Better Not Younger is a hair care brand targeting women over 40. The brand claims that "Each Better Not Younger product is uniquely blended to maximize its effectiveness on aging strands."

But does Better Not Younger contain ingredients shown in research studies to improve hair quality? Are hair care formulations for "aging" hair a real thing? And is Better not Younger better or worse than other popular hair brands like Plantur 39?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of the most popular Better Not Younger formulations (Hair Serum and Shampoo) to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.

We'll also compare Better Not Younger to other popular hair growth and serum brands to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Superpower serum should support hair quality and growth
• Both products reviewed contain ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Better Not Younger

Hair Serum Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Better Not Younger "Superpower" Hair Serum are shown below:

There are a number of research-backed ingredients in this product.

Gotu kola extract was shown in a 2017 clinical trial to support hair growth, but this was a test tube study which is a weaker standard of evidence than a trial with human participants.

Castor oil was found to improve hair shine in a medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

Hops extract may cause hair growth. 

A medical review published by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Japan found that hops extract not only repaired damaged hair in human trials but also may have an anti-balding effect, because it inhibits an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase which is directly associated with balding (especially in men).

Licorice extract was compared to standard commercial shampoo in a 2018 clinical trial. The licorice shampoo reduced scalp irritation and dandruff and trial participants had favorable reviews of it.

Caffeine may be another effective hair growth ingredient. A 2020 medical review concludes the following: 

“...caffeine to alleviate hair loss may provide a much-needed alternative to drug-based approaches.”

While Better Not Younger's serum contains a large number of effective ingredients, it also contains one ingredient that may be questionable from a health perspective.

Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative that's been shown to be toxic to human cells in a clinical trial as we documented in our Hairitage Shampoo review article.

Overall, we consider Better Not Younger Superpower Hair Serum highly likely to improve hair quality, reduce hair loss and improve the aesthetic appearance of hair. 

From a potency and efficacy perspective, this is one of the best hair products we've ever reviewed on Illuminate Health.

We don't currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of the synthetic preservative, but this is a more minor concern than ingredients like fragrance or synthetic dye.

Shampoo Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Better Not Younger's most popular shampoo, called "Wake Up Call," are shown below:

Like the hair serum, there are a number of effective active ingredients in this formulation, two of which we already reviewed in the previous ingredient analysis section: hops extract and caffeine.

Niacin may be effective for hair loss, given that a clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found derivatives of this ingredient to increase hair fullness.

Argan oil is clinically shown to protect hair against damage, as we documented in our review of Briogeo hair products.

There are two inactive ingredients in this shampoo that may be questionable from a health perspective.

Phenoxyethanol is the preservative discussed in the previous section.

Fragrance was described as a “pervasive health risk” in a medical review published in the Medical Hypotheses journal.

The study authors suggest that fragrance can disrupt the endocrine and immune system in humans.

Overall, we consider Wake Up Call likely to improve hair quality, somewhat likely to slow or stop hair loss and likely to improve the aesthetic appearance of hair.

However, we don't currently recommend this product due to the use of fragrance and phenoxyethanol, and consider this formulation to be worse than the hair serum which is fragrance-free.

Better Not Younger vs. Popular Hair Brands

Here's how Better Not Younger compares to other popular women's hair care brands that offer either shampoo or hair growth treatments, in terms of both potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Plantur 39

Both products we analyzed contained fragrance, and one contained BHT, a synthetic preservative which is clinically shown to have a "tumor promoter" metabolite.

From a health perspective, Better Not Younger is the clear winner here.

Winner: Better Not Younger

Batana Oil

While this "natural" treatment for hair loss has recently been popularized on TikTok, we were unable to find a single research study proving it to be effective.

We do not consider batana oil likely to have any positive effects on hair, as we documented in our batana oil reviews article.

Winner: Better Not Younger

Moerie

Very similar formulations; research-backed active ingredients and phenoxyethanol as the only inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy.

We are much more concerned about the brand integrity of Moerie, given that we documented the brand using a stock image for a fake "Hair Expert" profile.

Winner: Better Not Younger

Our Clean Hair Care Picks

Ritual HyaCera is our top hair growth supplement.

This supplement contains wheat oil extract, and a 2024 clinical trial reported that a wheat lipid complex had "a reducing effect on hair shedding and a stimulating effect on hair reappearance and growth."

Acure Vivacious Volume Shampoo is our top shampoo pick.

It contains argan oil which is clinically shown to help protect hair from damage.

All of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

Better Not Younger Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Hair serum has highly effective formulation
• Both products reviewed should support hair health
• Both products reviewed have some hair growth ingredients
• Paraben-free
• Aesthetically-pleasing products

Cons:

• Expensive
• Both products contain phenoxyethanol
• Shampoo contains fragrance

Conclusion

Better Not Younger does use a large number of research-backed ingredients in their hair care products, but we haven't seen any convincing evidence that these ingredients are particularly effective in "aging" hair.

A cosmetic ingredient that's clinically shown to improve hair thickness in older adults should also improve hair thickness in younger adults based on the research we've reviewed and cited in this article.

Better Not Younger Hair Serum has an impressive formulation, and we consider it likely to improve hair quality, improve hair thickness, and to potentially slow or stop hair loss based on its active ingredients.

Better Not Younger Shampoo has a less impressive formulation with fewer ingredients we consider likely to be effective.

We don't currently recommend either product due to the inclusion of a synthetic preservative in both products, and fragrance in the shampoo.

While we don't currently recommend Better Not Younger, we consider it to be a higher-quality option for hair quality than Plantur 39, batana oil and Moerie.