Products claiming to regrow, thicken hair ready to flood shelves

Drug Store News, August 5, 1996

The release of OTC Rogaine is prompting an onslaught of new products claiming to prevent hair loss and regrow and thicken hair.

Plus, according to buyers, all the hype about hair loss is rubbing off on thickening products that were available before Rogaine went over the counter. Some retailers, such as CVS and Rite Aid, are creating thickening sections within their hair care planograms.

The good news is that the more than 60 million Americans who claim to have a fine or thinning hair problem now have many more options available to them. And for-retailers, the news is areas because many of these new products carry much higher retail prices than typical shampoos and conditioners. Because consumers have to keep using the products for them to work effectively, higher rings are occurring more frequently.

The downside is that some hair care manufacturers are making claims that may confuse consumers and ultimately could be subject to action by the Food and Drug Administration.

Currently only Rogaine and other minoxidil-based products approved by the FDA can claim to treat hair loss and grow hair.

Products with other ingredients that claim to do anything similar to that may be treading on dangerous ground. The FDA is watching this segment of products closely and has already sent warning letters to some firms, said an insider at the FDA. "If they claim to prevent hair loss and claim hair growth, they would have to file a new drug application," he said. "Any claims to prevent hair loss would have to be reviewed."

Buyers be wary

Hair care buyers considering items that claim to prevent hair loss and grow hair should proceed with caution and ask about clinical studies conducted on the product or interaction a manufacturer has had with the FDA.

That said, there are definitely manufacturers that appear to be making legitimate claims for products to treat thinning or fine hair. Obviously, this can be considered good news for retailers and consumers.

Hot in hair

Here's the scoop on the activity in this hot segment.

In August, Alberto-Culver is introducing Consort Hair Regrowth Treatment for Men and Consort Concentrated Daily Cleansing Hair & Scalp Shampoo for Men. It is recommended for men who are experiencing hereditary hair loss.

The hair regrowth treatment contains 2 percent minoxidil, the same active ingredient in Rogaine. The Consort products are available in one-month supplies and are shrink-wrapped together. Suggested retail prices for the system range from $19.95 to $24.95. Jerome Russell is launching 911 Help for Hair, a line for men with thinning hair, in September. Promotional literature for the line says it is designed "to create the correct environment on and below the scalp surface to encourage and prolong healthy and stronger hair." Niacin and capsicum are included in some of its treatment products to encourage blood flow.

The line alleges to eliminate residue from the scalp, unblock hardened residue and debris around the follicle, slow the process of shedding and strengthen and fortify the hair bulk. It includes an evening hair and scalp wash, evening scalp and follicle treatment gel, morning hair and scalp wash, morning hair conditioning cream, evening root reviver scalp cream, morning hair and scalp wash, vitamin enriched conditioning cream, energy maintenance gel, morning wash, energizing hair conditioners and multi-vitamin tablets that are to be taken orally.

Palm Beach Beauty Products plans to ship Prevent Hair Loss, a drug-free solution in August. The company claims the line, which is formulated with niacin and methylnicotinate, will help reduce hair loss and in many cases stimulate hair growth.

It includes a synergistic cleanser, a scalp massage stimulant and a follicle rejuvenator. The massage stimulant claims to affect the flow of blood to the surface of the scalp. The follicle rejuvenator claims to bring vitamins, botanicals, magnesium and allantoin to the scalp to stimulate it and nourish the follicle. Palm Beach Beauty Products claims that magnesium and allantoin, in a topical application, are needed to help prevent hair loss. Snyder Drug Stores plans to test the line.

Advanced Research Labs continues to add SKUs to its successful Thicker Fuller Hair line. The company has added a therapeutic scalp treatment and anti-dandruff shampoo to the line. The scalp treatment is designed to correct problems of the scalp and encourage the condition needed for the growth of thicker, stronger hair. The anti-dandruff shampoo was developed because consumers with scalp problems often wind up with fine, weak or thinning hair.

Other products in the Thicker Fuller Hair line include revitalizing shampoo, moisturizing shampoo, weightless conditioner, intensive conditioner, thickening styling mousse, instant thickening serum, ultralight styling gel and finishing styler. Using Cell-U-Plex, a complex of plant extracts and vitamins, the product claims to penetrate the cortex of the hair, strengthen and expand the diameter of the hair strands and add body, volume, texture and thickness.