EXOSOMES
Fantastic exosomes and how to tame them
Barbora Popova, Zbigniev Balion, Aiste Jekabsone - Exolitus
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Exosomes represent a groundbreaking innovation in the cosmetics industry, celebrated for their regenerative capacities. Despite their scientific promise, the term “exosomes” is frequently exploited in marketing without adequate scientific backing. Amid growing consumer interest, Exolitus
has emerged as a benchmark for rigour and authenticity, pioneering exosome-based solutions through verifiable research and nature-sourced exosomes.
What are exosomes, extracellular vesicles and extracellular particles? The journey of exosome research began in the 1980s, when these tiny vesicles were first identified as carriers of cellular waste. Initially overlooked as mere cellular debris, exosomes gained recognition in the early 2000s for their role in intercellular communication and their ability to transport bioactive molecules like proteins, lipids, and RNA.1 This pivotal discovery revolutionized our
understanding of cellular processes, sparking interest primarily in regenerative medicine. In recent years, the cosmetic industry has embraced exosomes, leveraging their unique properties to enhance skin health, repair and rejuvenation.2 Exosomes, the cellular couriers of life, are a
subtype of extracellular vesicles sized 50-200 nm originating from within cells. In contrast, other extracellular vesicles such as microvesicles (100-1000 nm) and apoptotic bodies (200-5000
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delivery to target cells while maintaining their functional integrity (Figure 1). Increasingly appreciated are also non-
vesicular extracellular particles (NVEPs), such as recently discovered exomeres and supermeres or well-known nucleosomes and vaults. While lacking a lipid bilayer, these structures still carry bioactive cargo such as RNA and structural proteins, contributing to their functional significance in intercellular communication. The expanding world of EVs and NVEPs is
Figure 1: A detailed visual representation of an extracellular vesicle (EV), highlighting its bilayer lipid membrane that encapsulates bioactive cargo such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The figure also illustrates surface receptors on the EV membrane, which facilitate recognition and internalization by recipient cells, enabling precise delivery
nm) bud directly from the cell membrane and are broadly known as ectosomes. Each type of extracellular vesicle has a
unique role in cellular signaling and transport, acting as specialized messengers in intercellular communication. Encapsulated by a bilayer lipid membrane, these vesicles safeguard their valuable bioactive cargo—proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids—ensuring precise and efficient
largely due to improvements in techniques and methodology, as well as the growing awareness of their complexity and heterogeneity, which has spurred an active search for new particle subsets.3 This evolving understanding is guided
by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV,
www.isev.org), which has established comprehensive guidelines—Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV2023)4
—to define and standardize
terminology in this scientific field (Figure 2). However, in the cosmetics field, the term
‘exosomes’ has often become a generic label applied to the entire population of these extracellular particles. This blending of terms reflects the practical reality that no cosmetic product purifies only the exosome subset specifically, as including the entire extracellular particle population is both efficient and effective. While this practice is common, it underscores the need for clear communication about what is
March 2025 PERSONAL CARE
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