Root Activator Shampoo is a shampoo used to thicken hair, sold by a company called Mane. The brand claims that their shampoo “was designed by hair loss experts to activate your roots with every shower.”

But does Root Activator Shampoo contain research-backed ingredients for hair growth? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is it dangerous to purchase this shampoo from Amazon? And is Mane Root Activator better or worse than popular hair thickening shampoos like Pura D'Or?

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

We’ll also explain why we think it’s risky to purchase this product on Amazon or Walmart, and compare Mane Root Activator to other popular hair thickening shampoos to pick our winners (and losers) from a formulation quality perspective.

Key takeaways:

• Contains active ingredients shown in studies to promote hair growth
• Contains an inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Mane Root Activator

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Mane Root Activator Shampoo are shown below:

image source: https://thesuperiormane.com/

This shampoo contains a number of research-backed active ingredients for supporting hair growth, and enhancing hair quality.

Licorice extract was shown to reduce scalp irritation and dandruff in a 2018 clinical trial.

Polygonum cuspidatum root extract was studied for its ability to promote hair growth in a clinical trial published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. The study authors concluded the following:

“These results suggest that Polygonum extract promotes hair growth by inducing anagen phase in resting hair follicles.”

Ginger is a strange choice for a hair loss shampoo in our opinion, given that one of its chemical compounds “was found to significantly inhibit hair growth” in a 2013 meta-study.

Scutellaria baicalensis is clinically shown to support hair growth, at least in animal studies.

Artemisia argyi is an herb that was shown to promote hair growth in a medical review published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies journal.

There is only one ingredient in this formulation that we consider questionable from a health perspective.

Methylparaben is a synthetic preservative that may have hormone-disrupting effects, as we documented in our does Nioxin work article, on another shampoo brand that uses this ingredient.

Overall, we consider Mane Root Activator somewhat likely to support hair growth and increase hair thickness.

We do not currently recommend this shampoo because of the use of methylparaben.

Why to Avoid Mane on Amazon

For consumers planning to purchase Mane Root Activating Shampoo, we recommend doing so only on the brand's website, which can be accessed here.

There are a number of shampoo products on third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart that are branded very similarly to Mane, but are not the official product, as shown in the screenshot below:

image source: https://amazon.com/

As you can see in the screenshot above, some of the knock-off brands even use the "MANE" trade name.

The same issue is occurring on Walmart at the time of publishing this article.

We recommend that consumers exercise extreme caution when purchasing from brands appearing to impersonate other brands. Doing so is a sign of a low-quality company, and may increase the risk of receiving a counterfeit or harmful product in our opinion.

Mane Root Activator vs. Hair Growth Shampoos

Here's how Mane Root Activator compares to other shampoos marketed for hair growth or hair thickness, in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Pura D'Or

Contains many research-backed active ingredients, including a probiotic which is clinically shown to support hair regrowth.

The Gold Label shampoo contains no unhealthy ingredients.

We consider Pura D'Or to have the advantage from both a potential efficacy and a health standpoint.

Winner: Pura D'Or

Maui Shampoo

Contains more unhealthy ingredients than Mane Root Activator shampoo.

One such ingredient is a synthetic preservative which releases cancer-causing formaldehyde, as we documented in our Maui Shampoo review article.

Mane Root Activator is the safer and healthier choice.

Winner: Mane Root Activator

Plantur 39

Contains more unhealthy ingredients than Mane Root Activator, including fragrance.

Mane Root Activator is the healthier choice.

Winner: Mane Root Activator

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.

Mane Root Activator Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Many research-backed hair growth botanicals
• Should support hair growth
• Many have anti-dandruff effect
• Fragrance-free
• Healthier than some competitors

Cons:

• Contains a paraben
• Doesn't appear clinically tested
  

Conclusion

Mane Root Activator contains several botanical compounds that we hadn't previously come across in a shampoo analysis, but are shown in at least one clinical trial to promote hair growth.

From an potential efficacy perspective, we consider this to be a relatively high-quality hair loss shampoo formulation.

We don't currently recommend Mane's shampoo because it contains a paraben, and some clinical studies suggest that parabens can have hormone-disrupting effects.

For consumers interested in purchasing Mane's shampoo, we strongly suggest purchasing directly from the manufacturer and not on Amazon or Walmart, where brands seem to be selling different, unauthorized products under the "Mane" trade name.

We consider Mane Root Activator to be healthier than hair regrowth shampoo brands Maui Shampoo and Plantur 39, but less healthy than Pura D'Or.