CBD and hair loss – new trial to examine its potential for regrowth

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A new consumer trial is to study the potential of CBD as a treatment for hair loss.

The trial led by Britannia Life Sciences will explore whether a topical cream, made with CBD, can promote hair thickness and regrowth.

A subsidiary of Britannia Life Sciences, a global development platform for cosmetic and wellness products, is said to be finalising a formula for a topical cream that includes broad-spectrum, CBD-rich hemp oil, to be used in the study. 

The consumer trial will be managed by Advanced Development and Safety Laboratories’ (ADSL) existing beauty platform and will take place under the guidance of health professionals.

Participants are currently being recruited and will test the product over a six month period while providing weekly feedback.

The global hair loss treatment market experienced sales of over £2.5 billion in 2020.

Speaking with Cannabis Health, Peter Shippen, CEO at Britannia Life Sciences said: “We have been conducting research into the benefits of cannabinoids in the areas of health and wellness. Hair loss or growth is the first in our series of collecting evidence of the benefits of cannabinoid use.

Utilising a proprietary formulation that includes CBD, we hope to generate results that support our thesis that CBD promotes hair growth. Ultimately we believe that this study could lead to a commercial product that could disrupt the topical hair growth market. The results will be used to build support claims and inform future product development.”

Shippen added: “We are initially targeting 20 patients but could expand subject to demand. Participants should have a desire to increase hair growth and could include people with baldness or hair loss, but not Alopecia areata, and be willing to commit to a six-month trial.”

CBD for hair loss and regrowth

Previous studies on CBD for hair loss has shown that it may help with hair regrowth. Stress and anxiety can have an effect on hair loss and animal studies have shown positive effects for reducing anxiety.

A study from 2021 revealed that participants who applied CBD to their hair and scalp experienced regrowth after six months. However, the results were more prominent in men rather than women. An average of 4 mg of CBD was applied to the hair and it increased hair growth by 93.5 per cent.

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