Imagine telling your dermatologist you're considering magic mushrooms for your skincare routine. You might get a weird look.
But that's because they probably haven't seen the new study which found that psilocybin (yes, the stuff in psychedelic mushrooms) might actually protect your skin from ageing at the cellular level.
From Brain Drug to Anti-Aging Compound
We've known for years that psilocybin can do remarkable things for depression and anxiety. But what if it could also keep your cells young?
Research from earlier this year has shown that psilocybin extended cellular lifespan in human skin and lung cells by more than 50%, and when given to aged mice, increased their survival by 30%. But the mice didn't just live longer, they looked better too, showing improved fur quality, fewer white hairs, and hair regrowth.
This inspired Bryan Johnson (the tech billionaire who spends millions yearly trying to reverse his biological age) to jump on the shroom band wagon. This month, he announced he was exploring psilocybin as a longevity therapy, taking his first dose of nearly 5 grams while tracking 249 independent biomarkers.
Johnson cited evidence that psilocybin extended lifespan in mice and preserved telomeres in human cells, calling it the first evidence linking psychedelics to longevity. We reported on his early data finding here.
The Sugar and Fat Problem
Here's what makes this new study particularly interesting: it's the first to test psilocybin against a specific type of ageing that's becoming increasingly common - the kind caused by too much sugar and fat.
Think about the modern Western diet. High glucose, high fat, constant metabolic stress. It isn't just making us gain weight. It's accelerating ageing at the cellular level. When your cells are swimming in excess glucose and fatty acids, they produce damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS). Think of ROS like it's causing your cells slowly rusting from the inside out.
In skin cells specifically, this metabolic stress leads to:
- Breakdown of collagen and elastin (the proteins that keep skin firm and bouncy)
- Chronic low-grade inflammation
- Premature cell death
- That telltale aged appearance (wrinkles, sagging, dryness)
Researchers wanted to know: could psilocybin protect cells from this kind of damage?
Testing It in the Lab
The team used human skin fibroblasts (the cells that produce collagen and maintain skin structure) and subjected them to a brutal ageing cocktail: high glucose (25 mmol/L) and palmitic acid (400 µmol/L), mimicking what happens in metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.
Then they added psilocybin at different concentrations to see if it could rescue the cells.
The results were striking:
Cell Survival: Under normal conditions, the sugar-fat combo was toxic to cells. But when researchers added psilocybin - either at the same time (co-treatment) or after the damage was done (post-treatment) - cell viability improved significantly. The sweet spot was 10-15 micromolar, depending on timing.
Cellular Aging Markers: They measured something called beta-galactosidase, a classic marker of cellular senescence (when cells stop dividing and basically give up). The high glucose-high fat treatment sent these markers through the roof. Psilocybin brought them back down.
Cell Death: The metabolic stress triggered apoptosis (programmed cell death). Psilocybin, particularly when given alongside the stress (co-treatment), reduced this significantly.
Cell Cycle: Normally, cells have a rhythm. They grow, replicate their DNA, and divide. The sugar-fat treatment disrupted this, causing a traffic jam in the S phase (DNA synthesis). Psilocybin helped restore normal cell cycling.
The Inflammation Connection
Here's where it gets really interesting. Ageing isn't just about cells wearing out. A big part of the process involves inflammation.
The study found that the high glucose-high fat treatment cranked up inflammatory genes like IL-1β, IL-6, and COX-2. They break down collagen, degrade the extracellular matrix (the scaffolding that holds your skin together), and accelerate visible ageing.
Psilocybin significantly dampened these inflammatory signals.
But Wait, a Catch!
Not everything was a home run. When researchers tested whether psilocybin improved wound healing (a key measure of skin health), the results were mixed. There was a trend toward improvement, but it wasn't statistically significant.
And here's something important. When they looked at collagen and elastin gene expression, psilocybin didn't increase collagen genes. In fact, in some conditions, it even decreased them. However, it did significantly upregulate elastin (the protein that gives skin its snap-back quality).
The authors note this might actually make sense. Under extreme metabolic stress, trying to make more collagen could be counterproductive if the quality is poor or if it's just going to be degraded anyway. Instead, psilocybin might be focusing on damage control - i.e reducing inflammation, preserving what's already there, and maintaining elastin production.
How Does It Actually Work?
The mechanism appears to involve serotonin receptors, particularly 5-HT2A receptors, which exist not just in the brain but throughout the body, including in skin cells.
Psilocybin seems to work by reducing oxidative stress, improving DNA repair responses, and preserving telomere length (the protective caps on chromosomes that naturally shorten as we age). It also increased levels of SIRT1, a protein that plays a central role in regulating cellular metabolism, DNA repair, and longevity.
This backs up the previous research that suggests psilocybin isn't just acting on the brain; it appears to initiate a cascade of beneficial cellular changes that resonate throughout the organism.
The Bigger Picture
This study fits into a growing body of evidence that psilocybin might be a genuine anti-aging compound.
Previous research has demonstrated that psilocybin impacts multiple hallmarks of ageing, including delayed senescence, preservation of telomere length, enhanced DNA stability, and reduced oxidative stress.
Studies on human fibroblasts showed that cells treated with psilocybin lived up to 57% longer, with better growth, lower oxidative stress, and longer telomeres.
What makes this particularly exciting is that these effects seem to work even when psilocybin is given later in life, suggesting it's not just preventive, but might actually help reverse existing damage.
Should You Start Taking Mushrooms for Your Skin?
Hold on there. This is lab research using isolated cells in controlled conditions. The doses used (10-15 micromolar) aren't the same as someone eating mushrooms or taking a pill. And the study itself emphasises that much more research is needed.
The researchers also point out something important: psilocybin is metabolised to psilocin in the body, which may have different effects. While the idea of a topical psilocybin cream is theoretically interesting (it could potentially work locally without affecting your brain), we have zero data on whether that would actually work or what concentration you'd need.
Plus, there's a cautionary note in the data: in some conditions, psilocybin alone slightly increased cell death. So it's not a simple "more is better" situation.
What This Really Tells Us
What I find most compelling about this research is it shows that the damage from poor diet and metabolic stress isn't inevitable. Your cells aren't doomed just because you've been eating badly or dealing with metabolic syndrome.
The study demonstrates that with the right intervention (in this case, psilocybin) cells can be protected, and some damage can be mitigated even after it's occurred.
Whether psilocybin specifically will become an anti-aging treatment for skin remains to be seen. But the principle is fascinating: targeting the serotonin system and multiple ageing pathways simultaneously might be a powerful strategy.
The researchers conclude that psilocybin's "antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties make it a promising natural compound for reducing skin aging, particularly under oxidative stress conditions." But they also emphasise the need for "further research to explore its long-term effects, optimal dosages, and clinical applications."
Beyond Psilocybin: The Power of Functional Fungi for Metabolic Health
While psilocybin is groundbreaking, other functional fungi directly tackle the root cause of metabolic ageing. If the goal is to fight the damaging effects of high sugar and fat, Cordyceps is the mushroom to watch.
Cordyceps is scientifically validated for enhancing cellular energy (ATP) and regulating blood glucose. By boosting mitochondrial function and managing sugar levels, Cordyceps directly addresses the metabolic stress that accelerates skin ageing (the very mechanism the psilocybin study highlighted).
Ready to boost your cellular energy and metabolic resilience?
Explore high-strength Cordyceps capsules and support your functional health journey here.
The Bottom Line
We're in the early days of understanding psilocybin as an anti-aging compound. The fact that it works in cells and mice is exciting. The fact that Bryan Johnson is now tracking his biomarkers while experimenting with it adds a real-world (if unconventional) data point.
But until we know more, the best anti-aging strategy remains decidedly unsexy: manage your blood sugar, maintain a healthy weight, have a purpose, and keep inflammation in check through diet and lifestyle - and take functional mushrooms like cordyceps.
Still, it's it wild to think that something ancient shamans used for spiritual journeys might also hold clues to keeping our cells young. Sometimes the most cutting-edge science circles back to compounds that have been around for millennia.
The research continues. And who knows, maybe one day your dermatologist really will ask if you've considered psilocybin.
Research Citation: Norouzkhani, F., et al. (2025). "Psilocybin alleviates high-glucose and high-lipid-induced skin aging in BJ5Ta fibroblasts." Biochemistry and Cell Biology.
Explore our range of functional mushrooms and support your functional health journey here.
