This post covers all the studies that Dr. Junji Fukuda and his team at Fukuda Lab have published in relation to oxytocin and hair growth. It is in reverse chronological order.
Update: June 11, 2026
And now a fifth study from Fukuda Lab researchers in relation to “love hormone” oxytocin and hair growth. They found that oxytocin affects both hair growth promotion and stem cell proliferation within hair follicles. They also demonstrated that outer root sheath cells produce oxytocin, which in turn increases the “hair growth-promoting potential of dermal papilla cells”. And they verified the the autocrine and paracrine effects of oxytocin.
Update: June 6, 2026
Hypericin and Berberine for Oxytocin Signaling Activation
A fourth study from the Fukuda team in relation to oxytocin and hair growth. They identified two compounds that promote hair elongation via oxytocin signaling activation. The first, hypericin, enhances oxytocin receptor expression. The second, berberine, is an oxytocin receptor agonist. Quote:
“The additive effects of hypericin and berberine on hair growth promotion were further demonstrated using hair follicle organoid-based assays.”
Update: October 14, 2024
Oxytocin Receptor Agonists
A third study in relation to oxytocin and hair growth has been published by the same Japanese team of Fukuda, Kageyama, Seo and Lan. This one is titled:
“Effects of oxytocin receptor agonists on hair growth promotion.”
The researchers findings from October 2023 (see next section) showed the hair growth promoting effects of oxytocin (in hair follicle organoids). However, the clinical use of oxytocin is difficult due to its rapid degradation in vivo and poor permeability due to a large molecular weight.
Looking for alternatives, in February 2024 (see bottom of this post), the Japanese team reported that cinnamic acid promoted hair growth via the activation of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) expression.
And now in October 2024, the researchers have found that oxytocin receptor agonists WAY267464 and LIT001 increased the expression of hair growth-related genes in dermal papilla cells. And they significantly promoted hair “follicle sprouting”. According to “Ben”, both WAY267464 and LIT001 are endogenous, already synthesized and purchasable.
April 16, 2024
Oxytocin and Hair Growth
In October 2023, Japanese researchers (led by Junji Fukuda and Tatsuto Kageyama) published an interesting paper that concluded that oxytocin has a positive effect on hair growth via upregulation of dermal papilla cell signature markers. These findings were later covered by a NHK News video report from Japan.
Oxytocin (OXT) is better known as the “love hormone”. It is produced and released by women during childbirth and lactation. It is also produced during skin stimulation, such as when hugging or getting a massage. OXT is also called the anti-stress hormone.
In this study, OXT treatment resulted in the upregulation of genes that were associated with hair growth promoting factors. These included VEGFA (a protein encoded by the VEGF gene), PDGFB, FGF7 and BMP2. This ultimately results in peg-like hair sprouting via the improved hair growth ability of dermal papilla cells.
Cinnamic Acid, Oxytocin Receptor Activation and Hair Growth
In February 2024, the same researchers from Japan published yet another study that found cinnamic acid to promote hair growth via the activation of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) expression. Cinnamon is officially known as Cinnamomum cassia, and cinnamic acid is a component of Cinnamomum cassia.
“Treatment with cinnamic acid led to upregulation of OXTR and trichogenic gene expression in human dermal papilla (DP) cells.”
Three people e-mailed me the story about these findings that was published on phy.org several weeks ago. And a few others also posted blog comments about this news. No-one seemed to connect both these Japanese studies if I recall correctly.
Note that cinnamic acid can also be derived naturally from a number of plants. The most famous being cinnamon, shown in the image above. Yet one more ingredient to add in the list of natural treatments for hair loss.
A 2012 study from Japan found that cinnamon extract promotes Type I collagen biosynthesis via the activation of IGF-I signaling in human dermal fibroblasts. Also from 2012, a study from Taiwan concluded that cinnamic aldehyde (a constituent of Cinnamomum cassia) has excellent anti-inflammatory properties.
A 2018 study from Taiwan found that Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kanehira (COK) leaves caused dermal papilla cell proliferation and increased hair growth in mice.
