The Promotion of Hair Regrowth by Topical Application of a Perilla Frutescens Extract Through Increased Cell Viability and Antagonism of Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone

In 2017, researchers found that the n-butanol fraction of Perilla frutescens extract (BFPE), containing the active compound rosmarinic acid (RA), promoted hair regrowth and had anti-androgenic properties that could be beneficial for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The study showed that BFPE increased the proportion of hair follicle cells in the anagen phase and hair shaft length in C57BL/6 mice, and RA increased cell viability in primary hair follicle fibroblast cells (PHFCs) in vitro, even in the presence of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). These findings suggest that BFPE, and specifically RA, could be effective in promoting hair growth and preventing AGA. However, the study did not specify the number of mice or PHFCs used in the experiments.