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An analysis of the presence of ingredients that were declared by the producers as “active” in trichological shampoos for hair loss

Ewelina Szendzielorz, Radoslaw Spiewak

Recommended citation format: Szendzielorz E, Spiewak R. An analysis of the presence of ingredients that were declared by the producers as “active” in trichological shampoos for hair loss. Estetol Med Kosmetol. 2024; 14: 001.en. DOI: 10.14320/EMK.2024.001.en

Abstract

More and more trichological anti-hair loss products are appearing on the market. Manufacturers and distributors of such products typically emphasize the presence of "active ingredients" that, according to their claims, prevent hair loss. Preliminary analyses have shown that for many of these substances, there are no scientific studies in the medical literature confirming the claimed effects. To verify these manufacturer claims, we systematically analyzed published studies on the effects of individual shampoo ingredients on hair. However, conducting such analyses required creating a list of trichological shampoo ingredients that, according to manufacturers, are claimed to inhibit hair loss. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze trichological shampoos available on the Polish market for ingredients declared by manufacturers as active against hair loss. Material and methods: We analyzed trichological anti-hair loss shampoos available on the Polish market between February 2022 and May 2023. We analyzed the ingredients listed on the packaging and in the information materials provided by the manufacturers. Based on this, we created a list of ingredients declared as active against hair loss. The next step was a review of the indexed scientific literature for studies on the effectiveness of individual ingredients against hair loss. Results: Forty-one trichological shampoos from 16 manufacturers met the inclusion criteria for this analysis. Their declared ingredients contained a total of 111 ingredients presented as "active" against hair loss, an average of 2.7 "active" ingredients per product. Among the ingredients declared as active in trichological shampoos, caffeine (INCI: Caffeine) was found in five shampoos, capsicum fruit extract (INCI: Capsicum extract) in six shampoos, and saw palmetto extract (INCI: Serenoa serrulata extract) in ten shampoos. Of the 111 declared "active" ingredients, 75 (67.5%) were cited in single products only. An analysis of the scientific literature revealed that for most ingredients, there is a lack of scientific research to support their claims of beneficial effects on hair. Caffeine (INCI: Caffeine, 9 studies) and adenosine (INCI: Adenosine, 7 studies) have the most extensive scientific documentation of their effects on hair. Conclusions: Manufacturers of trichological shampoos advertise their products by listing numerous "active ingredients," most of which are found only in individual products. The majority of published scientific studies on the effects on hair growth and loss have been devoted to caffeine and adenosine, with individual studies also dedicated to melatonin and placental derivatives. Some of the ingredients presented as "active" in trichological shampoos have only been tested in the form of complex preparations, so it is impossible to attribute the observed effect to a specific single ingredient. The vast majority of ingredients declared as "active" in anti-hair loss shampoos have not been tested for their effects on hair at all.

Keywords: trichological shampoos, active ingredients, hair loss, trichology.

| Polish version |

Introduction

An increasing number of trichological anti-hair loss products are appearing on the market. Manufacturers and distributors of such products typically emphasize the presence of "active ingredients" that they claim will counteract hair loss. Preliminary analyses have shown that for many of these substances, there are no scientific studies in the medical literature confirming their claimed effects.

Aim

The aim of this study was to answer the question whether the ingredients of trichological shampoos presented by manufacturers as "active against hair loss" actually have such effects confirmed in clinical studies.

Material and methods

Analysis of the composition of trichological shampoos

The declared ingredients of trichological shampoos sold in Poland from February 2022 to May 2023 were analyzed. The first criterion for including a given shampoo in the present analysis was the presence on the product label of the manufacturer's declaration of the shampoo's effects in Polish or English, such as "anti-hair loss," "shampoo against hair loss," "preventing hair loss," "strengthening hair," "for androgenic alopecia," "inhibiting hair loss," "hair loss shampoo," "anti hair loss," "hair loss prevention." The second criterion for inclusion in the study was the availability of the full ingredients list of the given product on the manufacturer's website. The compositions of all shampoos included in the analysis were analyzed, and the ingredients declared by the manufacturers as active against hair loss were identified.

Analysis of published clinical trials

The next stage of the work was to search for published scientific evidence on the effect of the ingredients identified at the earlier stage on hair growth or hair loss. From January to May 2024, a query was conducted in the bibliographic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science using the "X AND (hair OR alopecia OR effluvium OR bald OR pilo* OR pili)" scheme, where "X" was replaced by the names of the previously identified "active" ingredients. The databases were searched from their inception. In each database, the search option was used in all record fields.

Results

In the first stage of the analysis, 41 hair loss shampoos offered by 16 trichological companies were identified (Table 1).

Table 1. A list of trichological companies and their shampoos against hair loss.

Of the 111 individual ingredients presented as "active," 75 (67.5%) were found in single shampoos, 19 (17.1%) in two shampoos, 11 (9.9%) in three shampoos, and 3 (2.8%) in four shampoos. Among the ingredients declared as active most frequently found in trichological shampoos, caffeine (INCI: Caffeine) appeared in five shampoos, capsicum fruit extract (INCI: Capsicum frutescens extract) was present in six shampoos, and saw palmetto extract (INCI: Serenoa serrulata fruit extract) in ten shampoos. Due to the multitude of "active" ingredients reported in individual products, further analysis included 36 ingredients appearing in at least two shampoos (Table 2). Bibliographic searches returned a total of 103,641 articles, from which 19,319 duplicates were removed. Ultimately, 84,322 articles passed an initial screening based on title and abstract, which identified 610 articles for full-text analysis. Publications presenting the results of original research on the effects of substances listed Table 2 on hair loss or hair growth were included in the final analysis. Articles on hair care and dietary supplements were excluded, as were studies published only as abstracts, posters, reviews, or conference reports. Ultimately, 29 publications qualified for detailed analysis. The results of the systematic review are presented in Table 3.

Table 2. Ingredients declared by manufacturers as "active" that were found in more than one shampoo.

Table 3. Identified publications of research results on the effects of ingredients declared by shampoo manufacturers as "active".

Discussion

The problem of excessive hair loss affects many people, regardless of gender or age. Therefore, cosmetic companies are racing to market products that address this problem. Due to everyday use, the most common form of anti-hair loss products are shampoos. In their marketing efforts, manufacturers declare that their products contain ingredients with "scientifically proven effects" against hair loss and baldness. The presented analysis of shampoo ingredients reveals a problem with the credibility of such claims. Claims of "scientifically proven" effectiveness of individual ingredients require support from scientific research. Individual experimental studies, however interesting, or animal experiments cannot be considered irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of a given ingredient in human alopecia. For example, when looking at the results of animal studies (mice, rats), it is important to remember the significant morphological and physiological differences between human hair and the fur of laboratory animals. Moreover, the laboratory models of hair loss used in these studies, such as shaving or chemical depilation, have little in common with hair loss or baldness in men and women. This is especially true for in vitro studies examining the effects of selected ingredients on hair units cultured in Petri dishes or the expression of molecular markers, which only slightly reflect the complex phenomena occurring within the scalp [30].

The decisive, and indeed the only significant criterion for the "activity" of a given ingredient is randomized, controlled clinical trials conducted on people with specific types of hair loss. Furthermore, the effect of a given ingredient can be considered "certain" when it is consistently confirmed by the results of clinical trials conducted in various centers. The vast majority of the listed "active ingredients" have not undergone clinical trials. Moreover, many of them have not been the subject of any research, not even experimental studies, and therefore claims of their alleged activity can be considered a marketing ploy. In light of the presented analyses, placenta, caffeine, adenosine, and ginseng have the most extensive scientific documentation. Determining the credibility and impact of these studies will be the goal of further systematic reviews. We hope that they will help answer the question whether and which of the ingredients indicated by the producers of trichological shampoos as "active" have actually been proven effective in scientific research (Editor's note: the mentioned reviews were published in 2024-2025 [31-35].)

Conclusions

• Manufacturers of trichological shampoos advertise their products by listing numerous "active ingredients," most of which are found only in individual products.
• The majority of published scientific studies on the effects on hair growth and loss have been devoted to caffeine and adenosine, with individual studies also dedicated to melatonin and placental derivatives.
• Some of the ingredients presented as "active" in trichological shampoos have only been tested in the form of complex preparations, so it is impossible to attribute the observed effect to a specific single ingredient.
• The vast majority of ingredients declared as "active" in anti-hair loss shampoos have not been tested for their effects on hair at all.

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Financing and conflict of interest

The presented research and preparation of this publication was financed entirely from the authors' own funds. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in relation to the content of this work.

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Document created: 30 April 2024, last updated: 16 December 2025
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