I Tried the Salmon Sperm Facial (and I Liked It)

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As a woman in her mid-­forties, I’m intrigued by any treatment proclaiming to de-puff, de-wrinkle, and de-age after just one 60-minute session. So when I heard esthetician Alexis Robertson, of Alxs Skn Gym, was offering the “salmon sperm” facial—a treatment recently touted by Hollywood starlets such as Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston—at her Newbury Street studio, I eagerly signed up for a session.

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So how, exactly, can salmon sperm, of all things, improve skin texture and hydration? Robertson told me that the secret behind her version of the facial, dubbed the “Glowy B” or “Mermaid Facial” and costing $899 per treatment (or $599 as an add-on to other services), is an unexpected powerhouse ingredient found in salmon-sperm DNA: PDRN, which is extracted from the, ahem, swimmers. Lauded for its ability to repair and regenerate skin at the cellular level, the substance is also used in regenerative medicine to aid wound healing and reduce inflammation. When ­applied to the face, it ­promises to stimulate collagen production, improve elasticity, and restore the skin’s natural glow, while targeting fine lines, uneven texture, and overall dullness.

While the idea of infusing salmon-sperm DNA into my face sounded somewhat intimidating, the process, thankfully, was pretty straightforward. Robertson first washed and dermaplaned my skin to create a clean canvas. Next, she applied numbing cream before beginning the core of the treatment: a series of tiny microchannels delivering the main ingredient and other serums into my face. ­After, my skin was covered in a gel mask to stimulate oxygenation, which is supposed to increase hydration and promote healing. With the mask on, Robertson sent me on my way, letting me head back to my desk as long as I promised to wash it off in 35 to 45 minutes.

As for the results? While there was redness at the ­infusion sites that faded in a few hours, I noticed some pretty dramatic improvements immediately after washing my face. My skin was visibly tighter, and my pores seemed to have gotten smaller. The dryness and uneven tone of my makeup-free face that had bothered me before the treatment had all but disappeared. The next day, a friend told me I was glowing, and the following week, I was so pleased by how much the lines between my eyebrows and on my forehead had ­diminished that I decided to push out my ­already overdue ­Botox ­appointment another month. If that’s not a ringing endorsement for the facial, I don’t know what is.

This article was first published in the print edition of the April 2025 issue with the headline: “Fish Face.”