The science

Built on real science.

We would rather show you the research than talk around it. Here is what is actually known about the ingredient at the centre of our formula — including where the evidence stops.

01 — Rosemary

Measured against the benchmark.

Minoxidil is the reference treatment for pattern hair loss. In a six-month clinical trial, 100 people with androgenetic alopecia used either rosemary oil or 2% minoxidil daily. Both groups saw a significant increase in hair count at six months — and the rosemary group reported fewer side effects, notably less scalp itching.

That is the single strongest piece of evidence behind our formula, and it belongs to rosemary oil specifically. It is why rosemary anchors the bottle rather than sitting decoratively in the ingredient list.

Read the research

02 — Circulation

Blood flow wakes the follicle.

A hair follicle is fed by a network of very small blood vessels. Research associates rosemary with improved microcirculation in the scalp — more oxygen and nutrients reaching the follicle, and a better environment for growth to occur.

It is also why the ritual asks for thirty seconds of massage rather than a quick application. The massage is not ceremony; it is part of the mechanism.

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03 — The growth cycle

Time favours the ritual.

Every follicle moves through three phases: anagen (growth), catagen (transition) and telogen (rest). Hair thins when the growth phase ends earlier than it should, so more follicles sit at rest at any moment. Supporting a longer growth phase is the central idea in preventing thinning.

Laboratory work has also linked compounds in rosemary to 5α-reductase — the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, the hormone associated with pattern hair loss. That work is early and largely pre-clinical. We mention it because it is interesting, not because it is settled.

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Honest expectations

What happens, and when.

Hair grows on its own schedule and no serum changes that. This is the timeline the research supports — not the one that would sell best.

Weeks 1–4

Condition, not density. A calmer scalp, less dryness, more shine. In one study of a scalp-care solution, comfort and shedding measures improved inside 28 days.

Weeks 8–12

The first honest signs of density — less fall in the shower, more weight at the root. This is where most people first notice something, and where most people quit too early.

Month 6

The point at which the rosemary trial measured its hair-count results. If you are going to judge the serum properly, judge it here.

Where the evidence stops

What we don't claim.

Castor and lavender are in the formula for conditioning and scalp comfort. We do not claim clinical hair-growth evidence for either — that evidence belongs to rosemary.
STRND is a cosmetic product. It is not a treatment for any medical condition, and it is not a substitute for advice from a doctor or dermatologist.
Nothing here is a guarantee. Hair loss has many causes — hormonal, nutritional, autoimmune, stress-related — and a topical serum does not address all of them.
If your hair loss is sudden, patchy, or accompanied by other symptoms, please see a professional before buying a serum. Including ours.

Research summarised here relates to individual ingredients as studied in the published literature, not to the finished STRND formulation. General cosmetic information only, not medical advice. Individual results vary.

Selected sources

Panahi et al. — rosemary oil vs 2% minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia, 6-month randomised comparative trial (n=100).
Murata et al. — Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract and 5α-reductase inhibition (pre-clinical).
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8706577 — botanical actives in hair care.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10750333 — development and regeneration of hair follicles.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9710406 — causes of hair loss.

Now the ritual.

Three drops, thirty seconds, three times a week — and the patience the research asks for.

Shop the Serum — A$89