Plantur 39 is a hair care brand formulated for women over 40 with thinning hair. The brand claims that their products are “specifically formulated” for women losing hair due to menopause, and that decreasing estrogen levels can have negative effects on hair.
But does Plantur 39 contain research-backed ingredients for hair regrowth? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is the brand better or worse than popular hair thinning products like Hair La Vie?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of Plantur 39’s most popular products (Phyto-Caffeine Shampoo and Phyto-Caffeine Scalp Tonic) to give our take on whether or not they’re effectively formulated.
We'll also compare Plantur 39 to other popular hair growth products, in terms of formulation quality, to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Both products analyzed contain active ingredients which support hair growth
- Both products analyzed contain ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Plantur 39
Phyto-Caffeine Shampoo Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Plantur 39 Phyto-Caffeine Shampoo are shown below:
There are some active ingredients in this formulation that can improve hair quality.
Hydrolyzed wheat protein was shown in a 2018 medical review to be a non-toxic and effective hair conditioning agent.
Caffeine is a natural hair regrowth agent.
A medical review published in the International Journal of Trichology found that topical caffeine counteracted the suppressive effects of testosterone on hair growth.
This suggests that caffeine may be more effective in a hair regrowth formulation for men than women.
Camellia sinensis (tea) leaf extract was shown in a medical review published in the Molecules journal to “stimulate hair roots and extend the hair growth phase.”
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that may support hair growth according to a 2021 clinical trial, although this was an in vitro (test tube) trial, which makes the results weaker than a trial with human participants.
This shampoo contains some inactive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Fragrance was studied in a medical review published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal, and the study authors concluded that fragranced consumer products can "impose serious risks to human health."
Potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and phenoxyethanol are preservative ingredients.
Phenoxyethanol was shown in an in vitro trial to be toxic to human cells, as we documented in our article reviewing the Raw Sugar Shampoo lawsuit on another brand containing this ingredient.
Overall, we consider Plantur 39 Phyto-Caffeine Shampoo to be potentially effective for hair regrowth, but we don’t currently recommend it due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Plantur 39 vs. Popular Thinning Hair Products
Here's how Plantur 39 compares to other popular thinning hair products for women, in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Pura D'Or
Contains a probiotic species which is clinically shown to support natural hair regrowth.
The formulation we analyzed was free of any unhealthy ingredients, so we give Pura D'Or the advantage from a health perspective.
Winner: Pura D'Or
Hair La Vie
This is an oral supplement for hair loss.
While Hair La Vie contains some research-backed active ingredients, the brand failed to publish the full inactive ingredient list at the time of our last analysis, as we documented in our Hair La Vie reviews article.
Plantur 39 is the safer choice, because all of the ingredients are disclosed.
Winner: Plantur 39
Better Not Younger
Contains a few inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, but the total number is fewer than in Plantur 39.
We consider Better Not Younger to be the healthier brand.
Winner: Better Not Younger
Scalp Tonic Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Plantur 39 Phyto-Caffeine Scalp Tonic are shown below:
Caffeine and niacinamide, which we reviewed in the previous Ingredient Analysis section, are the only active ingredients that we can find research backing for in regard to hair growth.
Glycerin and panthenol may support a healthy scalp environment, as we documented in our review of another hair growth brand called ScalpMED, but we can’t find any clinical evidence that these ingredients directly cause hair growth.
Fragrance is included in this product, and we already shared our concerns about this ingredient in the previous Ingredient Analysis section.
BHT is a synthetic preservative with a metabolite that was clinically shown to be a “tumor promoter” in animal studies.
Alphaisomethyl ionone is a fragrance ingredient shown to have some level of toxicity in rats, in a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Toxicology.
Our conclusion about this product is similar to our conclusion about Plantur 39’s shampoo.
We consider this tonic to be potentially effective for hair regrowth due to its active ingredients, but we don't currently recommend it due to some questionable inactive ingredients.
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.
Plantur 39 Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Caffeine may support hair regrowth
- Both formulations contain research-backed active ingredients
Cons:
- Contains fragrance
- Contains synthetic preservatives
- Contains additional fragrance ingredients
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Less healthy than some competitors
