An investigation by the UK-based newspaper The Guardian has found several clinics are offering human-derived exosomes treatment for skin and hair regeneration.

Under UK and EU regulations, human-derived exosomes are banned due to concerns with significant health risks.  

According to the newspaper, several clinics were found to be promoting products sourced from human umbilical cord blood stem cells or other human cell sources. 

Dr Guillaume van Niel, a research director at the Angers Cancer and Immunology Research Centre in Nantes, France, spoke to The Guardian. He said, “The most dangerous risk would be that viruses are in the product. Viruses have the same size and the same physical properties as exosomes. It’s nearly impossible to sort exosomes out of a pool of viruses. If you isolate one, you get the other.” 

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson added, “Exosomes of human origin are banned in cosmetics that are sold in the UK. We urge anyone who has concerns about the safety of a product to contact their local trading standards department or Citizens Advice.”