When Beauty Turned Gory: How Placenta and Organ-Based Ingredients Became Skincare’s Latest Focus

Until recently, it was the world of aesthetics, with its needles and catheters, that could make me squeamish, but now, it's as likely to be my skincare routine. With the recent slew of placenta and organ-inspired products, it appears that human matter and beauty have never been more closely intertwined; in the age of The Substance and Ryan Murphy's The Beauty, perhaps it was just a matter of time.

Last month, MZ skin, from Dr Maryam Zamani, released a "bio-placenta" range, including a Reviving Bio-Placenta and Stem Cell Serum. While this is not formulated with human placenta, she did work with ethically sourced sheep placenta. "That research phase allowed us to deeply understand which components were driving the biological effects we were seeing," she tells me. "From there, we developed a biomimetic peptide complex designed to replicate the regenerative signalling of placenta without using human-derived material. This peptide technology gives us consistency, safety, regulatory compliance and precision, while still delivering the same skin-repair benefits. And it's vegan!"

Of course, placenta has always been a prized biological asset, but never more so than today. Long associated with fertility and life, it has become somewhat of an emblem of the longevity movement. Scores of celebrities have normalised ingesting their placenta for the supposed benefits, such as easing post-partum depression, even though there are no scientifically proven health benefits. Last year, DJ Calvin Harris posted an uncensored image of his wife Vick Hope's placenta post birth, in all its tree-like glory, quite literally dripping blood.

But for Zamani, the placenta can act as an instruction manual for skin growth, renewal and repair. "The placenta is extraordinary in the respect that it contains the building blocks that drive regeneration, including growth factors, amino acids, peptides and signalling molecules. From a skin health perspective, it represents the ultimate regenerative environment, which made it deeply compelling to me as a surgeon."

Specifically, she points to its ability to support fibroblast activity: "Fibroblasts are the engine room of the dermis, responsible for collagen, elastin and extracellular matrix production. Placental-derived components are rich in nutrients and signalling factors that encourage fibroblasts to function optimally, improving skin strength, elasticity and repair rather than simply masking ageing at the surface."

Consultant Dermatologist, Dr Aiza Jamil, sees the benefit of such products, but stresses that they really have "nothing to do with placenta itself". "Ingredients such as bio-placenta can be beneficial for fine lines and wrinkles through promoting collagen production and cell regeneration, as it generally consists of five synthetic growth factors, alongside amino acids and vitamin B9. I would recommend looking into the label before trying, as they can include ingredients you will find in other products, but marketed in a way that is slightly more shocking."

Additionally, it is incredibly difficult and of questionable efficacy to encapsulate human matter into skincare. "Technically, you can do it, as human placenta or other tissues can be processed and incorporated into creams or serums," explains Jamil. "However, most active growth factors or proteins are fragile and may degrade without specialised formulation, so they cannot actually penetrate the skin barrier effectively. Therefore, you would not be able to achieve the benefits of the ingredients themselves." And of course, there is the quagmire of moral and ethical questions.

Another product that recently raised eyebrows was Scandinavian brand Mantle's The Organ Essence, which is marketed as "the first skincare product pure enough to store a human heart." While the name of the product might spark curiosity, the co-founder and CEO of Mantle Skin, Josefin Landgard, stresses that the concept came organically: "It wasn’t created to jump on anything; it came from a genuine rabbit hole, and we built the product from that point of view."

"Our research and development director was reading up on organ transplantation ahead of a friend's heart surgery, and she ended up deep in the science of organ preservation. What fascinated us was how these preservation solutions are designed to keep tissue viable and stable under extreme conditions (the organ being outside the body). That idea translates well to skincare: skin isn’t just a surface, it’s an organ, real, living tissue, and supporting its resilience is a serious, science-led pursuit.

They then built their mSkinPreserve™ Complex around the same types of compounds used in preservation fluids to defend against oxidative stress and support tissue integrity. Ingredients include glutathione and adenosine, plus sugars like raffinose, alongside lactobionic acid. "The goal is that it behaves like a 'preservation step' for skin, a catalyst in your routine that strengthens the environment first, so everything you layer on afterwards can work better." As such, it was never conceived for Mantle to mimic an actual organ—instead, the name comes from a play on words.

It's no surprise that brands are tapping into the regenerative and longevity sector, which is inherently tied to desirable human matter, like stem cells (exosomes) and plasma (frequently used in PRP procedures). In fact, more and more people are eschewing fillers and Botox for "bio-hacking" procedures. While not derived from humans—polynucleotides, which traditionally use salmon sperm—were the fastest-growing, breakout 'tweakment' of 2025.

Admittedly, this is why Dr Zamani looked into placenta in the first place. "There has been a clear shift towards ingredients that are biologically familiar to the skin," she states. "Human-derived or human-inspired materials are attractive because they are naturally rich in nutrients, growth signals and repair mechanisms. Consumers are becoming more educated and are looking beyond superficial claims towards ingredients that genuinely support skin biology. This is what longevity focuses on: the regenerative."

Ultimately, to stand out in a crowded market, it's essential for brands to roll with trends and tap into new technologies. MZ Skin and Mantle's innovations are excellent, cutting-edge skincare tied up with clever marketing and predicated on real research. But of course, consumers must stay savvy. As Dr Jamil adds, "Consumer skincare may borrow buzzwords, but it rarely replicates the dose, delivery, or biological context used in controlled research." As ever: context is key—skincare should be bought with a clear understanding of goals and limitations; it can only ever be topical, after all.