The Mushroom Moment: Tremella, Reishi and Chaga in Skincare
Mushrooms are having a moment. First they turned up in lattes, then in supplements, and now in serums. Industry trackers report that mushroom-based personal-care launches are growing fast, with reishi, chaga and tremella leading the way (Personal Care Insights, 2026; note that many efficacy claims in trend coverage come from ingredient suppliers). Let's look at what's actually behind the hype.
Tremella: the "plant-based hyaluronic acid"
Meet it: tremella (Tremella fuciformis), also called snow fungus or silver ear, is a frilly, translucent jelly mushroom used for centuries in Chinese cooking and traditional beauty soups.
What it does: its polysaccharides hold water beautifully and leave a soft, flexible film on skin. A 2016 review of mushroom cosmetics reports that 0.05% tremella polysaccharide held moisture better than 0.02% hyaluronic acid in testing (Wu et al., Cosmetics, 2016). That's where its nickname comes from.
Try: Tremella Polysaccharides, Snow Mushroom & Tremella Film Former, or the ready-made Tremella & Hyaluronic Acid Hydration Complex. Hydrate it slowly with good stirring (see the dictionary entry), just like HA. And pair it with HA, as our hyaluronic acid guide suggests.
Reishi: the "mushroom of immortality"
Meet it: reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is a glossy, reddish mushroom revered in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine.
What it does: lab studies show antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibiting activity (Wu et al., 2016). In skin cells in a dish, reishi polysaccharides reduced UVB-induced oxidative stress and lowered MMP-1, an enzyme that breaks down collagen (Zeng et al., Molecular Medicine Reports, 2017). Promising, but that's lab work, not proof in human skin.
Try: Reishi Mushroom Extract, Standardised in calming, antioxidant serums.
Chaga: the birch-tree antioxidant
Meet it: chaga (Inonotus obliquus) isn't a classic cap-and-stem mushroom. It's a dark, crusty growth on birch trees in cold northern forests.
What it does: in a lab study, chaga extract reduced MMP-1 in skin cells under oxidative stress (Kim & Cha, Cosmetics, 2020). There's no human clinical data on chaga skincare yet, so keep claims gentle ("antioxidant-rich", not "anti-wrinkle").
Try: Chaga Mushroom Extract. It's naturally dark, so expect some colour.
The supporting cast
- Ergothioneine: the mushroom-made antioxidant from our novel ingredients post.
- Shiitake Extract, Turkey Tail Extract and Cordyceps Militaris Extract: fun, story-rich additions.
- Poria Cocos Extract: a TCM classic. More in Saturday's TCM post.
A "forest floor" serum blueprint
- Water phase with Glycerin and tremella polysaccharide
- Reishi extract plus ergothioneine for antioxidant support
- A soothing touch of Allantoin
- A broad-spectrum preservative. Polysaccharide-rich extracts are microbe magnets.
The honest bottom line
Tremella has a genuine, practical strength as a hydrator and film-former. Reishi and chaga are exciting antioxidant stories that need more human research. Build your formula on solid basics, add a mushroom star, and make honest claims.
Explore Mushroom & Fungal Extracts and Trending Ingredients 2026.