Nutrafol discusses two-in-one solution to tackle men’s hair-thinning concerns

Nutrafol introduces Active Cleanse, a daily two-in-one shampoo and conditioner formulated for men with thinning hair. Personal Care Insights speaks to Dr. Brianna Diorio, the company’s director of Product Education. 

The hair wellness supplement brand designed its physician-formulated shampoo and conditioner duo to “simplify and upgrade” men’s hair care routines while targeting common visible scalp concerns that can lead to hair breakage and thinning. The brand believes men experience more scalp concerns globally than women. 

Nutrafol says the drug-free approach aligns with its holistic philosophy by providing targeted scalp support that supports the benefits of supplements to promote healthier hair from the inside and out.

The product is formulated for the bio-specific needs of men’s scalps, creating an environment for hair to grow and thrive. The combined shampoo and conditioner unclogs pores, removes build-up, balances oil production without stripping the scalp and supports the scalp microbiome.

The two-in-one solution combines a shampoo’s lathering properties with a conditioner’s moisturizing benefits. It includes a biosurfactant, which is a bio-based cleanser. It also features pomegranate enzymes and amino acids to help exfoliate and control oil and konjac root to gently condition and detangle without weighing hair down.

What trends are you seeing in men’s care?
Diorio: Fifty-four million men in the US experience hair thinning, which speaks to the importance of men’s hair care concerns and the need for a product catered to men. Knowing this, Nutrafol wanted to create a solution for men’s bio-specific needs. 

Nutrafol is looking to help men with thinning hair.We know that men, on average, have oilier scalps and lower ceramide levels, which impact hair growth and components. Men’s Active Cleanse aims to address several men’s hair care trends and concerns, including the increased consumer demand for whole-body, drug-free hair thinning solutions and a product that addresses men’s bio-specific needs regarding their scalp and hair health journey. 

We discovered that globally, men experience more scalp concerns than women. We have noticed a trend in scalp care and a shift toward maintaining scalp health, supporting the scalp microbiome and choosing products that can cleanse the scalp and balance oil production without stripping the scalp, which, in large, focuses on creating an environment for healthier hair.

Looking at hair and scalp care specifically, what are men’s bio-specific needs?
Diorio: Regarding hair and scalp care, men have a few bio-specific needs that play a role in hair health. For starters, men have oilier scalps on average, which is essential as the scalp condition impacts hair quality. Additionally, men were found to have lower ceramide levels in the stratum corneum (outermost layer of epidermis) of the scalp. Ceramides are found in hair cuticles to protect and strengthen the internal components of hair and play a role in retaining moisture. This is why Nutrafol spent a long time developing a shampoo and conditioner that addresses scalp health and hair thinning.

For men, the wrong shampoo can exacerbate the problem and finding the right shampoo when you have thinning hair can be challenging. We wanted to create a formula that provided targeted scalp support and supported the scalp microbiome, as this plays a role in creating an environment for stronger, healthier hair. With these needs in mind, we formulated Active Cleanse, a physician-formulated shampoo and conditioner duo designed to simplify and upgrade men’s hair care routines while targeting common visible scalp concerns that can lead to hair breakage and thinning. Nutrafol reports that men are more concered with their scalp than women.

Nutrafol’s Active Cleanse is formulated for the bio-specific needs of men’s scalps. It creates an environment for hair to grow while unclogging pores, removing build-up, supporting the scalp microbiome, and balancing oil production without stripping the scalp. 

What led you to develop a two-in-one cleaning solution?
Diorio: We discovered that men experience more scalp concerns globally than women, so we understood the consumer need for a targeted men’s product. Additionally, two-in-one products account for over a third of men’s hair care sales, so we wanted to provide a product that met the existing habits of shoppers while still disrupting the category with Nutrafol’s innovative drug-free formula — supporting scalp health without stripping the microbiome.

With additional reporting by Venya Patel