Is azulene the next PDRN?
Data from Spate detailing the top 10 beauty ingredients by monthly search growth via South Korea’s Naver shows that azulene ranks in the top three, trailing behind already-mainstream counterparts PDRN and minoxidil, respectively.
Azulene is an anti-inflammatory compound derived from plants like chamomile and yarrow. Known to calm sensitive skin, the ingredient garnered roughly 15,300 monthly searches on Naver from June 2025 through May 2026, an increase of 29 percent versus the year prior.
Though Azulene garners fewer searches than PDRN — a skin-boosting salmon DNA derivative made viral thanks to K-beauty brands like Medicube and Anua — it’s growing faster by about two percentage points, indicating it could be next up for a global boom.
The ingredient isn’t commonly harnessed by U.S. brands, or Korean products which are prominently sold in the market. But there are exceptions: among them, From Medi+ offers an Azulene Hydrogel Mask on Amazon, which pairs the ingredient with cica, and at Sephora, brands like Then I Met You and Biossance tap the active in eye creams, and Adwoa Beauty harnesses it in a Blue Tansy Treatment Serum for hair.
Interestingly, some of the top-trending ingredients in South Korea during the last 12 months are hair-related rather than rooted in skin care. In addition to minoxidil, ketoconazole is trending, which is known for its anti-dandruff properties, as is caffeine, which is used in skin care but is increasingly gaining buzz for stimulating hair growth.
The top 10 ingredients in South Korea by year-over-year growth in average monthly Naver searches, per Spate.
- PDRN: +8,500 (+27%)
- Minoxidil: +7,300 (+41%)
- Azulene: +3,300 (+29%)
- Aloe vera: +2,300 (+54%)
- 5% Minoxidil: +2,000 (29%)
- BHA: +1,200 (22%)
- Ketoconazole: +600 (118%)
- Ceramide: +342 (+3%)
- Caffeine: +304 (+2.7%)
- Kojic acid: +303 (118%)
