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Latest Korean beauty craze uses dead Americans' skin cells

Over the past several years, tens of millions of dollars’ worth of donated skin has made its way from American tissue banks to biotech companies in South Korea.

The tissue is used to make facial injections known as extracellular matrix boosters, which now constitute a $75-million industry centered in South Korea.

Meanwhile, donors and their families can’t be paid for organ or tissue donations under U.S. law.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Business Insider correspondent Madeline Berg, who co-reported this story with Jack Newsham and Catherine Kim.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

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