What Are Exosomes, and Why Are They in My Skincare?

Spoiler alert: There’s a lot of hype around exosomes. They sound magical:  Little cellular postmen delivering pro-youth messages to your skin cells… 

But the reality is a bit more...uh, complicated.

With the assistance of our resident Ph.D., Dr. SmartyPants™, we’re here to clear things up. 

Key Players in Intercellular Communication

One of the latest trends in skincare is the incorporation of exosomes into a variety of products.

Generally, exosomes are extracellular vesicles that play an essential role in intercellular communication. They are small structures that are membrane-bound and that get released from cells into the surrounding environment. In the past, they have been praised for their supposed ability to transport crucial signaling molecules that can influence various cellular processes, potentially reducing inflammation, repairing skin, and promoting a youthful appearance.

At the same time, however, not all the ‘signals’ contained in exosomes are beneficial; some in fact may induce harmful inflammatory effects and trigger cellular dysfunction. 

So yeah. Tiny messengers with a split personality.

Primary Issues with Exosomes in Skincare

Exosomes sound magical, right? Little cellular postmen delivering potentially pro-youth messages to your skin cells? But the reality is a bit more...uh, complicated.

The popularity of exosomes has waned recently due to issues like lax manufacturing standards, poor cargo characterization, and short half-life, raising significant concerns about their overall efficacy.

Below, we delve into various concerns surrounding the use of exosomes in skincare, highlighting the lack of transparency, the complex manufacturing process, and the potential risks involved.

1. Does the product indicate the specific cell lines from which the exosomes are derived?
   Exosomes can be derived from numerous stem cell types, including embryonic, induced pluripotent, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, neural, and endothelial stem cells. The type of stem cell used can significantly influence the performance and the effects of the exosomes.
   
   Given that exosomes are derived from live biological sources, consumers have a right to know the origin and the specific type of the exosomes used, as the safety and efficacy of exosome-based skincare products cannot be guaranteed without such information.
   
   

2. Were the exosomes manufactured under cGMP standards?
   You want a challenge?  Try manufacturing exosomes. You would need first to culture stem cells, which must be carefully maintained under very specific conditions, else they lose productivity and/or die.  Next steps involve filtering, isolating, and purifying the exosomes. Purifying is key, as endotoxins typically result from the production processes, thereby creating safety risks. All of this requires a facility that operates under highly regulated Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements that mandate extraordinary levels of documentation and testing2.

3. Does your product assure low endotoxin levels via proper testing?
   As described in #2 above, endotoxins are a normal part of the manufacturing process when biologics are involved, which is why purifying out the endotoxins and testing for endotoxins (to be sure the purification step worked) is so important.

4. Do you know what cargo lurks inside the exosomes?
   A fundamental aspect of exosomes that is often overlooked is the characterization of their cargo. Exosomes carry a diverse array of signaling molecules, including nucleic acids (such as mRNA), proteins, cytokines, and growth factors. These molecules can have profound effects on the recipient cells, which can be either beneficial or detrimental. The effects range from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory, and from promoting cell growth to inducing cell death. Thus, merely stating that a product contains exosomes is insufficient. The specific content of these exosomes (what they carry inside) is crucial, as the impact of exosomes on the skin depends heavily on their molecular cargo3,4.

What You Should Be Asking Before Buying That Fancy Exosome Cream

The promise of exosomes in skincare is mitigated by substantial unknowns and significant risks, including inflammation, compromised skin barrier, and worsening overall skin health. Without rigorous transparency from companies about their sourcing, their production standards, and a detailed characterization of their exosome cargo, consumers cannot be assured of the safety or the efficacy of these products. While exosomes hold some promise, the current state of knowledge and testing in the industry is insufficient. 

The skincare industry must prioritize scientific integrity, transparency, and rigorous testing to harness the potential of exosomes. Until then, consumers should approach exosomes with a large dose of caution and demand clear and comprehensive information about their production, their testing, and their cargo.

We’re not anti-science. We’re anti-B.S.

 

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References

1. “A review of the regulatory mechanisms of extracellular vesicles-mediated intercellular communication” Ya-Juan Liu, Cheng Wang, Cell Communication and Signaling, vol. 21, article: 77 (2023) https://biosignaling.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12964-023-01103-6#auth-Ya_Juan-Liu-Aff1 

2. “Manufacturing Therapeutic Exosomes: from Bench to Industry” So-Hee Ahn, Seung-Wook Ryu, Hojun Choi, Sangmin You, Jun Park https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9095511/ 

3.  “Extracellular vesicle measurements with nanoparticle tracking analysis - an accuracy and repeatability comparison between NanoSight NS300 and ZetaView”   D. Bachurski et al... J. Extracell. Vesicles. 2019;8:1596016. doi: 10.1080/20013078.2019.1596016 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6450530/

4. . “Apoptotic bodies: particular extracellular vesicles involved in intercellular communication” Battistelli M., Falcieri,  E. Biology (Basel) 2020;9:21. doi: 10.3390/biology9010021 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7168913/