Zombie filler: Dead people's fat is the latest beauty trend

A new injectable beauty treatment made from fat harvested from donated dead bodies is becoming increasingly popular in the US, with more than 2,000 patients using it since May 2025, according to its manufacturer.The product, called alloClae (pronounced "allo-clay"), is a "lunchtime boob job" that takes under an hour to inject, requires no general anaesthesia and has minimal downtime. One 12. 5cc syringe can cost up to $2,250, with patients paying between $13,000 and $50,000 for treatments.

'Zombie filler' on the rise

The product uses "off-the-shelf" fat , cadaver tissue processed to remove DNA, and is marketed as an alternative to traditional fat grafting, where a patient's own fat is removed via liposuction and transferred elsewhere.The rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic has driven demand, as patients losing significant weight look to add volume back to areas like breasts, buttocks and face."What these patients are finding is that as they've lost quite substantial amounts of weight, it's also left them disfigured in certain areas where they have lost real targeted volume," said Caroline Van Hove, president of Tiger Aesthetics, the company that manufactures alloClae told CNN.

"In areas that, in their opinion, define their femininity."

Ethical concerns and complications

Critics have raised ethical questions about profiting from donated bodies. "It really is betraying altruism to make money. I think that's an ethics problem," said Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine, to CNN.Some patients have experienced complications. One patient who spent $13,000 on the treatment developed fat necrosis — dying tissue — and noticed yellow fluid seeping from her injection site.

"It looked oily, chunky and yellow," she added.Tiger Aesthetics said it does not have any confirmed cases of graft rejection or infection, adding that injection "technique is very important." New York state has blocked distribution of the product, with Tiger Aesthetics filing a lawsuit against the state's Department of Health.