Novel Vegan Exosome-like Biomimetic Vesicles for Skin and Hair Follicle Protection and Rejuvenation: Structural and Functional Characterization and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Efficacy Studies

Exosomes are revolutionizing skincare as natural messengers for cell communication, yet their transition into cosmetics is often limited by the ethical and regulatory hurdles of their animal or human sourcing. This study describes the development and validation of vegan exosome-like biomimetic vesicles (EBVs) generated from the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that reproduce the structural and functional logic of mammalian exosomes. Their structural biomimetism was confirmed through physical, lipidomic, and proteomic characterizations, revealing bilamellar vesicles (average diameter ~160 nm) containing 109 membrane lipids and 1369 proteins. Their functional biomimetism was assessed via 3′ mRNA sequencing, which showed that the EBVs induced transcriptional responses in human fibroblasts functionally analogous to human-derived exosomes in matrix-remodeling and anti-aging pathways. In vitro, the EBVs showed a 166.7% higher dermal delivery bias than standard liposomes and accelerated wound healing. Ex vivo, 2% EBVs protected skin explants against UV-A stress, showing 92% protective efficacy for excessive melanin production upon oxidative stress. Furthermore, the EBVs supported hair follicle anagen markers and follicle stem cell metabolism, significantly upregulating SOX9 (p = 0.0022). A 56-day placebo-controlled clinical study confirmed significant improvements in wrinkle depth (−12.2%), elasticity (+4.9%), and radiance (+20.0%). These results position EBVs as a scalable, high-performance alternative for next-generation anti-aging cosmetic applications.