Nutrafol is not one formula. It sells four main hair supplements, for women, men, women 45 and over (Women's Balance) and new mothers (Postpartum), and the ingredient lists differ more than most buyers realize. The current Women formula no longer contains biotin or marine collagen, for example, while the Men's formula still contains both.
Every formula has the same structure: a patented core blend Nutrafol calls the Synergen Complex, a second blend of amino acids and botanicals, and a short list of vitamins and minerals. The labels name every ingredient but do not give the amount of each one inside the blends.
Below are the four current ingredient lists, the human hair evidence (or lack of it) for each key ingredient, what Nutrafol's own trials of the finished products show, and who should not take it.
What's in Each Nutrafol Formula
These lists come from the ingredient statements on Nutrafol's Amazon listings, cross-checked against the ingredient sections of nutrafol.com, as of October 18, 2026. All four are taken as four capsules a day with a meal.
Nutrafol Women (ages 18 to 44, current formula). Synergen Plant Complex: Sensoril ashwagandha (root and leaf), saw palmetto (45% fatty acids), Moldavian dragonhead flower, turmeric (45% curcuminoids), palm tocotrienols, hyaluronic acid. Bio-blend: chlorella, pea sprout extract, L-cysteine, L-lysine, beet root, Bacillus subtilis DE111 probiotic (1 billion CFU), bamboo extract (70% silica), cayenne extract. Vitamins and minerals: A (as beta-carotene), C, D3 (from algae), E, B12, iodine (from kelp), zinc, selenium, K2.
Nutrafol Men (ages 18 to 49). Synergen Complex: saw palmetto (45% fatty acids), hydrolyzed marine collagen, Sensoril ashwagandha, BCM-95 turmeric (86% curcuminoids), palm tocotrienols, hyaluronic acid. Blend: L-cysteine, L-lysine, L-methionine, horsetail, Japanese knotweed (50% resveratrol), keratin, black pepper extract (95% piperine), cayenne extract. Vitamins and minerals: A, C, D3, E, biotin, iodine, zinc, selenium.
Nutrafol Women's Balance (45+). Synergen Complex Plus: organic maca, saw palmetto, Sensoril ashwagandha, hydrolyzed marine collagen, turmeric (45% curcuminoids), palm tocotrienols, astaxanthin (from microalgae). Blend: L-lysine, L-methionine, L-cysteine, horsetail, Japanese knotweed (resveratrol), black pepper extract, cayenne extract. Vitamins and minerals: A, C, D3, E, biotin, iodine, zinc, selenium.
Nutrafol Postpartum. Synergen Recovery Complex: hydrolyzed marine collagen (with 4.5% orthosilicic acid), algae omega-3 (48% DHA), shatavari root, L-theanine, apple extract (60% polyphenols), stinging nettle root, palm tocotrienols. Postpartum blend: L-cysteine, L-methionine, pea shoot extract, sea buckthorn, L-lysine. Vitamins and minerals: A, C, D3, E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, biotin, folate (as 5-MTHF), B12, iodine, zinc, selenium. No saw palmetto, ashwagandha or turmeric.
Nutrafol has reformulated Women. Its product page answers "Why was biotin taken out of Nutrafol Women?" and its Amazon listing describes the formula as vegan and biotin-free. If you are reading an older review that lists marine collagen, keratin or biotin in Nutrafol Women, it is describing the previous version.
Nutrafol Ingredients and the Hair Evidence
The question that matters is not whether an ingredient sounds plausible but whether it has been tested for hair in people. Here is what PubMed shows for the main ones. Formula key: W = Women, M = Men, B = Women's Balance, P = Postpartum.
| Ingredient | In | Amount | Human hair evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saw palmetto | W, M, B | Not disclosed | Modest. A systematic review found 5 RCTs and 2 cohort studies with positive results for saw-palmetto-containing products (100 to 320 mg). In a 2-year comparison, 38% of men improved on saw palmetto vs 68% on finasteride. | PMID: 33313047, PMID: 23298508 |
| Ashwagandha (Sensoril) | W, M, B | Not disclosed | One 2026 placebo-controlled trial, using a different extract (KSM-66, 300 mg twice daily), found better hair density and anagen-to-telogen ratio at 75 days. No hair trial of Sensoril alone. Its best-replicated effect is lowering morning cortisol. | PMID: 41770039, PMID: 33650944 |
| Turmeric (curcumin) | W, M, B | Not disclosed | No oral trial in pattern hair loss found. A topical piperine, capsaicin and curcumin mix was tested only in alopecia areata. | PMID: 35318791 |
| Tocotrienols | W, M, B, P | Not disclosed | One small RCT: 38 people with hair loss took 100 mg mixed tocotrienols or placebo; hair number rose 34.5% vs a 0.1% fall at 8 months. | PMID: 24575202 |
| Marine collagen | M, B, P | Not disclosed | Hair-quality data only. A 2026 RCT of a specific low-molecular-weight collagen peptide (3 g a day for 24 weeks) improved gloss, elasticity and hair diameter in adults with damaged hair and no hair loss. | PMID: 42624827 |
| Biotin | M, B, P | Not disclosed | Every reported case of benefit involved an underlying deficiency or disorder; evidence in healthy people is lacking. | PMID: 28879195 |
| Pea sprout extract | W, P | Not disclosed | A pilot study of 21 volunteers taking 100 mg a day for 8 weeks reported less hair loss, written by employees of an ingredient company. | PMID: 31680356 |
| Silica (bamboo, horsetail, orthosilicic acid) | W, M, B, P | Not disclosed | One 9-month RCT of a different form, choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid, in 48 women with fine hair found thicker strands and better tensile strength. | PMID: 17960402 |
| Moldavian dragonhead, maca, astaxanthin, resveratrol, oral hyaluronic acid, shatavari, L-theanine, DE111 probiotic | Varies | Not disclosed | No standalone human hair trials found in PubMed searches. | None |
Two caveats apply to the whole table. First, Nutrafol does not publish the dose of each ingredient, so you cannot check whether it matches the doses tested above. Second, single-ingredient studies cannot tell you how a 20-plus-ingredient blend behaves. That is why the trials of the finished products matter more.
For deeper dives, see our guides to saw palmetto and biotin.
How the Formulas Differ: Women vs Men vs Balance vs Postpartum
Women vs Men. Both share saw palmetto, Sensoril ashwagandha, curcumin, tocotrienols and hyaluronic acid. Men keeps the older-style ingredients: marine collagen, keratin, horsetail, resveratrol and biotin, plus black pepper extract and a branded turmeric extract (BCM-95) with a higher stated curcuminoid content. The current Women formula swaps those out for plant ingredients (Moldavian dragonhead, pea sprout, bamboo silica, chlorella) and a probiotic, which is how Nutrafol can call it vegan.
Women's Balance looks closer to the Men's formula than to the current Women formula. It keeps marine collagen and biotin and adds maca and astaxanthin, aimed at women in perimenopause and after menopause.
Postpartum is the most different. It removes saw palmetto, ashwagandha and turmeric entirely and leans on collagen, algae DHA, shatavari, L-theanine and a fuller B-vitamin set including folate. Nutrafol markets it as breastfeeding-friendly. Its label still advises consulting a healthcare provider if you are pregnant or nursing. See our postpartum supplement guide for that context.
What Nutrafol's Own Trials Show
For the verdict on whether those trials add up to a product worth buying, see our Nutrafol review.
Ingredient studies aside, Nutrafol has published several trials of the finished products. All of them tested Nutrafol products, and each includes at least one author whom the published disclosures identify as an employee of Nutrafol's parent company, Nutraceutical Wellness. The two 2026 papers state the company funded them. The 2018 and 2021 abstracts do not state funding; co-author S. Kogan is listed as a Nutraceutical Wellness employee in the company's 2022 study.
Placebo-controlled trials (the stronger evidence):
- Women, 2018. Six-month double-blind RCT in 40 women with self-perceived thinning (26 on Nutrafol Women, 14 on placebo). Terminal and vellus hair counts rose significantly vs placebo at 90 and 180 days, and blinded investigators rated hair growth and quality better. No adverse events were reported. PMID: 29742189
- Women's Balance, 2021. Six-month double-blind RCT in 70 peri-, menopausal and postmenopausal women (40 active, 30 placebo). Terminal and total hair counts rose significantly vs placebo at 90 and 180 days, and the abstract reports a 32.41% reduction in shedding by day 180. A 6-month open-label extension reported continued gains. PMID: 33400421, PMID: 35816069
- Men, 2025. Six-month double-blind RCT in men aged 21 to 61 with confirmed thinning. More men on the supplement than on placebo were rated improved for hair growth and quality by blinded investigators, with no change in sexual function on a standard questionnaire. The abstract does not give enrollment numbers. PMID: 39757794
Open-label or single-blind studies (no placebo group):
- A 6-month single-blind study of 98 men and women of diverse ethnicities found investigator-rated improvement in 83.7% of men and 79.5% of women at week 24. Several authors were Nutraceutical Wellness employees. PMID: 35309272
- A 6-month study of Nutrafol Women's Vegan in 95 women on plant-based diets found more terminal hairs vs baseline. PMID: 39093662
- A 2026 open-label study of 252 adults across Women, Vegan, Balance, Postpartum and Men found thicker hair shafts and less breakage by day 180. PMID: 41171588
- A 2026 open-label study of 180 women on four women's formulas found faster linear hair growth vs baseline at 90 and 180 days. PMID: 42449043
How to read this. The placebo-controlled results are real but small (40 and 70 people), and the open-label studies cannot separate the supplement's effect from placebo or time. Independent reviewers are cautiously positive: a 2023 JAMA Dermatology systematic review listed Nutrafol among supplements with the highest-quality evidence of potential benefit, alongside Viviscal and tocotrienol PMID: 36449274, and a 2026 meta-analysis of commercial supplements concluded that more rigorous, independent research is needed PMID: 41954038. One more gap: the 2018 trial tested the Synergen Complex version of Nutrafol Women, and we found no published placebo-controlled trial of the current biotin-free Women formula.
Is Nutrafol Safe? Who Should Avoid It
Nutrafol's trials reported it as well tolerated. Still, several ingredients carry cautions worth knowing.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The Women, Men and Women's Balance labels say "Do not use if pregnant or nursing." Nutrafol's FAQ recommends skipping Nutrafol while pregnant or trying to conceive, and using only Postpartum while breastfeeding. That matches the NIH LactMed database, which advises avoiding ashwagandha (withania) while nursing because there is no published breastfeeding experience PMID: 30000965. Nursing mothers should avoid the ashwagandha-containing formulas.
- Blood thinners and other medications. Nutrafol itself advises consulting a physician if you take medications, "especially anticoagulant and blood-thinning drugs."
- Liver. Ashwagandha has been linked to rare, often cholestatic liver injury. A 2026 scoping review found 25 published cases; most people recovered after stopping, and the authors advise people with advanced chronic liver disease to avoid it PMID: 42367407, PMID: 31643854. Turmeric has also been implicated: the US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network described 10 cases, typically appearing 1 to 4 months after starting, and 3 of the 7 products tested also contained black pepper (piperine) PMID: 36252717. Nutrafol Men and Women's Balance contain both turmeric and black pepper extract. These are rare events, but stop and see a doctor if you develop jaundice, dark urine or itching.
- Other ashwagandha cautions. LactMed also advises caution with ashwagandha in people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or hormone-sensitive prostate cancer PMID: 30000965.
- Biotin and lab tests (Men, Women's Balance, Postpartum). In a JAMA study, 10 mg a day of biotin for a week distorted results on 9 of 23 biotin-based immunoassays, in a panel that included thyroid hormone tests, PMID: 28973622, and the FDA has warned that biotin can cause falsely low troponin results used to diagnose heart attacks. The ingredient lists don't show how much biotin each formula contains, so tell whoever orders your blood work that you take it.
- Saw palmetto and finasteride. Saw palmetto acts on the same enzyme as finasteride. If you take a prescription DHT blocker, discuss adding Nutrafol with your prescriber.
How Nutrafol Compares
Nutrafol costs about $88 a month, and much of that buys a multi-ingredient blend whose individual doses you cannot see. Viviscal takes a different approach (a marine protein complex rather than botanicals), has its own small placebo-controlled trials and costs roughly half as much; see our Nutrafol vs Viviscal comparison. If saw palmetto is the part of Nutrafol you care about, standalone saw palmetto costs far less. Our Nutrafol alternatives ranking covers both.
No supplement, Nutrafol included, matches minoxidil or finasteride for pattern hair loss. If you're unsure what is driving your shedding, a hair loss blood panel can find deficiencies or thyroid problems that no supplement will fix.
Bottom Line
Nutrafol's ingredient lists are fully published, but the amounts are not, and the four formulas differ in ways that matter: the current Women formula is vegan and biotin-free, Men and Women's Balance still carry marine collagen and biotin, and Postpartum drops saw palmetto and ashwagandha. Of the headline ingredients, saw palmetto and tocotrienols have the most direct human hair evidence, and ashwagandha now has one positive trial using a different extract. The finished products have small, company-linked placebo-controlled trials showing modest gains over 6 months. That's reasonable support for a supplement, but it doesn't match prescription treatment. Skip the ashwagandha formulas while pregnant or nursing, check with a doctor if you take blood thinners or have liver disease, and mention biotin before any blood test.
Sources
- Ablon G, Kogan S. A six-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the safety and efficacy of a nutraceutical supplement for promoting hair growth in women with self-perceived thinning hair. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2018;17(5):558-565. PMID: 29742189.
- Ablon G, Kogan S. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a nutraceutical supplement for promoting hair growth in perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women with thinning hair. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2021;20(1):55-61. PMID: 33400421.
- Ablon G, Kogan S, Raymond I. A long-term study of the safety and efficacy of a nutraceutical supplement for promoting hair growth in perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2022;21(7):776-783. PMID: 35816069.
- Stephens TJ, Berkowitz S, Marshall T, Kogan S, Raymond I. A prospective six-month single-blind study evaluating changes in hair growth and quality using a nutraceutical supplement in men and women of diverse ethnicities. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2022;15(1):21-26. PMID: 35309272.
- Sivamani RK, Ablon G, Nong Y, et al. A prospective, multi-center study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a vegan nutraceutical to improve hair growth and quality in females following a plant-based diet. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2024;23(8):661-668. PMID: 39093662.
- Bhatia N, Ablon G, Farris PK, Hazan A, Raymond I. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a nutraceutical supplement with standardized botanicals in males with thinning hair. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2025;24(1):e16778. PMID: 39757794.
- Draelos Z, Farris PK, Hazan A, Raymond I. A 6-month, prospective, multi-arm study for the efficacy of standardized nutraceuticals to improve hair fiber thickness and strength. Dermatology and Therapy. 2026;16(1):353-363. PMID: 41171588.
- Dang R, Sivamani RK, Hazan A, Raymond I. A 6-month prospective, open-label, randomized study showing increased hair growth rate in women using multi-targeting hair growth nutraceuticals. Dermatology and Therapy. 2026;16(9):4419-4432. PMID: 42449043.
- Drake L, Reyes-Hadsall S, Martinez J, et al. Evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of nutritional supplements for treating hair loss: a systematic review. JAMA Dermatology. 2023;159(1):79-86. PMID: 36449274.
- Alanazi R, Alshammari S, Aldossari K, et al. Evaluating the effectiveness of commercial oral supplements for hair growth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2026;25(4):e70817. PMID: 41954038.
- Evron E, Juhasz M, Babadjouni A, Mesinkovska NA. Natural hair supplement: friend or foe? Saw palmetto, a systematic review in alopecia. Skin Appendage Disorders. 2020;6(6):329-337. PMID: 33313047.
- Rossi A, Mari E, Scarno M, et al. Comparitive effectiveness of finasteride vs Serenoa repens in male androgenetic alopecia: a two-year study. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology. 2012;25(4):1167-1173. PMID: 23298508.
- Jillella A, Keerthi N, Venkateswar Reddy J. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of efficacy and safety of ashwagandha root extract capsule on skin and hair health in healthy adults. Phytotherapy Research. 2026;40(8):4946-4959. PMID: 41770039.
- Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Drummond PD. Modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by plants and phytonutrients: a systematic review of human trials. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2022;25(8):1704-1730. PMID: 33650944.
- Mao Y, Xu Z, Song J, et al. Efficacy of a mixed preparation containing piperine, capsaicin and curcumin in the treatment of alopecia areata. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2022;21(10):4510-4514. PMID: 35318791.
- Beoy LA, Woei WJ, Hay YK. Effects of tocotrienol supplementation on hair growth in human volunteers. Tropical Life Sciences Research. 2010;21(2):91-99. PMID: 24575202.
- Kim TK, Oh J, Ha YS, et al. Efficacy and safety of low-molecular-weight collagen peptide GT for improving hair condition in individuals with damaged hair: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. International Journal of Stem Cells. 2026. PMID: 42624827.
- Patel DP, Swink SM, Castelo-Soccio L. A review of the use of biotin for hair loss. Skin Appendage Disorders. 2017;3(3):166-169. PMID: 28879195.
- Grothe T, Wandrey F, Schuerch C. Short communication: clinical evaluation of pea sprout extract in the treatment of hair loss. Phytotherapy Research. 2020;34(2):428-431. PMID: 31680356.
- Wickett RR, Kossmann E, Barel A, et al. Effect of oral intake of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid on hair tensile strength and morphology in women with fine hair. Archives of Dermatological Research. 2007;299(10):499-505. PMID: 17960402.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). Withania. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; updated 2024. PMID: 30000965.
- McIntyre D, Nguyen P, Kim Y, Meyer B, Salloum M. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)-associated liver injury: a scoping review of clinical characteristics and safety considerations. Cureus. 2026;18(5):e109764. PMID: 42367407.
- LiverTox. Ashwagandha. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; updated 2024. PMID: 31643854.
- Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al. Liver injury associated with turmeric: a growing problem. Ten cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN). American Journal of Medicine. 2023;136(2):200-206. PMID: 36252717.
- Li D, Radulescu A, Shrestha RT, et al. Association of biotin ingestion with performance of hormone and nonhormone assays in healthy adults. JAMA. 2017;318(12):1150-1160. PMID: 28973622.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Biotin interference with troponin lab tests: assays subject to biotin interference. FDA.
- Ingredient lists: Amazon product listings for Nutrafol Women (ASIN B0B61TZ676), Men (B00LTZEEGQ), Women's Balance (B07QZ5CTTF) and Postpartum (B096L5SGLT), and Nutrafol product pages at nutrafol.com, accessed October 18, 2026.
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