A Derm Just Told Me This Under-Hyped Ingredient Can Replace My Growth Factor and Exosome Serums

Skincare can be so confusing these days. With so many emerging ingredients on the market, it's hard to know which ones are right for you to prevent premature aging, repair damage, and keep your skin clear. Lately, we've seen ingredients like growth factors and exosomes have a moment in the spotlight, but there's another potent skin-renewal helper that we often forget about: stem cells.

According to board-certified dermatologist, stem cell scientist, and cosmetic surgeon Nathan Newman, MD, human stem cells aren't always ideal for use in skincare, because they may carry undesirable pathogens and genes, but plant stem cells don't have this issue and communicate almost identically to human ones.

Newman thinks that stem cells trump all the other options out there—and for good reason. I chatted with him about the difference between stem cells, exosomes, and growth factors to get the full picture. Keep reading for everything he had to share.

Exosomes vs. Growth Factors vs. Stem Cells

Newman broke down the difference between the industry's most popular youth-enhancing ingredients right now.

Exosomes: Exosomes are small vesicles that play a role in intercellular communication and tissue regeneration. They can be derived from stem cells, plants, or human cells. "They are usually processed and not used as they are produced by the cells," says Newman. "The products are unstable and need to be processed and preserved. They are not consistent from batch to batch, so each time it is manufactured, it will have a different set of signals."

Growth factors: Similar to exosomes, growth factors are proteins that play a key role in regulation cell growth and survival. They're already produced by various cells in the body, but many companies make synthetic versions to put into skincare formulas. These proteins signal molecules to promote cell proliferation, tissue repair, and the formation of new blood vessels. According to Newman, though, their effects are short-lived and do not always regenerate tissue. Basically, you can think of exosomes as a vehicle to deliver the message and growth factors as the actual message.

Stem cell factors: Plant stem cells, on the other hand, are the means by which cells communicate and impart their actions on other cells in your body. "The entirety of this cellular language is referred to as secretomes," explains Newman. "Some of these factors are released directly into the space in between cells and others need to be packaged, as they will be degraded outside the cell, and delivered from one cell to another cell. This cellular language is a dialogue between cells, and it sets off a domino effect that can influence thousands of cells in your body by what is referred to as paracrine effect (much like hormones do as part of your endocrine effect)."