Scientists in Taiwan tested a new plant-based scalp serum that may help improve hair growth and thickness in a short period. In the study, 60 adults used either the serum or a placebo once daily for 56 days in a randomized, double-blind trial. The researchers tracked hair density, thickness, length, and shedding over the 8 weeks.
The serum combined several ingredients: caffeine, panthenol, plant-derived extracellular vesicles from Centella asiatica, FGF-7, and IGF-1. The article says the strongest results came from the full combination formula, with the best-performing group showing about a 25% increase in hair density/thickness versus placebo by day 56.
The important caution is that this was still a small, short study. It lasted only 8 weeks, involved healthy adults rather than clearly diagnosed androgenetic alopecia patients, and the work was linked to company researchers, so the findings need larger independent trials before people treat it as proven. The article also notes there was no direct comparison with minoxidil or finasteride, which remain the more established evidence-based treatments.
So the takeaway is: promising early lab/clinical-style results, but not yet enough to say it’s a confirmed breakthrough for real-world hair loss treatment.