"Vegan PDRN" sounds like a tidy swap: same ingredient, no fish. Pick your camp and move on.
It isn't that tidy. The plant and probiotic versions are a different material from the salmon DNA the research is about, and the ingredient list — the one thing that's supposed to tell you what's inside — can't show you the difference. So we did the next best thing and read the labels ourselves.
The Short Answer
- Salmon PDRN is the one with the research history. The pharmacology studies and clinic injections are almost all salmon-derived DNA.
- Plant-derived PDRN has very little clinical evidence. A 2026 review of the field found no clinical skin studies and says plant versions shouldn't be treated as equivalent to animal-derived PDRN. The handful of human studies we found are very small.
- The ingredient list can't tell them apart. "Sodium DNA" describes a chemical, not where it came from. It appears in salmon and plant-sourced products.
- Some "PDRN" products have very little DNA on the label, or none by name. One vegan essence we checked lists its DNA ingredient last. A plant-based serum lists no DNA ingredient at all.
- Vegan is still a perfectly good reason to choose one. Just judge it on its other ingredients, not on the PDRN research.
Two different materials with one name
The PDRN in medical research is DNA extracted from salmon sperm. A 2017 pharmacology review describes it as coming from salmon trout or chum salmon, and that's the material behind the wound-healing trials and the clinic reputation. (We cover what it is and how it's thought to work in What Is PDRN?.)
Vegan PDRN is newer. Brands source it from plants like ginseng or rose, or, in at least one case, from probiotic extracts.
The best look at whether those are interchangeable is a 2026 review in the Journal of Functional Biomaterials that went through the research on plant-derived PN and PDRN for skin. Its conclusions are blunt:
- It identified no clinical studies of plant-derived PN/PDRN for skin. The evidence it reviewed is lab work on cells and skin models.
- It says that evidence "should not be construed as demonstrating clinical equivalence to conventional animal-derived PDRN."
- It flags that plant DNA extracts can differ in fragment length, purity and leftover plant compounds, and that those leftovers make it hard to tell whether any effect comes from the DNA at all.
Now compare that with Medicube's own product page for its rose-based serum, which says "Rose PDRN offers the same benefits as salmon PDRN." That's a brand claim. The published review doesn't support it yet.
Our own search turned up two very small human studies of non-salmon PDRN, which is worth knowing but doesn't change the picture:
- A 2025 study of peony-derived PDRN applied it to skin and reported better barrier recovery in 10 people after two weeks, plus improved elasticity around the eyes after four weeks.
- A 2026 case series described eight women using a "phyto PDRN" serum after cosmetic procedures. Its PDRN comes from a bacterium, Lactobacillus sakei. The doctors reported it was well tolerated.
Neither compares non-salmon PDRN with salmon PDRN, and neither is large enough to show much. None of this means plant versions are bad. It means nobody has shown they do what salmon PDRN does, and the marketing tends to borrow the salmon research anyway.
Why the ingredient list can't settle it
You'd expect the back of the box to answer the question. It can't.
Most of the PDRN products we checked list the DNA as Sodium DNA. The EU's cosmetic ingredient database, CosIng, defines that as "deoxyribonucleic acid, sodium salts." That's the whole definition. It says nothing about whether the DNA came from a fish, a ginseng root or anything else.
So the same two words turn up on a salmon serum and on a ginseng-sourced one. The only thing that tells you the source is the brand's word.
What six brands claim vs what their labels show
We took each product's stated PDRN source and its ingredient list from the brand's official website, then checked where the DNA ingredient actually sits.
| Product | Where the brand says the PDRN comes from | DNA ingredient on the list | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum — salmon version | Salmon DNA | Sodium DNA (plus milt extract) | 8th of 40 |
| ANUA PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Cream | "PDRN derived from salmon DNA" | Sodium DNA | 10th of 48 |
| REJURAN Retinol + c-PDRN Serum | Not stated on the product page (trade press describes c-PDRN as wild-salmon-derived) | Hydrolyzed DNA | 16th of 25 |
| Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum — Rose (vegan) version | "Rose PDRN" | Sodium DNA | 30th of 38 — after the fragrance |
| VT PDRN Essence 100 | "Sourced from Korean Ginseng" | Sodium DNA | 31st of 31 — last |
| IOPE PDRN Caffeine Shot Serum | "Plant-based Bio-PDRN," which IOPE says it derives "from probiotics extracts" | None named on the list | — |
Ingredient lists and source claims checked on each brand's official site on 17 September 2026. Brands reformulate, so check the box you're actually holding.
How to read that table
Position is a rough guide, not a measurement. In the US, FDA labelling rules require ingredients in descending order of amount, but anything at 1% or less can be listed in any order after that. Brands don't mark where the 1% line falls. So "8th" versus "10th" tells you very little. "Last of 31" tells you a bit more.
Look at what's around it. In Medicube's rose version, Sodium DNA is listed 12 places after the fragrance. That doesn't give you an amount, but it does tell you the DNA isn't one of the main ingredients.
Big numbers on the front don't always describe the DNA. VT's page advertises "100,000 PPM PDRN" from ginseng. On the same page's ingredient list, Panax Ginseng Root Extract is third, and Sodium DNA is the very last ingredient. The headline figure seems to describe the ginseng-sourced ingredient, not the amount of DNA.
"PDRN" on the front doesn't guarantee DNA on the back. IOPE calls its Bio-PDRN "plant-based" and also says it's derived from probiotic extracts. The first ingredient is Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate. Nothing on the list is named DNA. The ferment may contain some genetic material — most things made from living cells do — but the label doesn't declare any.
Same product name, two different formulas. Medicube sells the PDRN Pink Peptide Serum in a salmon version and a rose version. Their lists differ in exactly the way that matters: Sodium DNA 8th in one, 30th in the other. When you buy online, check which one the listing actually is.
So which should you choose?
If you want the version the research is about, choose a brand that states salmon as the source and lists the DNA ingredient reasonably high. Of the products above, Medicube's salmon version and ANUA's cream fit that best. Even then, remember the research is mostly about injections, not serums — see What Is PDRN? for why that matters.
If you avoid animal ingredients, a plant-based one is a completely reasonable choice. Just buy it for what else is in it. VT's essence lists niacinamide and five ceramides; IOPE's lists niacinamide and caffeine. Those ingredients have track records of their own.
If PDRN is the whole reason you're buying, be sceptical of any vegan product priced on the PDRN claim. Nothing yet shows plant PDRN does what salmon PDRN does, and in two of the three non-salmon products we checked, DNA is either last on the list or not named at all.
If you avoid fish for any reason, go by the brand's stated source, not the ingredient list. "Sodium DNA" alone won't warn you.
For fuller write-ups on these products and four more, see our full PDRN comparison. If you're shopping with ageing skin in mind, our mature-skin guide covers what to prioritise.
FAQ
Is vegan PDRN the same as salmon PDRN? No. They're different materials that share a name. A 2026 review found no clinical skin studies of plant-derived PDRN and concluded it shouldn't be treated as equivalent to animal-derived PDRN.
How can I tell if a PDRN product is salmon or vegan? Only from the brand's stated source. The usual ingredient name, Sodium DNA, is the same whatever the DNA came from.
What does "Sodium DNA" mean on an ingredient list? It's the sodium salt of DNA — the water-soluble form used in cosmetics. CosIng, the EU ingredient database, defines it without any reference to source.
Does vegan PDRN work? There's lab evidence that plant-derived DNA extracts affect skin cells. Human evidence is very thin: we found a 10-person study of peony-derived PDRN and an eight-person case series, and neither compared it with salmon PDRN. So nobody can yet say how it performs in a serum.
Why is Sodium DNA so far down some ingredient lists? Ingredients are listed roughly by amount, with anything at 1% or less allowed in any order at the end. A DNA ingredient near the bottom is likely a small amount, though the label won't say exactly how small.
Sources
- Kim HJ, Lee JW, Kim S, Son KH. Plant-Derived Polynucleotides/Polydeoxyribonucleotides in Skin Biomaterials: Delivery Platforms and Bioactivity Attribution. Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 2026; 17(7):351.
- Bak SU, et al. Anti-Aging Efficacy of Low-Molecular-Weight Polydeoxyribonucleotide Derived from Paeonia lactiflora. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025; 27(1):220.
- Wu Y, et al. Real-World Cases Using Phyto Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) Serum. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2026; 25(9).
- Squadrito F, et al. Pharmacological Activity and Clinical Use of PDRN. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2017.
- European Commission. CosIng: Sodium DNA.
- RetailNews Asia. PharmaResearch Rolls Out Rejuran Cosmetics Across 148 Sephora Canada Stores, 7 September 2026.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Cosmetics Labeling Guide (21 CFR 701.3).
- Official product pages and ingredient lists, checked 17 September 2026: Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum · ANUA PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Cream · REJURAN Retinol + c-PDRN Serum · VT PDRN Essence 100 · IOPE PDRN Caffeine Shot
Prices and availability are accurate as of the date this post was last updated and are subject to change. The price shown on Amazon at the time of purchase is the one that applies.
Medical disclaimer. This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Everyone’s skin is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. If you have persistent or painful skin concerns, please see a licensed dermatologist or healthcare professional.