I Tried the Medicube PDRN Shampoo and Conditioner to Treat Dry, Thinning Hair—Here Are My Honest Thoughts

I've tested a lot of hair products throughout my career (so much so that I can easily point you to the best drugstore shampoos, the best deep conditioners, and the best split end treatments), but even as someone who's tried it all, I never thought I'd see the day that a salmon sperm shampoo and conditioner would hit the market. That all changed when Medicube, the beloved affordable K-beauty brand, launched a PDRN haircare collection. If you know anything about PDRN (more on that later if you don't), then you know that it's exploded in popularity over the last year as a skincare savior with a lineup of celebrity fans that include Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston, and Miley Cyrus.

So of course I had to put the whole collection to the test and see if it could really deliver thicker, fuller hair. To see my honest thoughts on Medicube's new PDRN shampoo and conditioner, read ahead.

The Formula

The new set is a three-step system (which also includes a scalp serum) designed to address hair thinning—it’s not the sexiest topic, for sure, but it’s a pretty common one. It also contains PDRN (short for polydeoxyribonucleotide), which has become one of the trendiest ingredients in the skincare world over the last year, likely because it’s informally referred to as salmon sperm. PDRN is an ingredient that’s extracted from salmon and trout sperm and purified (thank God) before it’s used as an injectible treatment that can increase collagen production, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and increase skin elasticity, among other benefits. These days, you can also purchase it in tons of topical formats that address the same aforementioned skin issues.

Medicube already has a pretty extensive lineup of PDRN-based serums, creams, masks, and more, some of which have become internet favorites and staples in the routines of celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber. So it was only a matter of time before the brand decided to bottle up all those benefits and release them in hair care product form. The Rosemary PDRN Clarifying Thickening Shampoo combines PDRN with rosemary (an essential oil that’s known for treating hair growth and density) to scrub dirt and buildup off of the hair and scalp while also making each individual strand look and feel stronger, which gives the illusion of fuller hair. The Rosemary PDRN Hair and Scalp Conditioner on the other hand uses an amino acid complex to soften and moisturize the hair.

The Application

I pumped out a generous amount of shampoo in the shower before cleansing my hair twice to make sure my hair and scalp were extra clean. The rosemary does a lot of heavy-lifting in this formula, as evidenced by how cool and tingly my scalp felt as soon as I started scrubbing. Since it definitely has the feel of a clarifying shampoo (sometimes these can be a little drying on the hair), I followed it up with my regular hydrating shampoo so my hair wouldn’t feel too dry. I applied a palmful of conditioner next, making sure that my hair was still soaking wet when I did it so that the product would stretch a little further. I don’t normally like to put conditioner directly on my scalp (most labels will tell you to apply from the mid-point to your ends), but I did so this time out of consideration for the fact that I’d just clarified my scalp.

Because I have curly, type 4 hair, I tend to gravitate to conditioners that have a little bit of weight to them and are very emollient-rich, so I’ll admit that my expectations for this conditioner were pretty low because it didn’t have the thick consistency I’m used to. That said, after a few minutes, I was surprised to see that my hair really did feel slightly softer than it had before, but not enough to keep my hair from feeling dry again just a few days later after being blown out.

The Takeaway

Medicube’s PDRN hair line includes a set of products that are meant to thicken the hair and address thinning, and as someone with curly hair that’s already pretty thick (aside from the very thin hairs along the perimeter of my head that I’ve already spent years nursing), I’m not 1000 percent sure this would do much for me in that department. That said, the shampoo itself is really beneficial for getting the hair and scalp extra clean and providing a cooling effect that can ease irritation and itchiness.

The conditioner on the other hand really does soften and moisturize the hair, which is great if you’re very prone to dryness, but if you have thicker curls like me, you might benefit from using something a little heavier for conditioning. Still, with PDRN at the forefront of K-beauty innovation, and now that it's made its way to the US, only time will tell if this is the next great step forward in better hair growth products.

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