Plant “exosomes”
Many skin and hair treatments are sold with exosomes from plants, most often rose stem cell cultures. These are vesicles made by plant cells. They are a different material from vesicles made by human stem cells, and results from one type do not carry over to the other.
In people, the published evidence for plant-derived vesicles is thin. This index found one case series of rose stem cell exosomes and one split-face trial of a product that mixed human and rose vesicles with growth factors and peptides. A small randomized hair-loss trial tested exosomes mixed with seaweed and Thuja extracts, but the paper does not say where the exosomes came from. No randomized trial of plant-derived vesicles on their own has been found.
Edible plant vesicles from grapes, ginger, and aloe have been registered in trials for conditions such as mouth sores during cancer treatment and polycystic ovary syndrome. This index has not found published results from those trials.
Studies involving plant vesicles or extracts
How to read the bars and marks
Bars: how strong the study design is
More filled bars means a design that can tell more reliably whether the treatment caused the result.
- Single case or case seriesOne patient or a handful, described without a comparison. It can raise an idea; it cannot show that a treatment works.
- Study without a control groupA group was treated and followed, but nobody was left untreated for comparison. Improvement may come from time, other care, or the placebo effect.
- Controlled trialTreated patients were compared with a control: placebo, another treatment, or the untreated side of the face. Most exosome trials at this level are small and short.
- Phase 3 resultsA large trial designed to prove a treatment works, the kind regulators usually require. No exosome product has published phase 3 results.
- FDA approvedThe FDA has reviewed the evidence and approved the product for that use. No exosome product is approved for any use.
Marks: what the study found
A solid mark means a benefit over the comparison. Hollow or partly filled marks mean less.
- Better than controlThe treated group did better than the comparison group on the main measures.
- Mixed or short-lived resultSome benefit, but only on some measures, in a subgroup, or for a short time.
- Similar to comparison treatmentAbout the same as another treatment, such as PRP, which may itself be unproven.
- No benefit over controlThe treated group did no better than placebo or the comparison.
- Improvement reported, no control groupPatients improved, but without a comparison group there is no way to tell whether the treatment caused it.
- Safety onlyThe study looked for harms. It was not designed to show whether the treatment works.
- Stopped for a safety eventThe study was halted after a serious problem in a participant.
- Better than controlPattern hair loss
Exosome formulation with seaweed and Thuja extracts injected for male pattern hair loss
Amini F et al., Life, 2025. 24 randomized, 20 analyzed. Made from: not stated in the paper.
At 16 weeks, hair count rose a median of 9.5 hairs in the treated group and 1.5 with placebo. Two treated men had mild scalp irritation that resolved on its own.
- Similar to comparison treatmentSkin aging
Human and rose stem cell exosome blend compared with PRP after radiofrequency microneedling
Investigator-blinded split-face trial, 2025 (PMC12104007). 15 people (from the investigators' conference abstract). Made from: human fat stem cells and rose stem cells.
Skin biopsies looked similar on both sides, and investigators rated the exosome side slightly better, according to the investigators' conference abstract.
- Improvement reported, no control groupSeveral skin conditions
Rose stem cell exosomes for skin conditions from healing to hyperpigmentation
Case series and review, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025. 8 people. Made from: plants (rose stem cells).
The authors reported positive results across the eight cases, which covered several different skin conditions.