Topical Niacinamide Does Not Stimulate Hair Growth Based on the Existing Body of Evidence

January 2020 in “ International Journal of Cosmetic Science ”

John E. Oblong, A. W. Peplow, Scott M. Hartman, Michael Davis

niacinamide hair growth vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF adenosine minoxidil Nam hair thickness hair density Rogaine

From the encyclopedia

Niacinamide →

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor →

Adenosine →

nucleoside used for hair regrowth stimulant properties

Studysummary In this in vitro study, niacinamide was found not to stimulate VEGF synthesis across a wide range of doses. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

In a letter to the editor from March 20, 2020, John E. Oblong and colleagues from The Procter & Gamble Company reviewed literature and presented new data to address the belief that topical niacinamide (Nam) promotes hair growth. They concluded that Nam has a neutral effect on hair growth, citing a clinical study that showed increased hair thickness and density with 0.1% Nam treatment but noting the study's limitations, including the absence of a placebo control. Additionally, their in vitro tests revealed that Nam did not stimulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) synthesis nor showed significant connections to hair growth-related compounds such as adenosine or minoxidil. Based on these findings, they argued that there is no substantial evidence to support the claim that Nam significantly affects hair growth.

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5 / 5 results

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