Topical Alternatives for Hair Loss: Beyond the Conventional

Topical hair growth supplements in the form of hair growth serums, oils, and shampoos have flooded the cosmeceutical market. The gullible masses are targeted with sponsored marketing gimmicks through social media platforms. This review article brings to light the most hyped active ingredients or peptides in these products along with their clinical evidence available in the literature. The topical actives include Redensyl, Procapil, Capixyl, Baicapil, AnaGain, onion juice, coffee extract, saw palmetto extract, pumpkin seed oil (PSO), and rosemary oil. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google databases were searched with the keywords: topical, hair growth, hair loss, and the respective active agents. Twenty-four relevant articles and technical files were extracted and reviewed. They have been studied mostly as combined formulations with other agents in randomized controlled trials or prospective cohort studies and have shown promising results. However, most of the studies have limited sample size, lack of comparison with standard therapies, nonuniformity between study groups, nondisclosure of the type of alopecia treated, and conflicts of interest. These topicals with their less significant side effect profile may find their use as an add-on therapy or as an alternative in patients not tolerating standard therapies. In this fast-growing commercialized world, it is imperative that we remain vigilant and understand the pros and cons of these products and ultimately guide our patients to the right track.