Jisung Kim PDRN is short for ‘polydeoxyribonucleotide’ and refers to DNA-derived fragments of various lengths. People often call it ‘salmon DNA,’ but that doesn’t mean you’re eating salmon’s own cells or genes as is. It’s an ingredient made by extracting DNA from the milt (testes) of salmonid fish and controlling it to set standards.

Jisung Kim Even when it goes by the same ingredient name, PDRN actually meets the body in different ways. Topical PDRN is applied to the skin as a cosmetic, while injectable PDRN is administered to the areas that need it, at a medical professional’s discretion. Oral PDRN is taken as a food and then goes through digestion and absorption. So when comparing PDRN types, look not only at the ingredient itself but also at how it’s applied and what research evidence supports that method.

Jisung Kim PDRN isn’t limited to a single source. More recently, researchers have also been working on obtaining PDRN from a range of sources, such as microalgae and plants, or through biotech processes. However, different sources mean different ingredient characteristics, manufacturing methods, and quality control standards. So when choosing a product, it’s worth checking not only whether it contains PDRN but also which source it uses.

Youngkyung Kim VITALBEAUTIE is a brand that has been researching inner beauty for more than 20 years. Believing that ‘true beauty begins with inner health,’ we’ve researched ways to support healthy beauty through what you eat.

Recently, consumer interest in professional beauty care has been expanding in many directions. Beyond home care, more people want everyday support before and after treatments. With these changes in mind, we didn’t simply turn a popular ingredient into something you take by mouth. We reinterpreted PDRN through an inner-beauty lens and designed it as a product you can easily incorporate into your daily routine.

Youngkyung Kim Our biggest question was how to design PDRN to be taken as a food. During development, we focused in particular on combining high-content¹ collagen with PDRN. High-content collagen provides the components you need, and PDRN helps the body use them more effectively. With these characteristics in mind, we decided that designing the two ingredients together made sense for a more complete formula.
¹ The highest collagen content in VITALBEAUTIE’s collagen line

That being said, PDRN and collagen have different ingredient characteristics, so putting them in the same format had its limits. After identifying formats that would make the most of each ingredient’s properties, we developed a dual formulation that plays to each one’s strengths: PDRN in a tablet and high-content collagen in a liquid. The liquid contains 6,000 mg of low-molecular-weight fish collagen (per daily serving), formulated with hyaluronic acid. The tablet contains 100 mg of PDRN (per daily serving), along with glutathione, vitamin C, milk ceramide, elastin, grape seed extract, red orange extract, and more.

Youngkyung Kim Super Collagen PDRN was co-developed with Professor Beomjoon Kim, a dermatologist at Chung-Ang University, from the planning stage. He felt it was important to design the formulation with ingredient stability during intake in mind, so we gave the PDRN tablet an enteric coating. An enteric coating is a technology that covers a tablet’s surface with a film that doesn’t dissolve in gastric fluid at pH 2 or below, but dissolves in intestinal fluid at pH 6 to 7. We intended the tablet to pass through the stomach’s acidic environment and dissolve once it reaches the intestine.

Jisung Kim Collagen is a protein with a large molecular size, so enzymes are used to break it down into short peptides. Super Collagen PDRN uses low-molecular-weight fish collagen with an average molecular weight of 300 to 500 Da (daltons). It also contains AP Collagen Enzyme-Hydrolyzed Peptide. This ingredient maintains a consistent level of GPH, a collagen tripeptide. GPH, its key marker, has a molecular weight of 285.3 Da.

Youngkyung Kim Since it’s a product you take every day, we considered not only the ingredients but also the actual experience of taking it and its convenience. We gave the liquid a refreshing red orange flavor, with collagen’s distinctive taste and smell in mind, so it’s easy to keep taking. Even with the same orange flavor, the balance of acidity, sweetness, and aroma can create a completely different experience, so we ran several rounds of prototype testing.

Youngkyung Kim It’s a good idea to look at what raw materials were used, what standards govern quality control, and how the product is designed overall. If you’re taking collagen with it, check the collagen’s content and form, and how the other supporting ingredients are combined. Most important of all is whether you can take it consistently every day.

Youngkyung Kim Take the tablet and the liquid ampoule together once a day. There’s no set time of day. Natural sediment may form in the ampoule due to its ingredients, so gently shake it before drinking. Store it away from direct sunlight, high temperatures, and humidity, and we recommend consuming it right after opening.

Jisung Kim Super Collagen PDRN is a general food product designed for adults. It contains salmon-derived and milk-derived ingredients, so if you have related allergies, please check the ingredient list first. The tablet is coated, so take it right away with the liquid ampoule, and don’t split or chew it.

Jisung Kim Compared with PDRN used in medical applications, oral PDRN still needs much more research. We’re at a stage where more studies are needed on the digestion and absorption process after oral intake, and on appropriate intake amounts and duration. Amorepacific is researching various types of PDRN, including Blue PDRN, derived from the microalga chlorella rather than animal sources. In fact, cell-level studies on microalgae-derived PDRN are also being reported. Securing the sustainability and production consistency of raw materials is another task for future research.

Youngkyung Kim Even as PDRN expands from what you apply to what you eat, I think the most important standard to uphold is, in the end, ‘Can it offer consumers a meaningful experience?’ It’s important not simply to use an ingredient that’s getting attention, but to consider what value that ingredient can create in consumers’ daily lives.

I think the holistic longevity Amorepacific talks about is in the same vein. It’s about looking at healthy beauty from more angles, considering inner beauty as well as caring for the skin you can see. You could say Super Collagen PDRN is one result of Amorepacific extending its 70-year heritage of skin research into inner beauty.

Jisung Kim Amorepacific has researched skin for a long time, and we’ve extended that research beyond cosmetics to inner beauty you take every day. I believe beauty can last over time when care on the outside, nourishment from within, and daily habits come together. I hope you’ll experience holistic longevity in your own daily life with Super Collagen PDRN.