Saw palmetto in hair-loss shampoos and lotions: what it is, how it relates to DHT, and what the topical studies found.
Saw palmetto is an extract from the berries of a small palm native to the southeastern United States. It is popular in hair care because of its link to DHT, the hormone most associated with pattern hair loss.
A 2020 systematic review in Skin Appendage Disorders (Evron and colleagues) looked at the human research. Two topical studies stand out. In a 50-week controlled trial by Morganti and colleagues, a topical saw palmetto product raised hair counts more than the vehicle alone. In a 24-week study of 50 men by Wessagowit and colleagues, a saw palmetto lotion and serum were followed by higher terminal hair counts, though that study had no comparison group.
Neither study tested a shampoo. Those products stayed on the scalp, while a shampoo is rinsed off after a few minutes. So treat saw palmetto in a shampoo as a supporting ingredient rather than the main event.
In our comparison, saw palmetto appears in Regenepure DR, Hims Thick Fix and Pura D'or Gold Label. Only Regenepure DR pairs it with ketoconazole.
