If you have spent any time in Korean skincare this year, three acronyms keep appearing: PDRN, exosomes, and NAD+. Here is what each one actually is — without the marketing fog.
PDRN (Polydeoxyribonucleotide)
PDRN is a DNA fragment derived from salmon sperm, and it has been used in Korean aesthetic clinics for years — primarily for wound healing and post-procedure recovery.
Its reputation comes from a simple mechanism: PDRN supplies the building blocks that skin cells use to repair themselves, and it is small enough to reach the deeper layers where that repair happens.
Why it matters at home: it supports the skin's own recovery process, which is exactly what post-treatment skin is trying to do. In our mask, it appears alongside 5× Ceramides to settle redness fast.
Exosomes
Exosomes are tiny messengers released by cells to communicate with other cells. In skincare, milk-derived exosomes are used to carry signals that tell skin to produce more of what it is missing.
Unlike most ingredients, exosome performance is measured in gene expression rather than "hydration feel". In our ampoule, milk exosome at 50ppm measured HAS2 +25%, HAS3 +35% and AQP3 +28% versus control in in-house lab testing — meaning skin was instructed to build more of its own moisture channels.
NAD+
NAD+ is a coenzyme every cell uses to produce energy. Levels decline with age and with sun exposure, and skin with less NAD+ repairs more slowly and looks duller.
Topical NAD+ is not a magic switch, but it does replenish what your skin's repair cycle spends — which is why we pair it with 2,000ppm in our Derma Repair Cream and inside the ampoule.
Do You Need All Three?
Not in twelve products. PDRN, exosomes and NAD+ work on different parts of the same process: signal, repair, energy. Applied in the right order and concentration, three steps cover it — which is why our entire ritual is an ampoule, a mask and a cream.
Concentration over quantity. Consistency over novelty.