Aim.A comprehensive review of peer-reviewed publications on placental drug (PD) therapy. The objectives of this review were to study the mechanisms of action of placenta preparations, as well as their effects in dermatology and cosmetology.Materials and methods.A search was made in the databases PubMed, EuropePMC, Web of Science, Google Scholar for the keywords human placental extract, Laennec HPE and placenta. 3,957 publications were discovered for the period up to January 2020. After analysis, 3,878 publications were excluded due to data irrelevance.Results.We have studied more than 3,957 publications on the topic of therapy with placenta drugs in various fields of medicine (taking into account literature reviews). A total of 47 representative original studies, clinical cases, and series of clinical observations were included in the review. Most studies were from Korea, India, and Japan.Conclusion.Analysis results show that placenta preparations (Laennec et al.) can be used in various fields of medicine. The given clinical effects of placenta extracts are a consequence of the complex molecular composition of placental preparations. Over 4 thousand different proteins were found in the placenta, including growth factors, hormones, cytochromes, fibrinolysis factors, energy metabolism enzymes, estradiol, prostaglandins, enkephalins and other neuropeptides, a number of microelements (primarily significant amounts of organic zinc) were identified. A systematic analysis of the data shows that placenta preparations have established themselves as effective agents in the treatment of many pathologies. Nevertheless, one should not forget that there are contraindications to the use of PD, for example, pregnancy and lactation, childhood, allergic reactions to drugs and others. Therefore, such therapy is carried out only after consultation with specialists. In addition, further double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are needed to examine all the possible effects of placenta preparations.