The Mermaid Facial Craze: How Salmon DNA Became the Hottest Beauty Secret— and Why Men Are Now Booking It Too!

If you’ve scrolled through your Instagram feed lately and wondered why your favorite celebrities might be looking noticeably fresher than usual—you’re not imagining it.

A buzzy beauty treatment coined the “mermaid facial” has quietly moved from insider secret to red-carpet regular,

The headline ingredient? A polynucleotide derived from salmon sperm DNA, paired with microneedling to drive those actives where your standard serum can’t go. And yes, before you raise an eyebrow, it’s true: this trending facial really does involve salmon DNA. Specifically, a skin-restoring ingredient derived from salmon sperm that’s rich in polynucleotides—long chains of DNA fragments known to encourage regeneration, hydration, and elasticity.

Even A-listers have weighed in on the viral treatment’s glow-boosting power. Jennifer Aniston revealed she tried it after her aesthetician recommended the technique, while Kim Kardashian called it out on The Kardashians as one of her latest beauty experiments. Miley Cyrus has also admitted to giving the salmon-sperm facial a go proclaiming it made her skin look really good—proof that Hollywood’s most camera-ready faces aren’t shying away from this fishy-sounding trend.

Few places have leaned into this new skin movement as confidently as Elite Aesthetics, a high-end NewYork med spa founded by Mariesa Porter, known for combining clinical-level precision with a warm, judgment-free approach.

At Elite Aesthetics, the 'mermaid facial' experience begins with a professional cleanse and numbing cream to make the process comfortable before a device gently glides across the skin, creating microscopic channels that trigger collagen and elastin production.

Into those channels goes the star ingredient—the salmon DNA serum—infused to stimulate cell renewal, brighten tone, and improve texture. The treatment finishes with soothing hydration, calming masks, and often LED light therapy to reduce redness.

The result is skin that feels smoother and tighter almost immediately, with continued improvement over the next few weeks as collagen production ramps up.

It’s a favorite among models, actors, and people who live in front of HD cameras, but it’s also gaining major traction with everyday clients who simply want to look like their best, most rested selves.

While advanced skincare has long been a woman-dominated space, Elite Aesthetics Founder and Lead injector Mariesa Porter explains exclusively to OK! that the tides are shifting—fast.

“For men in particular, we try to market these treatments around confidence—making you feel good when you walk into a room. Whether it’s a date, a meeting, or even attending a football game with friends, this will make you feel more confident in any situation when you walk into a room.”

That message has resonated. More men are booking consultations for microneedling, facials, and even mild aesthetic procedures, encouraged by the idea that taking care of their skin doesn’t mean changing how they look—it just means looking better rested, sharper, and more self-assured.

The facial’s discreet yet dramatic results have made it a backstage staple during awards season and press tours.

Unlike fillers or more invasive treatments, the mermaid facial doesn’t distort facial structure—it enhances texture and glow in a way that still looks completely natural under the glare of HD cameras. With minimal recovery time—most clients experience only mild redness for a day—it’s become a go-to for those with demanding, high-visibility schedules.

In an era when more celebrities are being called out for looking noticeably overfilled, Mariesa Porter says her clients come to Elite Aesthetics precisely to avoid that look.

“It gives [filler treatments] such a bad wrap when as a professional in this field, I'm looking at that and first of all I’m wondering 'how' that is happening, and secondly 'who' is allowing that to happen, especially at that high level of client,” Porter says. “That is definitely not what we are doing here at Elite Aesthetics.”

Instead, her team focuses on balance—enhancing the skin’s natural texture and tone rather than chasing trends or overcorrecting. The mermaid facial, she explains, fits perfectly into that philosophy: non-invasive yet transformative, it delivers radiance and firmness without changing your natural expression.

The salmon DNA polynucleotides work on multiple levels—deeply hydrating, smoothing rough patches, refining pores, and softening fine lines. After just a few sessions, skin appears more even, supple, and resilient.

“If there’s one anti-aging treatment I can recommend out of the entire Elite Aesthetics treatments that we offer, if someone came to me and said they could only do one treatment, it'd tell them to get the mermaid facial,” adds Porter. “Because it really does everything—fine lines, tone, texture, clarity, tightening—it does it all, so it’s the best.”

The combination of salmon DNA and microneedling delivers visible rejuvenation without the harsh recovery or exaggerated look that’s made other treatments controversial.

For celebrities, it’s become a quiet essential and for women and men alike, it’s proof that good skin isn’t gendered—it’s confidence, bottled and delivered through science.

And as Elite Aesthetics Mariesa Porter sums it up, it’s not just about making yourself look better, it's also about making yourself feel better.

And while the mermaid facial might sound whimsical, its incredible results are proving its anything but a fantasy.