6-Gingerol Inhibits Hair Shaft Growth in Cultured Human Hair Follicles and Modulates Hair Growth in Mice

    February 2013 in “ PLOS ONE ”
    Yong Miao, Yabin Sun, Wenjun Wang, Bo Du, Shuyu Xiao, Yijue Hu, Zhiqi Hu
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    TLDR 6-Gingerol, found in ginger, may slow down hair growth and could be used for hair removal.
    The study from 2013 found that 6-gingerol, the main active component of ginger, actually inhibits hair growth rather than promoting it as traditionally believed. In vitro tests showed that 6-gingerol decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in human dermal papilla cells, leading to cell apoptosis and suppressed hair shaft elongation in cultured human hair follicles. In vivo experiments with mice demonstrated that 6-gingerol prolonged the telogen phase and delayed hair regrowth. The study concluded that 6-gingerol has the potential to be used as a hair removal agent. The research involved 180 hair follicles from 3 volunteers and 36 female C57BL/6 mice, but noted the need for further research due to the small sample size.
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