Thursday 15/January/2026 – 07:51 PM
A recent study revealed a new approach that may contribute to enhancing growth the hairby combining the treatment of minoxidil, commercially known as Rogaine, with a natural sweetener extracted from the stevia plant, in an innovative formula that has shown promising results during laboratory experiments.
A new formulation may enhance the effectiveness of hair loss treatment
Hair loss is one of the most common problems globally, as estimates indicate that more than 80% of men and about half of women suffer from varying degrees of hair loss with age. Although Minoxidil is one of the few treatments approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat hereditary baldness, its effectiveness may vary from person to person.
According to the study, published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, researchers combined minoxidil with stevioside, a natural extract of the stevia plant, with the aim of improving the absorption of the drug and increasing its effect when used topically.
The experiment relied on a technology of soluble micro-adhesives equipped with microscopic needles, allowing the mixture to be delivered directly to the scalp in precise and sustainable doses. The results showed that this combination helped hair follicles in mice suffering from hair loss to return to the growth phase, which is the first stage in the new hair growth cycle.
Study co-researcher, Living Kang from the University of Sydney, explained that using stevioside to enhance the delivery of minoxidil may represent an important step towards developing treatments that are more effective and less irritating to the scalp, compared to traditional formulations.
Some currently available Minoxidil products have difficulties with complete absorption, which leads manufacturers to add substances such as ethanol to improve skin penetration, which may cause side effects such as itching, redness, or dandruff in some users.
The researchers indicated that the new formulation may contribute to reducing these problems, while providing a gradual release of the drug directly into the targeted area, without the need for additional chemicals that may cause skin irritation.
Despite the encouraging results, the study authors stressed that these experiments were conducted in the pre-clinical stage, stressing the need for additional studies and human trials before this technique is widely adopted as a final treatment for hair loss.
