Placenta extract is one of the best-known beauty ingredients in Japan, sold as tablets, capsules and drinks made from porcine or equine placenta. Brands abroad notice the category and ask for a Japan-made version, sometimes without realising how animal origin and Japan’s own regulatory split around this ingredient shape what can honestly be said about it.
This guide is for brand owners planning an oral placenta-extract product made in Japan. It covers what the human trials actually show, why the animal source matters for your label and your buyers, and how the food-grade oral extract differs from a separate, prescription-only category that also uses the word “placenta” in Japan.
Health supplements are foods, not medicines, and are not a substitute for medical treatment. Nothing here is a claim that any product prevents, treats or cures a disease.
💬 Planning a placenta extract product made in Japan? We check the full formula against Japanese food law first. See Japan-made supplement OEM.
What the research shows
A small number of short randomised trials of oral porcine or equine placenta extract report modest differences from placebo in skin water loss, elasticity or pigmentation, but the human evidence overall is thin, and both skin trials were funded by the manufacturers of the extracts tested.
| Study | Design/What was analysed | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Nutrients 2020 (PMC7353038, PMID 32512710, DOI 10.3390/nu12061671) | 20 healthy women aged 40–59 (19 completed) took 200 mg/day porcine placenta extract or placebo for 4 weeks | Water loss through the arm skin (TEWL) rose in the placebo group but stayed roughly level with the extract, a significant difference between groups; arm-skin elasticity also changed more than with placebo; arm hydration and all cheek measures showed no significant difference between groups; a menopausal-symptom score showed no significant difference between groups (p=0.079) |
| Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Health Science Reports 2022 (DOI 10.1002/hsr2.522) | 29 women aged 30–59 took 220 mg/day equine placenta extract or placebo for 4 weeks | Melanin index rose significantly in the placebo group but stayed unchanged in the equine-placenta group, suggesting reduced UV-related pigmentation on cheek skin over the study period; funded by the extract’s manufacturer, whose chief executive was an author |
| Systematic review, Nutrients 2025 (PMC12736165, PMID 41470802, DOI 10.3390/nu17243857) | 11 randomised trials (988 patients) of placental extract for menopausal symptoms, mixing human extract given by injection with porcine extract taken orally | Menopausal-symptom scores and some skin measures improved; all 11 trials were run in Asian countries; the longest trial ran 24 weeks; heterogeneity between studies prevented a pooled meta-analysis |
Caveats worth knowing:
- Small and short. Both skin trials involved fewer than 30 people and lasted only 4 weeks.
- Funding. Both skin trials were funded by the manufacturer of the extract tested. In the porcine-extract trial three authors were company employees, and in the equine-extract trial the company’s chief executive was an author; both papers state that, apart from supplying the material, the funders had no role in study design or analysis.
- Route of administration matters. The 2025 systematic review pools injectable human-derived extract with oral porcine extract. These are different products by a different route into the body, and this guide only concerns the oral, animal-derived, food-grade ingredient — not any injectable product.
- Geography. Every trial identified for this guide was run in an Asian population, so results may not carry over to every market.
Checked against the published abstracts and the two skin trials’ funding statements on 12 October 2026.
What Japanese products say
Japan draws a firm line between food-grade oral placenta extract from animals and a separate, prescription-only category made from human placental tissue — and a brand abroad should never blur the two.
Porcine-placenta-derived peptides appear among the functional ingredients notified under Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system, alongside plain porcine or equine placenta extract sold as an ordinary food ingredient without a functional claim. Where a product is notified, the business is responsible for its own evidence, submitted to the Consumer Affairs Agency before sale.
Separately, and unrelated to any food product, Japan also regulates placenta extract derived from human tissue as a prescription pharmaceutical, given by injection, for medically approved uses. This human-derived injectable is a controlled category with its own safety rules, entirely distinct from an animal-derived oral food ingredient. If you see the word “placenta” applied to a prescription injection anywhere in Japanese material, it is not describing the food ingredient this guide covers, and your label should never suggest a connection between the two.
💬 Need an evidence summary for your regulatory adviser that separates the food-grade oral extract from anything else called “placenta” in Japan? We prepare it with the manufacturing documents. Tell us your market.
Wording that stays on safe ground
Describe placenta extract by its animal source and the hydration outcome studied, never by menopause, hormones or any medical condition.
| Safer wording | Wording to avoid |
|---|---|
| ”Contains porcine (or equine) placenta extract, [amount] per serving” | Any claim implying a hormonal, prescription-drug or human-placenta-derived effect |
| ”Studied for skin moisture and elasticity" | "Anti-ageing miracle”, “reverses menopause”, or any disease/hormone claim |
| Stating the animal source clearly and prominently | Vague terms like “placenta complex” that hide the animal origin from a buyer who needs to know it |
How placenta extract is formulated
Trial doses run from around 200 mg to over 300 mg a day, which usually means a tablet, capsule or concentrated drink rather than a large-volume format.
| Dosage form | Why brands choose it | What to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Tablet or hard capsule | Common Japanese format at this dose | Taste and odour of the raw extract |
| Soft capsule | Masks taste and odour well | Cost versus tablet |
| Drink or shot | Popular beauty-drink category in Japan | Concentration needed to fit the daily amount into a small volume |
Decisions that shape the specification:
- Animal source. Porcine and equine are the two common food-grade sources. State the species clearly — it decides whether the product suits halal, kosher, vegetarian or vegan buyers, and none of those groups can be served by an animal-derived placenta product regardless of species.
- Import rules in your market. Many countries apply their own sanitary or import controls to porcine- or equine-derived ingredients, separate from general food-supplement rules. Confirm this with your own import authority before committing to a formula — this guide cannot state your market’s specific requirement.
- Amount per serving. Match the amount to any study you intend to cite, and be aware that trial doses vary widely by source and preparation.
- Processing. Some material is fermented before use; ask the supplier for the exact processing method, as it affects the specification you can put on a label.
The check that comes first
Every ingredient must be permitted in foods in Japan, or a Japanese factory cannot make the product.
Porcine and equine placenta extract are used in Japanese foods, but any animal-derived raw material carries its own sourcing, traceability and import documentation requirements on top of the usual food-law check. See the Japan-made supplement OEM page, and compare with our collagen peptide and hyaluronic acid guides for other animal- and fermentation-derived beauty ingredients.
Before you ask for a quotation
A factory can quote accurately once the animal source, the amount, the form and your market’s import rules are confirmed.
- Animal source (porcine or equine) and processing method
- Amount per serving and servings per pack
- Dosage form
- Confirmation of your market’s import rules for animal-derived ingredients
- Packaging
- Countries you will sell in, and first order and annual volume
💬 Ready to design a Japan-made placenta extract product? Send us the concept — animal source, amount, form and the countries you will sell in.
Frequently asked questions
1. Does oral placenta extract have good human evidence?
Not much. Two small, short randomised trials (under 30 people, 4 weeks), both funded by the extract manufacturers, report modest skin differences from placebo, and a 2025 systematic review found the overall evidence thin, from Asian trials only, with no pooled meta-analysis possible. Describe it as studied in small trials, not as proven.
2. Is placenta extract suitable for halal, kosher or vegetarian buyers?
No. It is animal-derived from pigs or horses, so it cannot suit halal, kosher, vegetarian or vegan requirements regardless of species. State the animal source clearly on your specification.
3. Is Japan’s oral placenta supplement the same as a placenta injection?
No, and this distinction matters. Japan separately regulates human-placenta-derived extract as a prescription pharmaceutical given by injection. That is a different, human-derived, controlled product — unrelated to the animal-derived oral food ingredient this guide covers.
4. Porcine or equine — does it matter which one I choose?
Both are used in Japan and both were studied in the small trials above, at different doses. Neither suits religious dietary restrictions or vegetarian/vegan positioning.
5. What should I check before importing a placenta-extract product?
Your own market’s import rules for animal-derived ingredients, which are often separate from general supplement rules. Confirm this with your import authority before you commit to a formula.
Sources: “Effect of Porcine Placenta Extract Supplement on Skin Condition in Healthy Adult Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study”, Nutrients 2020 (PMC7353038, PMID 32512710, DOI 10.3390/nu12061671); “Effects of oral administration of equine placental extract supplement on the facial skin of healthy adult women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study”, Health Science Reports 2022 (PMC8855633, DOI 10.1002/hsr2.522); “Efficacy and Safety of Placental Extract on Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review”, Nutrients 2025 (PMC12736165, PMID 41470802, DOI 10.3390/nu17243857); Consumer Affairs Agency notifications for Foods with Function Claims; Japanese pharmaceutical regulation of human-placenta-derived extract as a prescription, injectable, specified biological product, per Japanese clinical and industry reference sources. Checked on 12 October 2026.