The worst new trend in skincare, without hesitation is exosomes. I don’t think they’re good nor have any skin benefit, not in the way they’re being marketed, not in the way they’re produced, and certainly not in the way they’re being pushed onto consumers as miracle anti‑aging actives.
For those unfamiliar: Exosomes are extracellular vesicles : lipid‑bound packets shed by cells that carry proteins, lipids, and RNAs meant to signal to other cells. I studied them when I was doing by university-level biological research. In tissue biology the study of exosomes is fascinating and legitimate work: exosomes are part of how cells coordinate repair, immunity, and growth. But in skincare they’ve become a buzzword with none of the contextual safeguards or rigor that exist in proper research.
The False Prophets
The TikTok “skincare gurus” are presenting exosomes as “stem cell messengers” and “Botox in a bottle,” and they’re being given far more reach than actual scientists who can explain the limitations. The public hears “stem cell” or “signal” and imagines tissue regeneration. What they’re really getting is a jar of degraded cellular debris with no proof of efficacy and unknown long‑term risk.
The deeper controversy is that exosomes are being used as a regulatory loophole. In the U.S. they’re not classified as drugs, not regulated as biologics, and the FDA hasn’t yet set rules for topical use. Supplement companies have been eyeing exosomes for years because oral or injectable delivery would be far more lucrative, but they can’t get past the medical/biologic gatekeepers. So they’re smuggling exosome “actives” into the cosmetics market first because cosmetics in the United States is a sector with essentially no pre‑market approval, so they found a loophole using skincare as the mule. Once the public is normalized to the concept and the supply chains are in place, the plan is to roll out “nutraceutical” exosome products.
The 5 Reasons Why Exosomes in Skincare are Bad for You
And now the five realities no one wants to talk about:
1. Exosomes Can Carry Oncogenic or Pro‑inflammatory Cargo (Cancer)
If derived from mesenchymal stem cells or immortalized cell lines, exosomes may contain growth‑promoting RNAs and proteins that could, at least in theory, promote unwanted cell proliferation. Some published therapeutic studies have already raised red flags about exosomes transferring oncogenic miRNAs involved in tumor pathways. Cosmetic brands do not screen for this. Companies pipetting post‑biological trash onto their customers faces with zero requirement to screen for inflammatory cytokines or microRNA content.
2. Some Cosmetic Exosomes Come from Foreskin Fibroblasts or Tumor Lines
Behind the scenes, many exosome suppliers culture cells from neonatal foreskin fibroblasts or immortalized lines because they’re cheap and easy to propagate. These are technically human cells, but the ethical and biological implications are conveniently buried. In some cases, aesthetic clinic supply chains use tumorigenic cell lines or genetically modified cells to increase exosome output, again without disclosure. Imagine slathering tumor cell secretions on your face, then being told it’s “natural” and “regenerative.”
3. No One Is Disclosing Exosome Quality Metrics
Real therapeutic‑grade exosomes are assessed for particle size distribution (typically 30–150 nm), RNA content, protein markers like CD63/CD9/CD81, sterility and endotoxin load. Skincare‑grade exosomes: Zero standards. Zero labeling. Zero required testing. The same vesicle type used in Alzheimer’s and cancer research is now being freeze‑dried and repackaged into $300 face serums without a single validated biomarker.
4. Most “Exosome” Serums Don’t Actually Contain Live Exosomes
Brands often list “exosome lysate,” “conditioned media,” or “nano‑vesicles,” which is code for exosome fragments or simply the growth medium after culturing cells. These don’t contain viable, functional exosomes. They may have protein remnants or degraded RNA at best. In some cases, the products may contain no exosomes at all: just growth factors derived from fetal bovine serum. It’s not a miracle vesicle; it’s a graveyard of protein soup.
5. FDA Has Already Issued Warnings... and No One Cares
In 2019 and 2020, the FDA issued safety warnings about clinics using exosome injectables that caused adverse reactions. The agency explicitly stated these are unapproved biologics, not approved drugs. But in the topical skincare world there is silence. Because cosmetics aren’t regulated for biological activity. If you injected these same exosomes, you’d be violating federal law. Smear them on your face and they’re just “cosmetics.”
Exosomes Don't Even Work for Anti-Aging
From a biological standpoint, topical exosomes don’t work for anti‑aging for three basic reasons:
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Stability – exosomes degrade rapidly outside tightly controlled conditions. Unless cryopreserved and handled like a biologic, they lose structural integrity and contents. By the time they’re in a consumer dropper, they’re mostly empty lipid shells or broken fragments.
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Delivery – even intact exosomes are large, complex vesicles that do not cross the stratum corneum barrier in any meaningful way. Without a delivery system akin to microneedling or injection, you’re essentially smearing them on a brick wall.
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Context – exosomes act based on the environment of the tissue they’re released in. Applying allogeneic or xenogeneic exosomes without knowing the origin cell type or growth conditions is biologically nonsensical and potentially immunogenic.
The long‑term consequences of this free‑for‑all could be significant. If brands keep selling poorly characterized exosomes from human or animal sources, we risk sensitization reactions, contamination scandals, and a public backlash that sets legitimate extracellular vesicle research back years. Worse, the inevitable lawsuits will make the entire category toxic before we’ve even learned what might be useful in a properly regulated, therapeutic setting.
No Fads No Trends: OUMERE
For all of these reasons, I stay away from the fad entirely. The only products I use on my own skin are the OUMERE products I created, which I built deliberately to be barrier‑respecting and evidence‑driven: no growth factors, no gimmicks, no vitamin C, no hyaluronic acid, no retinol, no “miracle” exosomes. Just formulas where every ingredient has a purpose, a stability profile, and data behind it.
It’s maddening to watch the field get hijacked by marketing, but at least with OUMERE we can keep our own standards.
References
1. What Are Exosomes?
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Raposo, G. & Stoorvogel, W. (2013). Extracellular vesicles: Exosomes, microvesicles, and friends. Journal of Cell Biology, 200(4), 373–383.
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201211138 -
Yáñez-Mó, M. et al. (2015). Biological properties of extracellular vesicles and their physiological functions. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 4(1), 27066.
https://doi.org/10.3402/jev.v4.27066
2. Exosome Cargo Can Be Oncogenic or Inflammatory
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Zhang, Y. et al. (2015). Exosomes: biogenesis, biologic function and clinical potential. Cell & Bioscience, 5, 19.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-015-0002-2 -
Kogure, T. et al. (2011). Intercellular nanovesicle-mediated microRNA transfer: a mechanism of environmental modulation of hepatocellular cancer cell growth. Hepatology, 54(4), 1237–1248.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.24572 -
Xing, F. et al. (2016). Cancer exosomes and microRNAs in cancer metastasis. Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 9, 12.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13045-016-0243-9 -
Bardi, G. et al. (2018). Cancer exosomes and immunotherapy: future challenges and opportunities. Seminars in Cancer Biology, 58, 177–190.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcancer.2018.01.009
3. Cosmetic Exosomes Sourced from Foreskin or Immortalized Cells
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Liang, Y. et al. (2021). A comprehensive review of exosomes in reproductive system: cancer and non-cancer applications. Journal of Ovarian Research, 14, 95.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13048-021-00837-6
(Mentions use of foreskin fibroblasts and MSC lines for exosome harvesting.) -
Yeo, R. et al. (2013). Human mesenchymal stem cells: isolation, expansion and cryopreservation. In: Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, 3rd Edition. Academic Press.
(Describes use of neonatal foreskin and fetal tissues as common MSC sources.)
4. Lack of Quality Control / Standards in Cosmetic Exosomes
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Théry, C. et al. (2018). Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the ISEV. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 7(1), 1535750.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20013078.2018.1535750
(Defines QC standards for therapeutic exosomes — largely absent from cosmetics.) -
Lener, T. et al. (2015). Applying extracellular vesicles based therapeutics in clinical trials – an ISEV position paper. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 4, 30087.
https://doi.org/10.3402/jev.v4.30087
5. Most "Exosome Serums" Don't Contain Real Exosomes
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Skotland, T. et al. (2022). The exosome cargo and its function: the missing link in understanding exosome-based therapeutics. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 23, 419–430.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-022-00431-3 -
Gudbergsson, J. et al. (2019). Challenges and considerations when preparing exosomes for in vitro and in vivo applications: A critical review. BioDrugs, 33, 301–312.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40259-019-00339-6 -
Journalistic Reference: Allure – “What Are Exosomes and Are They Safe in Skincare?”
https://www.allure.com/story/exosomes-skincare-trend
(Highlights that most cosmetic exosomes are fragments, not functional vesicles.)
6. FDA Warnings Against Exosome-Based Injectables (While Topicals Go Unregulated)
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FDA Safety Communication (Dec 2019): Important Safety Information for Human Cell, Tissue, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/Ps)
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/fda-warns-about-exosome-products -
FDA Warning Letters (2020):
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Kimera Labs: https://www.fda.gov/media/137515/download
(Companies were marketing exosomes as drugs without approval — injectables banned, but topicals untouched.)
7. Skin Barrier and Penetration Issues
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Prow, T. et al. (2011). Nanoparticles and microparticles for skin drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 63(6), 470–491.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2011.01.005
(Describes skin as an impermeable barrier to most nano-sized delivery systems, including vesicles.) -
Alkilani, A. et al. (2015). Exosomes and their therapeutic potential: are they the future of drug delivery? Journal of Drug Targeting, 23(1), 1–11.
https://doi.org/10.3109/1061186X.2014.945862
(Even in therapeutic use, vesicle-based delivery to skin is still in development.)