In 2019 when I first discussed exosomes for hair growth, most doctors were injecting them into the scalp. Recently, I also discussed the rarer intravenous (IV) delivery of exosomes to tackle hair loss. Now I look at the topical application of exosome serums into the scalp, due to three such new products being in recent news.
Note that some injectable products from exosome suppliers to the hair loss market can also be applied topically. The method of delivery will depend on your doctor’s or clinic’s preference.
Calecim (PTT-6) Advanced Hair System with Topical Exosomes
Calecim (PTT- 6) Advanced Hair System: Topical Exosomes and Growth Factors for Hair Growth.
Recently, HairClone (UK) announced a partnership in which the company will work with an interesting new exosome containing topical product called Calecim Advanced Hair System (that comes with a Derma Stamp).
Edit: The manufacturer has now given blog readers a 15% off discount code “HLC2020“ for purchases of the Advanced Hair System kit.
PTT-6 is derived from the secretion of cord lining stem cells isolated from the umbilical cord tissues of New Zealand red deer at birth. No deer is harmed during the extraction and harvest process of this rich source of stem cells.
Calecim Dermastamp Included.
The full list of ingredients is PTT-6® and cord lining conditioned media (from stem cell derived fibronectins, glycoproteins, albumin, collagens and hyaluronic acid).
This Calecim topical serum is to be used with an included Derma Stamp for better absorption. A lot people underetrake at-home microneedling for similar reasons. This includes via dermarollers or dermapens or dermastamps.
Elevai Exosomes Combined with Yuva Biosciences Mitochondrial Technology
Elevai Topical Exosomes for Hair Growth.
Elevai Labs (US) recently gave a positive update regarding the company’s topical Elevai “age zero” Exosomes™ product range for hair loss. In a year-long study that the company conducted, patients who used Elevai empower™ exosomes in combination with in-office microneedling saw favorable results. The company also makes Elevai enfinity™ for at-home use in repairing your skin.
The 12-month results were assessed using imaging analysis and showed a cessation in crown inflammation, a reversal of miniaturized hairs, and a recovery of hairs from the dormant resting phase. the still on-going research study is being conducted in partnership with Carly Klein, president of the National Hair Loss Medical Aesthetics (NHLMA).
Note that I previously also discussed Elevai in my post on Yuva Biosciences and BosleyMDs new hair loss product related to mitochondrial upregulation. Yuva is partnering with Elevai to release a hair loss product that will combine Elevai’s proprietary PREx™ exosome technology with Yuva’s Y100™ mitochondrial technology. The two companies jointly filed for a combination patent in August 2024.
Ultimately, Elevai is developing a new hair and scalp care product line, called “Elevai S-Series Root Renewal System” that will be powered by exosomes and mitochondrial technology. According to company CEO Dr. Jordan R. Plews, they are in the process of conducting a follow-on study. This will further analyze the combination of Elevai exosomes and Yuva’s Y100 mitochondrial technology to address hair loss and thinning concerns.
ExoCelBio Evovex Serum
Another company that makes a line of topical exosomes is ExoCelBio (US) via its Evovex serum. The company website says that these exosomes are derived from the chorion of placental mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs). Their Exovex™ serum Refine brand was launched in 2023 and has a concentration level of 75 billion exosomes per vial. Refine employs a high concentration of non-lyophilized, purified exosomes that results in fuller and stronger hair.
In May 2024, the US FDA sent a violation warning letter to ExoCelBio in relation to the company’s marketing and lack of a biologics license. This is not surprising, considering the new stricter FDA guidelines governing exosome products. In the US, exosomes are regulated as both a drug and a biologic. In Europe, you are not even allowed to use human-derived exosomes to treat hair loss.
See the bottom half of this post for my original discussion on CosmeRNA. The top half are all new updates.
Update: February 27, 2025
CosmeRNA is Finally Available in the US
CosmeRNA from Bioneer (South Korea) is finally being sold in the US on Amazon. The manufacturer is selling a 0.06 fl oz (1.8 ml) quantity for $89. The active ingredients in this unique hair loss cosmetic is listed as SAMiRNA-68.
As of 2025, CosmeRNA is finally available for sale in the US on Amazon.
Update: March 21, 2024
CosmeRNA is now available in a lower-cost smaller container of just 1mL. It is priced at €84 (but currently has a 10% off sale offer) and will last for 1-2 months.
On Amazon UK, it is still also sold in the 6mL version, but at a discounted price of £190. It currently has an average rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars based on 34 reviews.
Recently, Bioneer’s CEO Han-Oh Park made a detailed video presentation in English at IMCAS 2024 that is worth watching.
The key active ingredient in CosmeRNA is “SAMI-RNA AR68″ (StearyldisulfidehexylDNA-2-PEG-45/SH-RNA-1). It is designed to selectively inhibit the expression of the androgen receptor (AR) in hair follicle cells.
Update: February 21, 2024
Make sure to check this pdf about CosmeRNA that was sent to me by Bioneer. The company has completed CosmeRNA’s Amazon Europe entry into Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Note that it previously only sold CosmeRNA on the Amazon UK website. In future, they will sell the product in Japan, Australia and Singapore.
Update: July 18, 2023
Bioneer has installed five additional high-capacity synthesizers in order to double the production capacity of patented raw materials for CosmeRNA, the world’s first RNA based hair loss relief cosmetic. Bioneer aims to secure more than 100 million of the world’s 2 billion male and female hair loss sufferers as CosmeRNA customers. Hopefully, the resulting economies of scale will allow a reduction in the product’s price.
Update: June 14, 2023
CosmeRNA is Now on Sale on Amazon
CosmeRNA is now available for sale via the UK Amazon site. It can be shipped and delivered to the US and other countries too. Make sure to review and rate the product if you use it for a few months.
CosmeRNA for hair loss. The solution will come in 6ml dose bottles.
South Korea just keeps on adding groundbreaking companies working on new hair loss treatments. The latest of these is Bioneer’s siRNA based cosmeceutical called CosmeRNA that targets the androgen receptor.
It can supposedly grow 1.3-1.9 hairs/cm per month, which is comparable to finasteride. Make sure to also read my post on how many hairs on a human head?
CosmeRNA was released in Western Europe in May 2023. Note that the top half of this post is all updates.
Update: May 2, 2023
CosmeRNA online shop is now open! The price is €300 ($330) per bottle (vial), higher than originally expected. However, per the company’s site, it seems like the frequency of application will be reduced once all the androgen receptors are inhibited. Initially, the treatment is applied topically every two weeks for the first four months. Afterwards, once a month application may be sufficient to maintain the fuller hair.
Besides the key siRNA technology, the other ingredients are listed as follows:
— It looks like Bioneer’s CosmeRNA Mall will finally open tomorrow. They describe the product as:
“The world’s first hair loss relief cosmetic based on RNA technology.”
CosmeRNA Release Date Confirmed
Thanks to “Mathis” for the weekly updates. CosmeRNA’s slightly delayed release date is now confirmed for May 2023 per various news articles. Bioneer aims to get 100 million users within 5 years per CEO Park Han-oh. Release of the product in South Korea has been delayed due to some legal issues, although there is a lot of demand in the country.
The below YouTuber managed to contact a Bioneer employee and estimates the cost to be $67 per month. Based on a single $200 priced 6ml bottle lasting for three months, with 1ml recommended usage every two weeks. For comparison, the best laser hair growth devices cost $1000 or more, although the Lasercomb is much cheaper.
February 22, 2023
CosmeRNA related news just keeps coming and seems very encouraging. In the latest article from South Korean media, the company makes some bold claims:
They expect sales of up to 160 billion Won (i.e., $123 million). This is quite extraordinary for a new cosmeceutical hair loss product that will only be sold in one region (Western Europe) for the time being.
They state that “when the shopping mall opens at the end of next month, we will start full-fledged sales for European buyers.” So the product will be on sale by the end of March 2023.
Since siRNA is mainly used for research, very few facilities have mass production capabilities. The scale of siRNA synthesis for most studies is at the mg level. Per this latest news, Bioneer can produce raw materials at a level of 1kg to 1.5kg per month,
Note that earlier this month, Bioneer announced that it will even sell on Amazon. And they will be partnering with Ace Biome for marketing and distribution purposes.
Registration on CPNP and SCPN Cosmetic Product Notification Portals
February 2, 2023 — Yet more encouraging news. Bioneer has also completed product registration with Britain’s submit a cosmetic product notification (SCPN) portal. Moreover, in January it participated in “IMCAS World Congress 2023” in France. this was in order to introduce Cosmerna to buyers around the world and to secure a distribution network.
December 26, 2022 — Bioneer announced that it has completed the registration of CosmeRNA on the cosmetic products notification portal (CPNP). The latter is a European cosmetics certification system and means that Bioneer can now distribute CosmeRNA throughout the EU.
November 23, 2022
CosmeRNA from Sirnagen (Bioneer) Releasing in 2023
This post covers a new topical hair loss product called CosmeRNA, whose website is now live. It is made by siRNAgen (South Korea), a subsidiary of Bioneer (South Korea). I briefly covered this company in the past, but now it deserves its own post.
The reason I am writing this post is due to a great new interview with siRNAgen CEO Dr. June Park. Both these new developments were sent to me by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. Key quote from Dr. Park (also see her Linkedin):
“The first SAMiRNA product will be available for sale in the first half of 2023. We had an unconventional route to commercialization by developing a hair loss cosmeceutical product. CosmeRNA, named after cosmetic RNA, provided an early validation of our platform’s potential as a topical cosmetic product for androgenetic alopecia (hair loss).”
They will not need to conduct clinical trials since this is a cosmetic product! The actual release date is likely to be in early 2023 per another quote in the same interview. After first being done in South Korea, CosmeRNA’s safety study was repeated in Europe by Dermatest in 2022. Note that SAMiRNA is shelf stable in a solution for a year, so it can be applied topically.
Ms. Park anticipates the product launch to occur some time in early 2023. They will focus on the European market first due to the region’s more streamlined cosmeceutical trial and approval process. Via the Cosmetics Product Notification Portal (CPNP).
Note that I previously briefly covered siRNAgen Therapeutics in my post on OliX Pharmaceuticals. The latter is working on a hair loss cure involving RNA interference (RNAi) via asiRNA (asymmetric small interfering RNA). The aim is to reduce androgen receptor (AR) expression on the scalp.
SAMiRNA, Androgen Receptor and Hair Growth
Like OliX, siRNAgen is also working on reducing AR expression and re-growing hair. However, it is doing so via treatment with self-assembled micelle inhibitory RNA (SAMiRNA) nanoparticle-type siRNA. See their site for more on small interfering RNAs (siRNA).
They published an important study on this in Nature Journal in January 2022. The encouraging title of this paper is worth posting: “Weekly treatment with SAMiRNA targeting the androgen receptor ameliorates androgenetic alopecia.”
The product they use for androgenetic alopecia is a topical called AR68. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient and will be called Cosmerna-68. In the above mentioned paper, they have before and after photos of a patient that I pasted below. The chart on the right shows the actual percent improvement with AR68 0.5mg/ml treatment versus placebo. They also state the following:
“In the low-dose (0.5 mg/ml) clinical study, AR68 was applied three times per week for 24 weeks, and through quantitative analysis using a phototrichogram, we confirmed increases in total hair counts. In the 24-week long high-dose (5 mg/ml) clinical study, AR68 showed average additional hair growth of 1.3-1.9 hairs/cm2 per month, which is comparable to finasteride. No side effects were observed. Therefore, SAMiRNA targeting AR mRNA is a potential novel topical treatment for AGA.”
0.5 mg/ml AR68 (3x a week) Before and After
Sirnagen CosmeRNA SAMiRNA AR68 0.5mg/ml hair loss treatment (3X per week). Source: Yun, SI., Lee, SK., Goh, EA., et al. Sci Rep 12, 1607 (2022).
5 mg/ml AR68 (1x a week) Before and After
The higher dose AR68 5mg/ml cohort’s before and after photos are here. The researchers claim that these results at 24 weeks are comparable to those from Finasteride. Safety was good in both low-dose and high-dose studies.
Sirnagen CosmeRNA SAMiRNA AR68 5mg/ml hair loss treatment (1X per week). Source: Yun, SI., Lee, SK., Goh, EA., et al. Sci Rep 12, 1607 (2022).
Summary
Is this a miracle? Most likely not for most severely balding people people. However, just as with finasteride, some people could see stellar results. And for those who only recently started to go bald, this could be a much needed non-DHT inhibiting product. With few if any side effects.
I am not a big believer in cosmetics, but this latest interview with siRNAgen CEO June Park is encouraging. She comes across as very intelligent and sincere. Note that in Bioneer’s September 2021 presentation, they describe CosmeRNA as a game changer hair loss treatment. It will have no side effect issues such as those seen with Finasteride (Propecia).
