The doctors who founded Plated Skin Science did not set out to make a skin care line. Atta Behfar, MD, PhD and Andre Terzic, MD, PhD were researching cardiovascular regeneration with human platelet extracts, helping tissue regenerate in heart failure patients. Some patients did extremely well and when the doctors studied why, they identified exosomes — the nanoparticle messengers that signal various cells in our bodies to heal or repair themselves — as responsible for the positive outcomes.

As the doctors continued their research using platelet extracts for wound healing, cardiovascular disease, and orthopedics, a scientist working on tendon regeneration noticed that the wound healed incredibly well, “like a miracle” said Behfar, and suggested using it on skin. Another scientist in the lab applied the platelet extract to his hands and it cleared a rash of eczema, dryness, and irritation. Behfar realized, “the topical application had this huge promise, so we started to develop this skin specific product of human platelet extract.”

All items in the Plated Skin Science line, which launched in 2022 on the brand’s website, are formulated with human platelet-derived exosomes, which are as they sound, exosomes derived from human blood platelets. “The name conveys that we want to own and be proud of this huge scientific discovery, that there are human-derived ingredients in our skin care,” said Alisa Lask, CEO of Rion Aesthetics, the parent company of Plated. She said Plated is the only product on the market with human platelet-derived exosomes. Currently, they offer three serums, Intense, Daily, and Calm, which is for post aesthetic procedures. Plated will introduce a hair and scalp serum in January.

Exosomes are being regarded as the next hot thing in skin care due to their correlation to regenerative medicine and their application in skin care, which is why brands, formulators, and dermatologists are so excited about them. They capture the idea that we can heal from within, encouraging our bodies to do what they do best — regenerate. Exosomes tap into our own bodies’ natural regenerative abilities, which have been honed over thousands of years of evolution.

“It’s the holy grail. Everybody is fascinated with it,” said Saranya Wyles, MD, PhD, Board Certified Dermatologist, and a consultant to Rion. “We’ve always had the hope, the promise of regenerative medicine, the fountain of youth. Now we are starting to glean the ‘how’.”

The how is why Plated makes so much sense. The exosomes in Plated serums are derived from platelets in human blood. (Not to be confused with red blood cells, exosomes contain no DNA or living matter.) “Platelets are natural first responders to sites of injury; the platelet-derived exosomes home in on areas of injured skin from photo aging, or sun damage,” explained Wyles. “They can help fibroblasts make collagen and elastin, help melanocytes make pigment in a more synchronized way, not haphazardly. They can provide signals for keratinocytes migration to provide a healthier barrier, a thicker top layer of skin, which allows us to have better hydration and protect from water loss.”

Wyles also studies “zombie cells” – aging cells that send out negative signals or SASP (Senescence Associated Secretive Phenotype). “They’re like bad influencers, creating negative signals that cause break down of collagen and elastin. With the Plated product, we’re seeing a lot of reduced influence of zombie cells,” said Wyles. “It’s very exciting for a topical product to target the root cause of aging.”

Are All Exosomes in Skin Care the Same?

Other products may be formulated with exosomes derived from plants or artificially synthesized. But human platelet-derived exosomes signal our own cells to heal injury in the language of the human body. “If it comes from a plant, it’s a foreign language,” said Wyles. “It has to be human-to-human communication. It’s a code, made up of small pieces of multiple different messages, such as micro-RNA, growth factors, and signaling factors that come together like a recipe, and that’s what makes it so unique. It’s a natural message and cannot be recreated.”

Exosomes are not to be confused with stem cells either. Exosomes can be derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found in bone marrow, adipose tissue, or umbilical cords. Or they can be derived from platelets in human blood serum, as in the Plated serums. Exosomes signal stem cells to regenerate, but they are not stem cells.

Exosomes in general are quite stable, according to Wyles. The platelet-derived exosomes in Plated serums are shelf-stable for two years as they are freeze dried. Dr. Behfar was providing platelet extracts to a team of doctors going to the City of Joy in Africa to help mutilated women heal. “My colleagues told me we need a therapy we can put in our suitcase and take all the way across the world, it needs to be room temperature, portable, easy to use,” Behfar said. “So, we made this product in lyophilized powder. Just add saline and it works. It’s stable at room temperature for two years.” Wyles says “Having studied their technology, they have nailed the bio-manufacturing.”

So how well does this science work?

A clinical study of 56 patients with an average age of 54 was conducted using Plated Intensive Repair Serum where improvements in wrinkles, luminosity, pigmentation, color evenness, and redness were measured. The findings published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2022 showed “significant improvements in overall skin health… at six weeks. This correlated to reduction in redness, wrinkles, and melanin production … and significant improvements in luminosity and color evenness.” It was also well tolerated by patients.

“We started to see these platelet-derived exosomes attach to collagen fibers and home in on areas of damage and start to repair them at a microscopic level,” said Wyles of the study. “We’re seeing an improvement in collagen and in elastin as well as reduced noise from age-associated skin damage.”

Platelet-derived exosomes come with a hefty price tag. The serums sell for about $267 each online and for slightly less within its physician and medical practitioner distribution base in the U.S., which numbers about 800 offices. Plated Skin Science has plans to expand globally in Canada and South America, but not in Europe where human-derived ingredients are not allowed in skin care products.