Meet the Buzzy Skincare Brand That Wants You to Use Human-Derived Exosomes On Your Face

0:00The following podcast is a dear media production.

0:07Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty. We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carleen Higgins.

0:20Hello and welcome back to Breaking Beauty podcast. I'm your host, Carleen Higgins, and I'm here with my stunning co-host, Jill Dunn. Hello, Jill. Hey there, Carlene. So of course, we are two longtime magazine beauty editors turned beauty podcasters. We're officially in our eighth year of doing this show. So thank you for riding with us for as long as you have been. And I'm really excited that, you know, every single Wednesday, we get to share the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty. And even eight years in, there is stuff that gets us excited. There is always so much cool innovation to talk about.

0:54And I think that's particularly true with today's episode. Yes. And today's episode is brought to you in part by Plated Skincare. And so on that note, Jill, if there's an ingredient that is creating, I would say the most amount of buzz these days, and I think you'd probably agree with me, promising to be one of the biggest breakthroughs of our time, perhaps, it's exosomes. Definitely. I had microneedling done with exosomes over a year ago now. So got the microneedling done. And then at the end, they put like a clear serum on your skin that's exosomes and it basically like cuts your redness time in I would say by like 75 percent like your healing is just so much faster and I was like as beat right the first day I had it done and then the next night I was at a party with you yeah and like no one would have been the wiser that I had had microneedling done it's so true and I so I think this is something that's been bubbling up in like the medispa space, the word exosomes.

1:57But in mainstream skincare, there is only one brand that I can really think of that is rising to the top. That's really claiming this space and at home skincare. And that is plated. And it's gaining the attention of celebrity glam squads like makeup artist Rachel Goodwin. She was on our show last summer and she was the first one to bring up plated. That's the first time I ever heard of this brand. If you guys want to go back and take a listen, she was talking about her before and afters using it on her own rosacea and how it drastically cut down on that redness. Really hard to do with a cosmetic at home skincare product.

2:35I know another fan is Jo Baker. She's a celebrity makeup artist who's also been on our show. And so, of course, she'll use it on a client like Megan Fox, who's now a big fan, and that's how it happens. And then that person tells that person. And so I think that I truly think that Plated is going to be one of the biggest brands we talk about in 2025. Yeah. Plated is this first to market leader in regenerative aesthetics with multiple peer reviewed clinical studies showing clinically proven results and reflecting the movement toward the convergence of wellness, of beauty and medicine. Like you can sort of see it all coming together.

3:15Absolutely. And it's all coming from this longevity, this other buzzword in wellness, this longevity movement, right? About using your own body, the best of your own body and harnessing it to heal yourself. So our guest today is Alyssa Lask. She's the CEO of Rion Aesthetics, and that is the parent company of Plated Skin Care. She's also, I would say, the woman responsible for bringing platelet-derived exosome technology to the skincare market. And no surprise, Alyssa gained her immense depth of knowledge at leading companies like Allergan, Galderma, Eli Lilly, before taking on her leadership role at Rion Aesthetics.

4:00And now she's responsible for pushing the investigational research in areas like hair restoration, wrinkle reduction through its medical grade skincare line, Plated. The main thing to know about Plated is that you're not going to find it at Sephora right now anyway. It's distributed through dermatologists, plastic surgeons, luxury med spas. And the hero product is the Plated Serum. It's a daily serum. And we're going to get the scoop from Alyssa on how to work it into your routine and everything. It's a little more of an investment, I would say, around$260 US. dollars. And the main ingredient being, you guessed it, exosomes.

4:37And so everyone wants to know what are exosomes? That's what we're going to get to the bottom of in today's episode. We'll also find out how they're different from growth factors, another buzzword in skincare right now. And the big question, are exosomes primed to be the next gold standard ingredient in skincare, possibly bumping out retinol. Wow. And by the way, Carlene, we're not the only media talking about plated. They've already picked up awards from Time Magazine, Elle, Glamour, Oprah, New Beauty. The list goes on. So we're not going to keep you waiting any longer. Here she is. Welcome, Alyssa Lask.

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5:57And I noticed that for sure when I'm on my Nutrafol routine, definitely a lot less shedding and the hair that I do have looks thicker for longer. And I appreciate that Nutrafol is really considering that not everybody's root causes of hair thinning are the same. So they don't have this one size fits all approach. They have multiple formulas. They're tailored to give your hair what it needs to grow throughout different stages of your life, maybe postpartum, menopause, as well as for different diets like plant-based diets. So start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners$10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code BREAKING.

6:42Find out why over 4 ,500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair. That's Nutrafol.com spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com and use promo code BREAKING. That's Nutrafol.com promo code BREAKING. We'll link to this offer in our show notes and on our website. Now back to the show. Hi, I'm Caroline Stanbury, star of The Real Housewives of Dubai, entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three. Once divorced and now remarried to a much younger man, uncut and uncensored with Caroline Stanbury follows me as I live my life unapologetically and shows you that there is life after 40. I discuss everything from relationships, health, wellness, business, parenting, friendships.

7:26I'm here to let you know that not only is there a life after divorce, but you have the power to make it your best one yet, just like I did. Listen to all new episodes every Wednesday, anywhere you get your podcasts.

7:47Welcome to the podcast, Alyssa. Really excited to be chatting with you today about the next big thing in skincare. So from the top, what are exosomes exactly and how do they work? Well, thanks so much for having me. And that's a wonderful question we get asked every day because as we're switching from these, you know, ingredients that are chemicals and ingredients that are plant derived on our skin and switching to human derived, we need this whole new education on words and what they mean. But I like to describe exosomes, it's like a message in a bottle. So if you think about, you know, that your cells get messages between each other and the exosome is another way of thinking about it.

8:25It's like the envelope that delivers the message. So, you know, inside the exosome, there's different messages depending on the exosome that you have, but it's cell to cell communication is how it works within your body. And so what are these envelopes saying? What are these messages saying? So your body produces thousands of exosomes. So there's messages that say all kinds of different things. What's unique about Plated Skin Science is that we've been able to harness the message of Renew and most specifically as we're applying it to the skin. And so that's why, you know, you want to be really careful that just not all exosomes are the same, right?

9:02You want to really do your homework and understand where the source is, kind of what is that message in a bottle that you're sending? Okay, good point. Good point. So which skin concerns do they address? And like, are they safe for all skin types and all skin tones? Because, you know, those are typical parameters we would think about with like a vitamin C or an iacinamide. So it's like, how do you sort of like classify who these work for and don't? Yeah. So human derived ingredients are almost like smart technology. And so in our clinical studies, we've seen rave reviews about luminosity of the skin.

9:37We see clinical results in as early as six weeks on the appearance of wrinkles, brown spot improvement, skin tone, texture, those sorts of things. So it's really, you know, kind of smart to what your need is and just like it would be inside the body. I always think of exosomes and I think this is just based on past episodes we've done and experts we've spoken to, particularly facialists. And we're going to get At least our introduction was in the spa, you know, in that setting. But I always think of exosomes as being like the things that heal, the things that kind of undo all the damage that we do from over exfoliating or the sun, that kind of thing.

10:21And I actually wondered if I could use them on my blepharoplasty scars, because it's no secret around here that I had blepharoplasty earlier this year. Is it safe for that? Well, first of all, you look beautiful. I don't see any scars. But unfortunately, once the scar tissue forms, that's not really something that a cosmetic product is going to be able to address. That's something you probably need a laser or some type of microneedling. You know, scars are really frustrating with your C-section scar, whether it's your black scar. Even when I cut my hand and I get a scar, I get frustrated. But, you know, scars are, once they form, they're very difficult.

10:55So that's why it's so important. You take care of your wounds so they can heal properly, keep them out of the sun. Yeah. I think it's also like my introduction to them was right after micronabling. So I think it's almost like in the moment when you're sort of like getting your skin damage happening in real time, it was like dramatically different how much shorter the healing span was. Yeah. And we've seen that in clinical trials post-laser, where just the recovery time has really gone down, applying it after some sort of a laser procedure. And obviously every setting is different. Every person's different, how they relax laser.

11:31Some days I look like a pumpkin and other days I'm fine after laser. So, but yeah, you know, and listen, there's different exosomes, you know, that do different things. But I think, you know, Plated Skin Science, we really like that, you know, ours are kind of that renewal. Yeah. Now, I can't wait to dive into Plated's origin story because this reminds me of the kind of lore that other iconic products on the market have taken on where they come from this kind of like discovered in a hospital by accident. in. So I want to get into this with you because I read that Plated Skin Science is the it's the first brand delivering platelet derived exosomes to treat visible signs of aging based on 15 years of science, over 150 million in research for cardiac patients at a world renowned medical institution.

12:19I really stumbled on the word cardiac. It was like, how do we get from cardiac to a skincare product. So tell us that story. Yeah, it's such a great story. So there's the Van Cleave Cardiac Regenerative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic, and they were studying stem cell patients. It was a whole stem cell program initially, and they were trying to figure out why is it only that five to 10 % of these patients that get stem cells actually walk across the stage where you're like, yes, this is it. Regenerative medicine is here. And so they took that subset of those patients and they started studying them to say, what is different about these people that walk across the stage when they get stem cells?

12:56And they made this discovery that they had these very high level of these renewing exosomes. And so, you know, they started kind of down this path that, gosh, it's not the stem cells that we thought for 20 years were what we're doing the job. It's these actually exosomes that are telling the cells what to do. And while they were doing all this, you know, in the lab, you put gloves on. So any of you that have worn gloves or latex gloves, you know, your skin can get a little irritated. and some of the early scientists were rubbing it on their skin and noticing that the skin was looking better. And so you'll love this because you're both, you know, female leaders, which I love.

13:30The wife of the cardiac, an interventional cardiologist who was actually doing all this work in this regenerative medicine lab was like, I wonder if we should do skincare. And again, this guy does heart transplant on, you know, still sees heart transplant patients. So he was like, no, wait a minute, we're making this like cardiac discovery and you want to use like our early discover skincare? And she said, yes. And he said, great. And so they went and kind of created the initial formulations. And the idea was that, you know, our exosomes are the hero and we don't need all these other ingredients, which is why it's so good for so many skin types.

14:02You don't have to have 50 other ingredients when you, this hero ingredient is doing most of the heavy lifting. Right. So he noticed an improvement on his hands after using exosomes topically for 15 years. Okay. Wow. Yeah. So they will just, even in the labs, people were noticing just in a short amount of time. But yeah, so it was all kinds of deep research and really good clinical. I think that's what we're seeing is medicalization of beauty, right? People, you know, it's not just, you don't want clean beauty. You want it to actually work and you want to understand the science and we want to advance science.

14:32Like we've been doing the same thing using growth factors for so many years. And I like to say that growth factors are one letter of the alphabet. The exosome is the full alphabet. So you're not just taking the hammer and hitting the nail. You're actually giving kind of a more full message, which is awesome. And I think that's why people are pivoting and getting so excited about exosomes and skincare. Right. Okay. And what other research went into the creation of the plated products and like what other clinicals got you guys excited? Like share all of those nerdy details. I'm a big clinical study nerd.

15:08And so I was, you know, skeptical in the beginning. And I said, you know what? I want to do a really big clinical trial. None of this nonsense where you have nine patients and you just take a couple before and afters. I mean, my background is in, you know, pharmaceuticals and medical devices and really doing robust trials. And so we did a very big study in Rochester, Minnesota, initially on, you know, a broad range of patients. And then from there, we've built and continued to do clinical studies across the country with many different plastic surgeons, dermatologists. And we have multiple publications in these peer-reviewed journals that shows that like these products actually work.

15:44Yeah. So what benefits are you seeing? Like, is it clinicals for pigmentation? Is it clinicals for wrinkles? What kind of clinicals can you, what can you support in terms of benefits? Yeah. So our initial publication was that in as early as six weeks, people were seeing improvements in the appearance of wrinkles, appearance of redness, the luminosity of the skin. People rave about their skin. People say, what have you done? You know, and then the improvement in brown spots. I think that's another thing that we hear a lot about. And so, you know, really all those things that we want in what we call this anti-aging category.

16:19We covered the difference between growth factors and exosomes. I am curious about, I think a lot of people have this question and maybe you can shed some light on it. It's like the human derived-ness of it all. Where are they coming from? I truly don't know. So I would love it if you could share how, because that is maybe something people have to get over the thought of before diving in and getting really excited about it. Absolutely. And I was one of those people. I mean, I think there's a bit of an oof factor, but I think this is where science has finally caught up, right? Like, you know, the power of the human body to heal.

16:56And that's why our tagline for our company is beauty from within, right? Your body has way more power than any chemical or plant derived ingredient. And so that science has caught up that we've been able to use these. And I think this is what's really important. People need to do their research. They can't just say, oh, it has an exosome, check, I want it. Because the amount of virus screening you need to do, understanding the source material, you can get it from umbilical cords. You can get from adipose tissue. We get our platelets or our exosomes. That's fat, everyone. Yeah, fat, that's your fat.

17:27But listen, there's pluses and minuses and the source really determines kind of the message in the bottle. So if you think about it, when you slice your hand, which I did this morning in my kitchen, what's the first responder to your room, right? Your platelets, your blood. And that's why platelets and our source is a really unique source to get these exosomes from because we can get the meth like in the pentillions and make it so it's, you know, able to be put into a cosmetic skincare. And so what is that source? So our source is platelets. So it actually comes from FDA compliant blood banks where you would get a transfusion.

18:02And it happens, we purchase them at the end of this life cycle. So these blood banks would actually have to pay to dispose of a biologic. We're buying them. We're giving them money. We're actually helping the whole process. We're taking something to have to dispose of. And then we take these platelets and they go to Rochester, Minnesota. And we have a very unique proprietary process, which includes all kinds of additional screens before they get kind of to the end product, which you use. Right. So they've already been screened like one time to get into the blood bank. And then there's an additional several times.

18:34Okay. So what would be the alternative if it wasn't human derived? I've heard all kinds of different terms. There's plant cell derived, there's stem cell derived. So can you help us just, you know, decipher the difference with your exosomes from, from these different maybe competitors, I guess you could say. Yeah. I mean, it's a confusing space, right? Because exosome is a buzzword. And that's why I say you can't just say, oh, it has an exosome check. I want it. Because the thing is like exosomes are very fragile. I think about if you have an egg on your countertop, you can leave it there for days.

19:07If you crack the egg, it's rotten, right? The contents are gone. Exosomes are very similar and they like a certain environment and they like certain ingredients and certain pH. And that's why not just anyone can say they have an exosome and it's actually still, you know, kind of in the shell, the eggshell analogy. So, you know, we can get, you can source them from so many different, you know, probably exosomes on your hands right now. But the idea is getting the right exosomes, doing the right screenings, and then making sure what you have in the eventual bottle is consistent from time and time again, and that you're not getting anything that you don't want to get.

19:42We have a proprietary process that makes sure we don't break down these exosomes. And so that you're kind of getting what you expect in the formulation. And, you know, we do stability testing out for two years. So we know that, you know, you're not going to, you know, set it on the shelf for four weeks and it's not going to be any good. So these are all things why you want to choose a company that's really an expert in the exosome area, because this is complicated. Like you said, it's human derived. You're like, wow, what is this? And you really need to know what you're doing to make sure you get the end product is what you want.

20:15And I mean, I know you mentioned earlier that growth factors are kind of like one letter in the alphabet and exosomes is the whole alphabet. But just can you elaborate on the difference? Because I do think people are still going to be confused about this in terms of the sourcing or just what they actually are. So if you think about a growth factor is on the outside of the cell, it's just like the hammer hitting the nail. It's only one message again and again. And that's why I think over time, people have been worried is, you know, too much of one message, not good. And, you know, could that proliferate your cells in a negative way?

20:50And exosomes kind of are, like I said, the full message. It's not just one particular, it's not the hammer, right? The analogy would be the full tool of different things that you might need. So if that helps kind of clarify it a little bit. Okay. Okay, great. Yeah. And listen, there's a lot of talk about exosomes from, you know, plants, like you mentioned before. Yeah. And from, you know, cows and salmon. I've heard all kinds of sperm. I mean, I've heard every crazy thing out there. So the thing to understand is we're talking about humans, like cells from plants can't talk to human cells, right?

21:25Correct. It's just like, if you think about a plant stem cell, it's just like you and I eating a carrot. You might get nutrition from it, but it's not the same technology, right? Like they may be able to use the word exosome, but you're not actually getting the same technology. And, you know, and I think when you think about sources like bovine and some of these others, like I worry about the virus screening and just some of the sophistication. And again, those are not human cells. They can't, you know, have this message in a bottle to a human cell. They may have other benefits, but it's not the same technology, but people can use the word.

21:57And I think that's the issue is people are just using this exosome word across everything. And consumers need to get education. They need to understand this. It is the future, but you need to learn a little bit. New Frontier.

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