Exosomes: the ‘game-changing’ beauty secret taking over London

“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.”

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.”