The science is quickly building supporting the use of saw palmetto berry extract to reduce hair loss and enhance hair growth in both men and women. This new study adds to the growing evidence.
Though often thought of as a male problem, thinning hair is a big problem for women too. 80% of men will experience male pattern hair loss by the age of 80; 40% of women will experience female pattern hair loss by the age of 50.
This new study included 30 men and 30 women. They were all between 25 and 65. 20 of them were given a placebo for 90 days, while the other 60 were give a saw palmetto berry extract containing 160mg of concentrated bioactive fatty acids.
Digital imaging of a 1 cm2 target site on the front of the scalp and on the back of the scalp allowed the researcher to actually measure how many hairs were gained or lost.
At the end of 90 days, while the people in the placebo group lost an average of 2.7 terminal hairs in the front target site, the people in the saw palmetto group increased by 11.3 terminal hairs. In the back the difference was a 0.5 hair gain in the placebo group versus a 12.1 gain in the saw palmetto group. Terminal hairs are the thick, fully developed hairs. The difference between the 2 groups was significant.
Women who are premenopausal or menopausal experience hormonal changes that affect hair loss and hair growth. But this study found that the 15 women in the study who were in this subgroup had a significant 7.7% increase in terminal hairs at the front of the scalp. They also had a significant 70.7% reduction in hair shedding.
The study also found that saw palmetto berry group shed significantly fewer hairs in the hair pull test than the placebo group.
Importantly, especially when you consider the pharmaceutical treatments for hair loss, the saw palmetto was safe: there were no adverse events.
This study adds to the evidence that saw palmetto berry extract safely and effectively reduces hair shedding and promotes hair growth in both men and women.
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Nov 30;24(12):e70585.