Hair Growth Promotion, Cytotoxicity, and Skin Permeability Evaluations of Carthamus Tinctorius Floret Extract

The study evaluated the hair growth promotion, cytotoxicity, and skin permeability of Carthamus tinctorius floret ethanolic extract (CTE). CTE significantly increased the length of cultured hair follicles and showed low cytotoxicity on keratinocytes, melanocytes, and dermal papilla cells, with IC50 values of 2.19±0.11, 3.62±0.69, and >5.00 mg/ml, respectively. The skin permeability of CTE was high, with a permeation rate of 82.01 µg/cm²/h, which increased to 141.44 µg/cm²/h with enhancers like propylene glycol and ethanol. The results suggested that CTE could be a safe and effective topical agent for promoting hair growth.