If you have read anything about rosemary oil and hair, you have probably seen one claim more than any other: that it works as well as minoxidil. That claim comes from a single clinical trial. Here is what it did, what it found, and what it doesn't tell us.
The study
Researchers in Iran recruited 100 men aged 18 to 49 with androgenetic alopecia, the common, hormone-driven pattern of thinning. Half were randomly assigned rosemary oil and half were assigned 2% minoxidil, the standard over-the-counter treatment for pattern hair loss. Each group applied its treatment to the scalp twice a day for six months, with check-ups along the way.
What it found
- At three months, neither group showed a meaningful change in hair count.
- At six months, both groups showed a significant increase in hair count, and the difference between the two groups was not significant.
- Side effects: scalp itching was reported more often in the minoxidil group than the rosemary group.
That is why rosemary sits at the centre of our formula. It is the only ingredient in the bottle with a human trial of this kind behind it.
What it doesn't show
- It studied men only. No women were included, so we can't say the result applies equally to female pattern thinning.
- It compared against 2% minoxidil, not 5%. The stronger formulation generally performs better, and rosemary has not been tested against it head to head.
- It is one trial. A single study of 100 people is a promising start, not settled science.
- It tested rosemary oil on its own, applied twice daily. It did not test the STRND formulation or our three-times-a-week ritual.
The honest takeaway
The most useful thing in this study is the timeline. Nothing measurable happened at three months; the results showed up at six. Whatever you use on your scalp, that is the realistic window for judging it.
Read the original
Panahi Y, Taghizadeh M, Marzony ET, Sahebkar A. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed. 2015;13(1):15–21. View on PubMed
This article summarises published research on an individual ingredient, not the finished STRND formulation. STRND is a cosmetic product and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If your hair loss is sudden, patchy or comes with other symptoms, please see a doctor or dermatologist.