From a consumer perspective, how important is having good hair? According to a survey1 of women, 29 percent of women reported feeling empowered by having good hair. Also, one in six women indicated that they would be embarrassed to go out in public if there’s something wrong with their hair, one in 10 said a bad hair day would keep them from going out with friends, and over one in three avoided being in pictures because of a bad hair day. Likewise, a survey2 with men found that eight in 10 men thought the look of their hair was important and that their hair helps them feel confident, 44 percent of men felt negatively about their hair they say it makes them feel insecure, unattractive, embarrassed or sad, and a third of men said they wish their hair looked healthier and stronger. So, all in all, having good hair is indeed very important to consumers.

The Hair Supplement Market

While you might rightly expect that many consumers utilize topical hair care products in an attempt improve hair appearance, many also turn to dietary supplements for this purpose as well. In fact, the global hair supplements market was valued at $1.50 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $6.17 billion by 2034 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2 percent.3 So what supplements are consumers using to promote healthy hair?

Does Biotin Work Alone?

Arguably, the most popular nutraceutical promoted for healthy hair is the B vitamin biotin. But does it really deliver if used alone? Unfortunately, the short answer is no. While a deficiency of biotin may contribute to hair loss,4 there is no evidence that biotin alone in healthy people who already receive sufficient biotin will have any added benefit for hair.5 However, there is some research suggesting that when biotin is used in combination with keratin, there are benefits for healthy hair.6 So, the take home message is if you want to use biotin for hair, then combine it with keratin. That being the case, I’m going to discuss solubilized keratin.

What Is Keratin?

Keratin is a group of proteins found on epithelial cells, which line the inside and outside surfaces of the body. Keratins help form the tissues of the hair, nails and the outer layer of the skin.7 According to research, keratin accounts for 70-95 percent of the total mass of hair,8 and participate in the health of the inner root sheath of hair follicles in humans.9 Preclinical work using ex-vivo skin samples of facial skin demonstrated that keratin expression is induced around the hair follicle.10 Essentially, keratin functions as a junctional protein to build skin structure at the dermal-epidermal junction and further to bind hair follicles as the anchoring protein at the hair root, keeping hair well anchored to the head. In-vitro studies on human keratinocytes found that that increased keratin expression was induced by solubilized keratin (as Keragen IV).11 Consequently, it is not surprising that, as a nutraceutical, solubilized keratin has value in promoting healthy hair. Before jumping into the research on solubilized keratin supplementation, it would be good to first understand hair anchoring.

Hair Anchoring

Hair anchoring refers to the process of strengthening the hair’s connection to the scalp. It can also refer to the hair follicle, which anchors each hair into the skin. Hair anchoring is important in mitigating hair loss typical of that experienced during combing or styling, when hair is damaged through chemical treatments, coloring or during peri- or post-menopause. This type of typical hair loss is known as hair shedding. One way to measure hair shedding is via the hair pull test. This is a simple in-office test performed by a health care provider, such as a dermatologist, that determines if a person is actively shedding hair. Now let’s examine the research on solubilized keratin.

Solubilized Keratin Study

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled non-invasive study12 was conducted in 65 female subjects aged 45-60, to assess the effect of supplementation with 400 mg/day of solubilized keratin supplementation (as Keragen IV, AIDP) on hair and skin health. The women had healthy skin, but damaged or stressed hair. Instrumental measures of skin firmness and elasticity, hydration, and skin barrier function efficiency were taken along with a hair pull test and keratin quality assessments over the 60 days of the study. Results were that solubilized keratin improved hair anchoring. Specifically, there was a 43.1 percent reduction (p≤0.01) in hair loss in women with stressed or damaged hair after 60 days. Improvement in the hair keratin structure was further supported after 60 days by a 17.61 percent increase (p≤0.01) in birefringence (i.e., the optical property of a material that causes light to split into two rays when it passes through the material), a reflection of hair cortex structural integrity. There was also a 12.5 percent reduction (p≤0.05) in trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) at 30 days which may have arisen from the improvement of skin structure and associated barrier function due to collagen IV expression. The impact on skin health and skin structure due to the solubilized keratin supplementation after 60 days was also seen with a 10.1 percent (p≤0.001) increase in skin elasticity. In conclusion, the use of oral keratin supplementation (as Keragen IV) resulted in improved hair structure and reduction in hair loss, as well as in improvement in skin structure.

Conclusion

Surveys have demonstrated that healthy hair appearance is important to women and men, as reflected in the current $1.5 billion hair supplement market which is growing at a rapid rate. However, biotin, which is commonly used to promote healthy hair, has no published research demonstrating effectiveness as a hair health supplement. Conversely, supplementation with solubilized keratin (as Keragen IV, AIDP) has been shown to have a positive impact on hair health, including improvements in hair anchoring, a reduction in hair shedding, and improvements in hair keratin structure. It also improved skin health, including a reduction in trans epidermal water loss and an increase in skin elasticity.VR

References

1 International Women’s Day: Survey Says Women Feel Empowered By Having Good Hair. Tyme Lifetyme Blog. Mar 01, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2025 from www.tymestyle.com/blogs/lifetyme-blog/international-womens-day-survey-says-women-feel-empowered-by-having-good-hair?srsltid=AfmBOoq3VdI7LqlWbvpvDTasGUOGbLQ58UIG8g43pRmav90BYIqw8JgZ.

2 Peake M. Men’s Hair Survey Finds 3 in 5 Men Wish They Had Healthier Hair. Belgravia Centre. Retrieved January 23, 2025 from www.belgraviacentre.com/blog/mens-hair-survey-finds-3-in-5-men-wish-they-had-healthier-hair#:~:text=Men’s percent20Hair percent20Survey percent20Finds percent203 percent20in percent205 percent20Men percent20Wish percent20They percent20Had percent20Healthier percent20Hair,-Posted percent20by percent20Mike&text=The percent20old percent20stereotype percent20that percent20hair,about percent20their percent20looks percent20as percent20anyone.

3 Global Hair Supplements Market Overview. Market Research Future. Retrieved January 23, 2025 from www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/hair-supplements-market-12086.

4 Zempleni J, Hassan YI, Wijeratne SS. Biotin and biotinidase deficiency. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2008;3(6):715-724. doi:10.1586/17446651.3.6.715.

5 Soleymani T, Lo Sicco K, Shapiro J. The Infatuation With Biotin Supplementation: Is There Truth Behind Its Rising Popularity? A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Efficacy versus Social Popularity. J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(5):496-500.

6 Beer C, Wood S, Veghte RH. A Clinical Trial to Investigate the Effect of Cynatine HNS on Hair and Nail Parameters. The Scientific World Journal. 2014; 2014, Article ID 641723:6 pgs.

7 Keratin. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Retrieved January 23, 2025 from www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/keratin.

8 Blanco A, Blanco G. Chapter 3 – Proteins. In Blanco A, Blanco G. Medical Biochemistry. Academic Press; 2017: 21-71.

9 Bragulla HH, Homberger DG. Structure and functions of keratin proteins in simple, stratified, keratinized and cornified epithelia. J Anat. 2009 Apr;214(4):516-59. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01066.x. PMID: 19422428; PMCID: PMC2736122.

10 Roddick Lanzilotta, R Kelly, P R Sapsford, A Hold on Hair Keratin Blend Anchors Follicles and Prevents Pollution-induced Hair Fall, Cosmetics and Toiletries, 2018, 134, 9, 24-36.

11 Tang L, Sierra JO, Kelly R, Kirsner RS, Li J. Wool-derived keratin stimulates human keratinocyte migration and types IV and VII collagen expression, Experimental Dermatology. 2012; 21:5. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0625.2012.01505.

12 Kelly R, Gu J, Lim J, Lati E, Manna V. Effect of keraGEN IV Keratin oral supplementation on hair, skin, and nail attributes. HealthMED. 2024; 18(2):35-45.

Dr. Gene Bruno, DBM, MHS, Professor Emeritus of Nutraceutical Science, is a writer, educator and a nutraceutical scientist with more than 45 years of experience educating natural product retailers and health care professionals and formulating natural products for dozens of dietary supplement companies. He has written articles on nutrition, herbal medicine, nutraceuticals and integrative health issues for trade, consumer magazines and peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Bruno also hosts “The Vitamin Professor Podcast” brought to you by VRM Media. He can be reached at [email protected].