Ingredient Beauty BenefitsRoute · Injection
Polynucleotides: the phase 3 trial most often cited for them was retracted in 2016
The phase 3 crow's-feet trial of Rejuran (PMID 25473210) was retracted by the journal in 2016. What remains is a 20-person exploratory trial and an uncontrolled 42-person observational study. We could not verify the Korean regulatory classification against a primary register.
Last checked Sep 16, 2026
Polynucleotides (PN) are purified DNA fragments injected into the dermis. In Korea the best-known name for this is Rejuran.
It is not a topical cosmetic. It goes in by injection, and the procedure happens at a medical clinic.
On the regulatory classification, plainly: searching the Korean drug register for 'polynucleotide' returns zero results, so it is not a medicine. It has been reported as approved as a medical device, but we could not open the device registration itself. Because this site does not state classifications it has not verified, the classification here reads 'being checked'.
What is established
The pivotal phase 3 trial was retracted
There is one paper cited more than any other for this procedure: a 2014 phase 3 randomised, double-blind trial in the Journal of Korean Medical Science comparing a polynucleotide filler against a hyaluronic acid filler for crow's feet. Its abstract names the product directly as Rejuran®.
That paper was retracted by the same journal in 2016 (retraction notice: J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(2):330).
Retracted papers do not enter this site's source list. Our source-registration script reads PubMed's retraction flag and refuses them automatically — this one was caught that way.
A retraction does not mean the procedure does nothing. But it does mean that the most-cited piece of evidence is no longer evidence. If an article describing this procedure says 'proven in a phase 3 trial', it is worth checking what it is pointing at.
Nasolabial folds: improvement in a 20-person exploratory trial
A split-face randomised trial in Caucasian women aged 40 to 65. The authors state it was an exploratory study: they initially planned no more than 10 women and, given favourable early outcomes, let enrolment grow to 20 women and 40 folds.
One side received highly purified polynucleotides (PN-HPT), the other cross-linked hyaluronic acid. Over six months of follow-up no side effects were reported, and Antera 3D measurement showed significant improvement in wrinkles and skin texture.
Three qualifications. The design was exploratory, so the sample size was not fixed in advance; the comparator was another filler, not an inert injection; and there were 20 participants.
Hence early research.
- Randomised controlled trial in people · 20 participants · 26 weeks · Compared with another active ingredient · Funding not declared · Endpoint instrument measurement PMID 35531796
Under-eye: self-rated scores improved, with no control group
Forty-two patients presenting for under-eye rejuvenation received intradermal absorbable polynucleotides, assessed with FACE-Q questionnaires at 1, 3 and 6 months. This is an observational case series.
Lower eyelid and crow's feet appraisal scores improved significantly from baseline at every time point (P < .001).
Look at the design, though. There is no control group. The comparison is not against people who did not have the procedure but against the same people beforehand. And the assessment is the patient's own rating.
Scores that people give themselves after paying for and sitting through an injection tend to tilt upward. This design cannot separate that tilt from the effect of the procedure. Hence not established.
- Open-label trial in people · 42 participants · 26 weeks · Compared with no control group (before-and-after only) · Funding not declared · Endpoint self-reported improvement PMID 41689167
Known risks
- Pain, swelling, bruising and nodules at the injection site are reported.
- Anything injected carries a risk of infection and foreign-body reaction.
- It is derived from fish such as salmon. If you have a fish allergy, say so before the procedure.
- If something goes wrong, tell the clinic that performed it.
What is not established
- We could not verify the Korean regulatory classification against a primary register. This page will be updated once we can.
- We found no trial comparing it against an inert injection, so the effect of being injected at all cannot be separated from the effect of the polynucleotides.
- How many sessions at what interval change what is not established.
- Neither is how long any effect lasts.
Whether to have it done is a decision to make with a doctor.
What this article relies on
- PubMed — 미국 국립의학도서관 문헌 데이터베이스National Library of Medicine · Checked on 2026-09-16