ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2020 August;155(4):492-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0392-0488.18.05499-8

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Efficacy of a cosmetic phyto-caffeine shampoo in female androgenetic alopecia

Carolina BUSSOLETTI ¹, Maria V. TOLAINI ², Leonardo CELLENO ¹ ✉

¹ Research Center for Biotechnology Applied to Cosmetology, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy; ² Product Testing Department, Eurofins Biopharma, Rome, Italy

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in both males as well as females, occurring in up to 57% of women by the age of 80 years. Androgenetic alopecia is associated with a high psychological burden and often results in substantially reduced quality of life, poor body image and low self-esteem, particularly in women. Caffeine-based products have shown promise, both in vitro and in vivo, as potential treatments for AGA. This study was performed to determine the efficacy of a phyto-caffeine-containing shampoo used over a 6-month period in female subjects with AGA.
METHODS: This was a single-center, double-blind parallel trial in which female subjects with AGA were randomized to either a phyto-caffeine-containing shampoo or a control shampoo. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline in the number of hairs pulled in a hair pull test at 6 months. Hair loss intensity, hair strength, subject satisfaction and tolerability were also assessed.
RESULTS: Subjects using the phyto-caffeine-containing shampoo had significantly fewer hairs pulled in a hair pull test at 6 months, compared with subjects using the control shampoo (-3.1 vs. -0.5 hairs; P<0.001). The majority of pre-specified secondary endpoints were also significantly improved for subjects using the phyto-caffeine-containing shampoo, compared with controls. Both products were very well tolerated.
CONCLUSIONS: Compared with a control shampoo, a phyto-caffeine-containing shampoo was more efficacious, with respect to the number of hairs being pulled out at 6 months, hair loss intensity and hair strength in subjects with AGA.

KEY WORDS: Alopecia; Caffeine; Phytotherapy