What Is Mushroom Skincare? A Simple Guide to Reishi, Tremella & Shiitake

The part of a mushroom you can see is the smallest part of it.

Below the surface, threaded through soil or the inside of a fallen log, is the mycelium: a web of fine white filaments that can spread much farther than the mushroom above it, breaking down wood and leaves and trading nutrients with the plants around it. The mushroom is only what comes up when the conditions are right.

It's the fruit, not the tree.

Skin works in a similar way. Most of what makes it feel good happens where you can't see it: in the water held at its surface, and in a barrier thinner than a sheet of paper. That's where mushrooms get interesting.

I first made these formulas for myself and those close to me, in handcrafted small batches on my family's homestead in New York, because I wanted fewer products that each did more. Three mushrooms ended up at the center of that routine, and they still are. This is a guide to what they are, where they come from, and why the science behind them has me so excited.

What the research found

What is mushroom skincare?

Mushroom skincare is skincare formulated with extracts from fungi. Nobody is grinding up mushrooms and stirring them into face cream. The extract pulls specific compounds out of the mushroom so they can go into a formula.

The compounds that matter most are polysaccharides and beta-glucans, which are long chains of sugar molecules, and phenolic compounds, which act as antioxidants. Different species carry different mixes of them. That's why "mushroom skincare" isn't really one thing. A woody, bitter reishi and a soft, jelly-like tremella have about as much in common in a formula as rosemary and aloe.

Meet the mushrooms

Reishi: the varnished mushroom

Reishi looks like someone lacquered it. The cap is a deep reddish-brown with a glossy sheen, which is where its Latin name comes from: lucidum means "shining." It grows from hardwood stumps and logs, and it's tough, woody, and bitter. Nobody sautés reishi.

It has been valued anyway, for a very long time. In China, where it's called lingzhi, it has been used in traditional practice for centuries and shows up again and again in art as a symbol of long life, carved into jade and painted on silk.

The bitterness turns out to be part of the story. Much of it comes from triterpenoids, one of the two groups of compounds in reishi that researchers are most curious about. The other is polysaccharides. Together they give reishi its antioxidant activity.

That matters because skin spends every day dealing with oxidative stress. Sunlight, pollution, and even skin's own metabolism produce unstable molecules called free radicals, and antioxidants are the compounds that neutralize them. A 2026 study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science put reishi up against two of the best-known actives in modern skincare: argireline, a peptide, and alpha-arbutin, a brightening ingredient. In lab testing, reishi extract showed antioxidant activity and inhibited tyrosinase, the enzyme behind skin pigmentation, by 30%. It was also tolerated by human skin cells at higher concentrations than either of those two actives. Read the study on reishi extract in a topical cream.

As someone who makes skincare, I love that the researchers didn't stop at the raw extract. Plenty of ingredients look impressive on their own in a lab. This study went the next step and built reishi into an actual cream. Over three months of heat, cold, and storage testing, the cream stayed stable, with no separation or change in color. The researchers concluded that reishi is a safe, stable, bioactive-rich ingredient with strong potential for anti-aging and skin-brightening products.

Researchers have also looked at what reishi's polysaccharides do for skin cells under UV stress. In lab testing on human skin fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen, reishi polysaccharides reduced the free radicals UVB light creates. They also lowered MMP-1, an enzyme that breaks down collagen, and raised a marker of collagen production. Read the study on reishi polysaccharides and skin cells.

Reishi is the one mushroom in all three of our products: the Mushroom Face Cream, the Hydrating Mushroom Toner, and the Botanical Mushroom Cleansing Oil.

What is tremella, the snow mushroom?

Dried tremella (Tremella fuciformis) looks like a crumpled, pale gold sponge. Drop it in water and it blooms. It swells into something translucent and frilled, closer to a flower or a sea creature than to anything you'd call a mushroom. That's why it's called snow mushroom, silver ear, or white jelly mushroom.

It has been cultivated and eaten in China for more than a thousand years, simmered into sweet soups where it turns silky and almost gelatinous. Traditional Chinese medicine has long valued it for nourishing the skin.

It has a strange life, too. Tremella grows on dead hardwood branches, but it isn't feeding on the wood. It's a parasite of another fungus living in that wood, so growers have to cultivate the two species together.

The way it blooms in water is the whole reason it's in skincare. Tremella is rich in polysaccharides, which are large molecules that attract and hold water. On skin, that means they help keep moisture at the surface, giving the soft, plump, cushiony feel you want from a toner.

That's also why you'll hear tremella called "nature's hyaluronic acid." The two are different molecules: hyaluronic acid is something your own skin makes, and tremella polysaccharides come from a mushroom. What they share is the job. Both are humectants, ingredients that draw in water and hold it where you want it.

Tremella also holds its own in a head-to-head. When researchers compared the two raw ingredients in the lab, hyaluronic acid absorbed water for three hours and then tapered off. Tremella kept absorbing for the full five-hour test.

The same research team then tested it on real skin. In a small study, a cream containing just 0.1% tremella extract reduced water loss from the skin by 12.4% compared with the identical cream without it. It also gave a bigger hydration boost at the one- and three-hour marks, and it caused no irritation in patch testing. Read the study on a tremella cosmetic formulation.

Researchers are paying close attention. A 2026 review pulled together the research on tremella polysaccharides and found antioxidant and anti-aging activity, with moisturizers named as one of their main uses in cosmetics. The authors concluded that tremella polysaccharides have "great prospects" and may bring new breakthroughs in cosmetics and skincare. Read the review on tremella polysaccharides. A dermatology review goes further. It points to tremella's potential for aging skin and for supporting the skin barrier. Read the dermatology review on tremella. That's quite a résumé for an ingredient that's also a dessert soup.

You'll find tremella in our Hydrating Mushroom Toner and Botanical Mushroom Cleansing Oil. If you want to get the most out of a hydrating toner, here's how I use it on damp skin.

Shiitake isn't just for dinner

Shiitake's name is almost a label. Shii is the Japanese name for the tree it traditionally grows on, and take means mushroom. It's been cultivated on cut hardwood logs in China and Japan for centuries, which makes it one of the oldest farmed mushrooms in the world. Today you can buy it at most grocery stores.

What's less well known is what it's made of. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) contains polysaccharides, beta-glucans, and phenolic compounds, and a 2026 study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology looked at what that mix might do for skin. Read the study on shiitake extract for topical cosmetic use.

Collagen and elastin are the proteins that give skin its structure and its spring. Your skin also makes enzymes, collagenase and elastase, that break those proteins down. That's normal turnover, but it's part of how skin changes over time. In lab testing, shiitake extract showed antioxidant activity and went after both enzymes. It cut elastase activity roughly in half, and at higher concentrations it brought collagenase activity below what the test could even detect. It was also non-toxic to human skin cells at every concentration tested, and a cream made with it stayed stable under accelerated aging tests.

Think about that for a second. A mushroom you can buy at the grocery store showed activity against two of the enzymes most closely tied to skin losing its firmness and bounce. The researchers called the results promising for cosmetic applications. I agree, and it's the reason shiitake is in our Mushroom Face Cream.

What do mushrooms actually do for skin?

More than most people expect, and the list keeps getting longer. Research into mushroom-derived cosmetic ingredients has explored:

• hydration and moisture retention
• antioxidant activity
• supporting the skin barrier
• soothing and calming the appearance of skin
• skin comfort and resilience
• enzymes associated with collagen and elastin breakdown

Mushrooms can cover so much of that list because they bring several kinds of compounds at once. Polysaccharides hold water. Phenolic compounds and triterpenoids contribute antioxidant activity. Beta-glucans are being studied for their role in soothing, barrier-supportive formulas.

It's also why the details matter. Two extracts of the same mushroom can differ depending on which part was used, how it was extracted, and how concentrated it is. And no ingredient works alone. A mushroom extract sits in a formula alongside oils, humectants, botanicals, and emulsifiers, and the whole thing either works well together or it doesn't. I'd rather build a formula where every ingredient has a reason to be there than chase one magical ingredient.

How do mushrooms get into skincare?

Think of it like making tea, but with more patience.

Different compounds dissolve in different things. Polysaccharides dissolve well in water. Triterpenoids, the bitter compounds in reishi, dissolve much better in alcohol. So the solvent you choose decides which parts of the mushroom end up in the bottle.

Our mushroom extracts are made with water and alcohol, so they capture both kinds. Our chamomile extract is different: it's made with water and glycerin, no alcohol. It's a small detail, but it's the kind of thing you should be able to know about what you put on your skin.

Why Hongo uses mushrooms

Hongo is the Spanish word for mushroom, so this was never going to be a passing trend for us.

I'm wary of ingredients that show up everywhere at once, get oversold for a year, and then disappear. Mushrooms are the opposite of that. People have used them for generations, scientists are still studying them, and there's plenty left to learn.

One note, because I think you deserve precision: the research is on the ingredients, and our products themselves haven't been through clinical trials. What they have been through is my own daily routine, long before they were ever for sale.

What I can tell you is how the routine is built. It's intentionally small:

Cleanse. Tone. Moisturize.

That's three products and three mushrooms, made in small batches with botanicals, oils, and traditional ingredients chosen on purpose.

Mushroom skincare doesn't need to be complicated

Go back to the mushroom for a second. The part you notice is small, and everything that makes it possible is underneath: patient, connected, and mostly invisible.

Good skincare works the same way. It isn't the ten-step routine or the shelf of serums. It's knowing what's in the bottle, why it's there, and whether it makes sense for you, and then letting a few good ingredients do their work quietly.

That's our version of mushroom skincare. Back to simple.

Mushroom skincare FAQ

What is snow mushroom in skincare?

Snow mushroom is another name for tremella (Tremella fuciformis), a translucent, jelly-like mushroom also called silver ear. In skincare it's valued for its polysaccharides, which attract and hold water at the skin's surface and give products a hydrating, cushiony feel.

Is tremella the same as hyaluronic acid?

No. Hyaluronic acid is a molecule your skin makes on its own; tremella polysaccharides come from a mushroom. They get compared because both are humectants that draw water to the skin's surface. They can also be used together.

Is mushroom skincare good for dry skin?

Mushroom skincare is a great fit for dry skin, especially products with tremella. Its polysaccharides attract and hold surface moisture, and in one small study a tremella cream reduced water loss from the skin. For dry skin, pair a hydrating step like a toner with a moisturizer that helps seal that moisture in.

Is mushroom skincare the same as mushroom supplements?

No. Supplements are eaten, while skincare is applied to the skin, and the extracts, amounts, and research behind each are different. Studies on eating a mushroom don't tell us what that mushroom does in a face cream, and the reverse is true too.

Do mushrooms in skincare contain psilocybin?

No. Skincare mushrooms like reishi, tremella, and shiitake are functional and culinary mushrooms. They are not psychedelic mushrooms and do not contain psilocybin.

Can you use mushroom skincare every day?

Mushroom skincare is generally made to be used daily like any other gentle cleanser, toner, or moisturizer, so follow the directions on each product. As with any new skincare, patch test first, and if you have a known mushroom allergy or sensitivity, check the ingredient list and talk with your healthcare provider before using it.

References

• Dikmen Kucuk et al. (2026). Cosmetic potential of Ganoderma lucidum (reishi) extract in a topical cream formulation. International Journal of Cosmetic Science. PubMed 41657122
• Dikmen Kucuk et al. (2026). Cosmeceutical and dermatological potential of shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) extract. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. PubMed 41656649
• Liao, Hong, Zhao & Li (2026). Advances in extraction, structural characteristics, bioactivities, structure-activity relationship, quality control and applications of polysaccharides from Tremella fuciformis: a review. Carbohydrate Research. PubMed 41650717
• Zeng et al. (2017). Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides protect fibroblasts against UVB-induced photoaging. Molecular Medicine Reports, 15(1), 111–116. doi:10.3892/mmr.2016.6026
• Woźniak et al. (2023). Optimization of the composition of a cosmetic formulation containing Tremella fuciformis extract (fungi). Cosmetics, 10(3), 82. doi:10.3390/cosmetics10030082
• Mineroff & Jagdeo (2023). The potential cutaneous benefits of Tremella fuciformis. Archives of Dermatological Research. PubMed 36757441

This article is for educational purposes and discusses emerging cosmetic research. Hongo skincare products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.