The Infatuation With Biotin Supplementation: Is There Truth Behind Its Rising Popularity? A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Efficacy Versus Social Popularity

In 2017, a review was conducted on the efficacy of biotin supplementation for hair growth and quality improvement. Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7 or vitamin H, is a water-soluble B vitamin that is involved in the cellular metabolism of fatty acids, amino acids, and gluconeogenesis. Despite its popularity in social media and market advertising for improving hair quantity and quality, the review found that there were no clinical trials conducted to investigate the efficacy of biotin supplementation for the treatment of alopecia or any kind of hair loss, nor any randomized controlled trial to study its effect on hair quality and quantity in human subjects. Therefore, its use to improve hair quantity or quality was not routinely recommended due to the lack of clinical evidence. The review concluded that the societal infatuation with biotin supplementation was largely disproportionate to the insufficient clinical evidence supporting its efficacy in hair improvement.