These 4 popular hair loss supplements may not be worth the hype

• Minoxidil and finasteride are common treatments for hair loss, but supplements are becoming more popular.
• Biotin, saw palmetto, Viviscal, and Nutrafol are four of the most common hair loss supplements.

The leading cause of hair loss in the US is androgenetic alopecia, the cause of male pattern baldness and hair loss in women. The condition affects roughly 80 million people, according to Cleveland Clinic, and 50 million of them are men.

There are some medications that have been proven to treat hair loss, including minoxidil — also known as Rogaine — and finasteride. But these treatments don't always work as well as people want.

"There's a huge demand for better products," Dr. Arash Mostaghimi, director of dermatology inpatient service at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Insider. This demand has led to many men turning to supplements to try and treat hair loss.

"When we don't have really good treatments for something, that's when alternative medicines really take place," Mostaghimi said.

Unfortunately, the most popular supplements don't have strong evidence to back them. They may also be more expensive than the tried-and-true medications said Mostaghimi, who coauthored a 2022 study on supplements for hair loss.

He said patients often ask about four supplements in particular: Biotin, saw palmetto, Viviscal, and Nutrafol. Here's how they stack up.

Biotin

Biotin has gotten attention for a variety of potential benefits including healthier nails, skin, and hair. But when it comes to hair growth it likely doesn't live up to the hype, Mostaghimi said.

According to Mostaghimi, there's "very low data" when it comes to biotin for hair growth.

Biotin may help if you have an underlying deficiency, but for most people it won't make a difference.

Saw palmetto

Saw palmetto is a type of palm found in the southeastern United States known for its fan-like green leaves.

It's thought to promote hair growth in a similar way to finasteride, which changes hormone levels in the body and scalp.

But saw palmetto isn't as effective as finasteride, said Mostaghimi, and is about the same cost.

Generic finasteride can cost as little as $8.24 for a one month supply according to GoodRx. Popular saw palmetto supplement brands on Amazon range in price from about $9 to $16.

A 2020 review found that most studies on saw palmetto weren't high quality. In the only study that directly compared saw palmetto to finasteride, finasteride improved hair density in 68% of patients, compared to a 38% improvement in patients who took saw palmetto.

Viviscal

Viviscal, owned by the same company that owns Arm & Hammer, contains a variety of supposed hair growth-inducing ingredients, including iron, zinc, vitamin C and niacin.

These ingredients are thought to help increase the hair growth phase of your hair's life cycle, also known as the "anagen phase," Insider reported previously.

Both Viviscal and the Viviscal Man supplement have been studied and linked with significant improvements in hair count. But these studies have several limitations, according to Mostaghimi's 2022 study.

Notably, most studies were funded by Viviscal's former manufacturer, Lifes2good Inc; the studies also had a small number of research participants, and did not include an objective measure of hair thinning at the beginning of the study.

Mostaghimi also said that it's difficult to determine what, if anything, about Viviscal works because it contains a hodgepodge of so many different ingredients.

Additionally, a single box of Viviscal — a one month's supply — costs $40.

Nutrafol

Nutrafol, owned by Unilever, is also formulated with many different ingredients. Nutrafol contains biotin, saw palmetto, horsetail, Atlantic cod collagen, and vitamins A, D, and C.

Similar to Viviscal, it's difficult to know which aspects of Nutrafol's formulation might lead to hair growth, if any, and quality research on its benefits is also limited.

Nutrafol is also expensive: A one month's supply for both men and women retails for $79 according to its website.

Hair loss supplements aren't dangerous — but they are expensive

At the end of the day, Mostaghimi said that some supplements may play a role in treating hair loss — but we don't know what role that is yet.

While supplements are "unlikely to be physically harmful," Mostaghimi said, "what I struggle with is the endorsement of what can be incredibly expensive medications."

For some people, spending an extra $80 to $100 a month on potential hair loss treatments might be affordable, Mostaghimi said, even if the treatments end up not working that well.

But for other people, spending that much money might mean sacrificing other things that a person enjoys.

Mostaghimi acknowledges that products like minoxidil and finasteride don't always work for everyone, or work as well as people would like. But these products are still much more affordable and have better research showing that they work.