Pura D’Or is a shampoo brand that uses botanical ingredients to combat hair thinning. The brand claims to be “PURE. PROVEN. POWERFUL.”

But does Pura D’Or shampoo contain research-backed ingredients for thickening hair? Does the brand use any unhealthy ingredients? And is Pura D'Or better or worse than other popular hair thickening shampoos like Nioxin?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Pura D’Or Shampoo to give our take on whether or not it’s likely to be effective for thickening hair, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also compare Pura D'Or to other popular hair thickening shampoos to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Contains many active ingredients for hair quality and appearance support
• No unhealthy additives
• We currently recommend Pura D'Or Gold Label Shampoo

Ingredient Analysis

Pura D’Or Gold Label Shampoo has an extensive ingredient list, shown below:

A number of these ingredients have been shown in research studies to improve hair quality and appearance.

Lactobacillus ferment is a type of probiotic, and a clinical trial published in the Molecules journal found that one strain of Lactobacillus probiotics can support hair regrowth.

Tea tree oil has naturally antifungal properties and can be effective against dandruff, as documented in a 2002 clinical trial.

Argan oil is clinically shown to protect hair against damage, as documented in our Luseta Shampoo review article.

Red Korean seaweed extract has “hair-loss preventing effects” according to a clinical trial published in the Biomolecules & Therapeutics journal.

At its highest concentration in the trial, red Korean seaweed inhibited an enzyme responsible for hair loss by nearly 50%.

Saw palmetto fruit extract appears to be another effective topical hair loss agent, at least in men, according to a 2016 comparative study:

“The topical application of [saw palmetto] extract could be an alternative treatment in male pattern baldness in male patients who do not want or cannot tolerate the side-effects of standard medications”

Rosemary oil was shown to be as effective as minoxidil (the active ingredient in Rogaine) for hair loss in a clinical trial published in the Skinmed journal.

Clearly there are a number of effective active ingredients in this formulation, but one of the most impressive aspects of Pura D’Or’s hair thickening shampoo is that it’s entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Overall, we consider Pura D’Or Gold Label Shampoo to be one of the best-formulated shampoo brands for hair thickening and hair quality overall, and we recommend this brand from a formulation perspective.

We consider this product likely to improve hair quality, slow hair loss and thicken hair.

Pura D'Or vs. Popular Hair Thickening Shampoos

Here's how Pura D'Or compares to other popular hair thickening shampoos in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Nioxin

At least one formulation contains a synthetic preservative which is clinically shown to be harmful to human cells (in vitro).

Some formulations also contain synthetic dye and parabens.

Winner: Pura D'Or

Mane Root Activator

Contains a synthetic preservative which is clinically shown to have hormone-disrupting effects, as we discussed in our Mane Root Activator reviews article.

Winner: Pura D'Or

Better Not Younger

Contains a synthetic preservative we consider potentially unhealthy.

Winner: Pura D'Or

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.

Pura D’Or Shampoo Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Many effective botanical ingredients
• Should improve hair quality
• Should slow or reverse hair loss
• Should thicken hair
• No unhealthy additives
• Mostly positive online customer reviews

Cons:

• Somewhat expensive
• Packaged in plastic

Conclusion

Pura D’Or is arguably the most impressive hair thickening/regrowth shampoo formulation we’ve reviewed to date on Illuminate Health.

This product contains a wide range of active ingredients shown in research studies to enhance hair quality and health, and contains zero inactive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy, which is uncommon for the product category.

We consider Pura D'Or shampoo to be healthier than hair thickening shampoos Nioxin, Mane Root Activator and Better Not Younger.