Hair loss is more common in men due to male pattern baldness, but it’s a condition that affects a large number of women as well.

Around 50% of women experience hair loss at some point in their life according to a medical review, and Keranique claims to be "America's #1 Hair Regrowth System for Women."

But do Keranique products contain clinically proven ingredients for hair regrowth? Does the brand use any unhealthy ingredients? Why was Keranique sued by a customer? And how does Keranique compare to other popular women's hair care brands?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Keranique's Hair Regrowth System to give our take on whether or not the products are likely to be effective for hair growth, and whether or not they're healthy.

We'll also explain why Keranique was sued, and compare Keranique to other popular women's hair brands.

Key takeaways:

• Hair Regrowth Treatment contains active ingredient that's cheaper elsewhere
• Other products reviewed contained ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Keranique

Hair Regrowth Treatment Review

The ingredients in Keranique Hair Regrowth Treatment are shown above.

Minoxidil is the FDA-approved active ingredient, and is included at a concentration of 2%. It's also the active ingredient in Rogaine and many other hair loss products.

The 2% concentration may be underdosed if the goal is maximizing hair growth.

A clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 5% minoxidil was more effective than 2% minoxidil for treating hair loss in women.

Total hair count was 18% higher after 48 weeks of treatment in women using 5% minoxidil compared with 2%.

As we discussed in our Nioxin shampoo review article, 5% minoxidil is not clinically shown to cause more side effects than 2% minoxidil, so we consider it to be the superior choice.

Overall, we consider Keranique Hair Regrowth Treatment likely to be effective for treating hair loss in women given that it contains an effective dose of minoxidil.

There are no inactive ingredients in this formulation that we consider to be unhealthy.

Does Minoxidil Cause Wrinkles?

While medical research has established minoxidil to be effective for hair loss and relatively free of concerning side effects from a health perspective, some early research suggests that it may have negative effects on skin.

Collagen is the core structural protein in skin, responsible for much of its appearance. Children naturally have higher collagen levels in their skin than older adults, which explains much of the differences in facial skin appearance.

A clinical trial found that minoxidil inhibited collagen production in human cells. This is probably one reason it can be effective for hair loss, because pattern baldness stems in part from increased local collagen production.

But since collagen is responsible for youthful skin, reducing its levels may accelerate skin aging.

Another clinical trial published in the Dermatologica journal found that minoxidil inhibited a collagen precursor.

Both of these trials were in vitro (test tube) studies, so the theory of minoxidil causing facial wrinkles is certainly not conclusively proven.

We believe that the compound may have negative effects on skin aging, but will reserve judgment until human trials emerge.

Why Was Keranique Sued?

A woman sued Keranique in 2020 and claims the brand made her "virtually bald" according to the West Virginia Record.

The plaintiff, a woman by the name of Esther Abrams, claims to have called Keranique's customer service line and to have been assured that the product would regrow her hair.

After purchasing four Keranique products and using them according to the manufacturer's directions, she claims to have begun experiencing hair loss and to have developed scarring alopecia.

At the time of updating this article, we can't find any new information about this lawsuit, so Keranique may have settled out of court with the plaintiff.

Are Keranique's Other Products Effective?

The Hair Regrowth Treatment spray sold by Keranique is only one of four products in the brand's Regrowth System.

The other products are a Scalp Stimulating Shampoo, a Volumizing Conditioner and a Lift & Repair Treatment Spray.

Below is our review of each product:

Scalp Stimulating Shampoo

Panthenol is clinically shown to improve skin hydration, which suggests it may benefit scalp health.

Methylisothiazolinone is a preservative which is banned in Canada for use in leave-in products, due to concerns about skin irritation. This shampoo contains three other questionable preservatives.

We do not currently recommend this product due to the preservatives.

Volumizing Follicle Strengthening Conditioner 

Keratin is a structural protein in hair, and using it topically has been shown in research studies to prevent hair damage, as we documented in our Nexxus Shampoo and Conditioner review article.

Unfortunately, this product contains at least five different preservatives.

We do not currently recommend this product due to the preservatives.

Lift & Repair Treatment Spray

Keratin is included in this product as well. The active ingredients in all Keranique's formulations overlap so much that using all of them may be redundant.

Contains fragrance, which is clinically shown to be harmful to human health.

We do not recommend this product due to the use of fragrance.

Keranique vs. the Competition

Here's how Keranique's formulations stack up against other popular women's hair care brands in our opinion:

Nutrafol

Women's formula was shown in an independent clinical trial published in a peer-reviewed journal (which is the gold standard of product research) to increase hair count by 10%.

Winner: Nutrafol

Hair La Vie

Contains at least one effectively-dosed active ingredient for hair growth, however, inactive ingredient information is missing, as we documented in our Hair La Vie reviews article.

Winner: Keranique

Viviscal

Clinically shown to be effective in multiple independent trials. One of the leading women's hair care brands for a reason.

Winner: Viviscal

Our Clean Hair Growth 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."

MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top hair thickness pick.

Supplementation with omega-3 fats and antioxidants is clinically shown to improve hair density, and MBG's supplement contains both.

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

Keranique Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Keranique in our opinion:

Pros:

• Hair loss treatment likely effective
• All products contain research-backed active ingredients
• Some users online report hair regrowth
• Free shipping from brand's website

Cons:

• Shampoo and conditioner contain questionable additives
• Some products contain five or more preservatives
• Can get minoxidil cheaper elsewhere
• Sued over claims it caused hair loss
• Purchasing from brand's website requires subscription

Conclusion

We're mostly unimpressed with Keranique's products and don't currently recommend any of them.

The Hair Regrowth Treatment is likely to be effective in our opinion because it provides an effective dose of minoxidil, which is the only FDA-approved hair growth drug.

However, this ingredient can be obtained cheaper elsewhere; it's not unique to Keranique.

All of Keranique's other products contain a large number of synthetic presrvatives, and some also contain fragrance. We don't understand why a simple cosmetic product like shampoo or conditioner would require five or six different preservatives.

There is some early-stage research suggesting that minoxidil may worsen skin quality and cause wrinkles, but this hasn't been proven in human trials.

Keranique was sued in 2020 over claims that the brand caused hair loss and scarring.