming more noticeable with the growth of influence social media has. According to the BBC, ‘The domestic market alone was valued at about $13bn (£9.6bn) in 2024, with sales of some products expected to grow at double-digit rates. And the rest of the world is just as obsessed with K-beauty – which is perhaps unsurprising given it’s part of the Hallyu, or Korean Wave, which has made K-Pop and K-dramas a global phenomenon.’
On the market
Shops like Sephora and boots have jumped on the bandwagon and have whole sections dedicated to Korean skincare. If aestheticians inject polynucleotides deep into the skin multiple time for change, how would surface products work in comparison to the salmon sperm facial?
Carley Musleh says:
‘Decades of clinical research back up the regenerative and anti-aging effects of PDRN delivered directly into the skin. The penetration question is a legitimate one, it is entirely dependent on the formulation and sometimes brands can use marketing language that implies a result that doesn’t quite deliver’
Credit: Emma Louise Jones PDRN products in Sephora
Even though the beauty industry is always changing, and new trends pop up every week, k-beauty will always be the powerhouse because of how high-tech their products are. In other words, they are 50-years into the future. Salmon sperm is one of many beauty trends that they created and im sure there will be many more to come.
