There are several interesting new updates in regards to Minoxidil Sulfotransferase Booster news. Thanks to the reader comments.
September 24, 2023
Minoxiboost Minoxidil Booster Released
Minoxiboost solution (60 ml) finally got released in India via Cosmofix. It is currently only sold in India via Cutiscart. The official July 25, 2023 launch announcement from Jupiter Wellness (US) mentioned its Indian partners Sanpellegrino Cosmetics and Cosmofix Technovation. The two of them have exclusive distribution rights to this product in 31 countries in Asia and the Middle East.
Also of interest, a company named Rida Hair Research Institute (US) is selling its own Minoxidil booster spray product on Amazon (Edit: Now removed). The call it Mino Boost and it currently has an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 62 reviews. They claim that it will make your topical Minoxidil treatment 7X more effective. The sale of this product began in February 2023 per Rida’s Instagram.
A more expensive Minoxidil booster product is being sold in the US by Daniel Alain.
Note that compounded Minoxidil Sulfate (MXS) based topical formulations are also available for medical use in some parts of the world, such as Brazil.
January 19, 2023
The Minoxidil Sulfotransferase Enzyme
With oral Minoxidil becoming the most discussed hair loss treatment over the past year, now is a good time to discuss the Minoxidil Sulfotransferase (SULT1A1) enzyme.
The below diagram is from a Polish study published in 2022 covering Sulfotransferase activity in hair follicles and the response to Minoxidil treatment. Sulfotransferase 1A1 is encoded by the SULT1A1 gene.
When Minoxidil is used topically on the scalp, it is converted into its active form (Minoxidil sulfate) by SULT1A1 enzymes, which are located in the follicular outer root sheath. However, many people’s hair follicles lack high levels of sulfotransferase. So these men (and women) are unable to convert even extra strength Minoxidil into its active form that stimulates hair growth.
Note that Retin-A (Tretinoin) enhances the response to Minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia patients by upregulating follicular sulfotransferase enzymes. No wonder so many blog readers have recommended the use of both products together.
Benefits for Oral Minoxidil too?
When it comes to oral Minoxidil, the body’s liver does the job of converting Minoxidil into Minoxidil sulfate (also spelled sulphate). Several articles that I read seem to suggest that the hair follicle does not need to do the conversion anymore. However, Dr. John Cole said the following to me:
“If you can’t sulfate it, Minoxidil will not work. Peripherally sulfated Minoxidil cannot enter the cell.”
Also, in this 2020 letter from Ramos et al (full version here), a key quote:
“Increasing the activity of SULT1A1 can improve the efficacy of topical and low dose oral minoxidil for the treatment of AGA.”
Moreover, the following quote in last year’s important article from the AAD in regards to LDOM suggests some uncertainty via the use of the word “may”:
“It has been suggested that oral minoxidil may also be converted by liver and platelet sulfotransferase, thereby reaching a higher follicular accumulation.”
It would be interesting to know if beard growth with topical Minoxidil is also impacted by SULT1A1.
Boosting SULT1A1
In recent years, there have been some significant efforts made to develop products to boost the Sulfotransferase enzyme in order to improve the efficacy of Minoxidil. Leading the way is Dr. Andy Goren, who started a company called Applied Biology that created a Minoxidil Booster product.
However, in June 2021, Applied Biology was acquired by Jupiter Wellness. Luckily, while researching for this post, I came across Jupiter’s hair loss product page. Lo and behold, some interesting news on their Minoxidil Booster topical product:
- It has been clinically shown to increase the sulfotransferase enzymes needed for minoxidil to work by up to 7x over a two-week period. I assume this 2021 study pertains to those findings. Co-authors include the well known hair researchers Dr. Rodney Sinclair and Dr. Rachita Dhurat.
- The product has already been licensed to Taisho for the Japanese market. Taisho is Japan’s leading seller of Minoxidil products. They expect to launch the product commercially in 2023.
- It is also licensed to Cosmofix Technovation and Sanpellegrino Cosmetics, both from India.
Note that in the study that I listed in the first bullet point above, 75% of patients in the SULT1A1 group demonstrated a positive increase in hair growth; compared with only 33% of patients in the placebo group. However, the study limitations include its small sample and limited duration of follow up.
Hey HLC, been watching this space for a while now. I too was only recently checking Jupiter’s site for any update lol. I was using tret and min in the past with great success, however have gotten smp since to darken my scalp and stopped tret afterwards due to the fact tret induces faster skin cell turnover therefor fading the pigment.
I have been following news about this booster for a few years now as it uses a different ingredient, I believe sodium bicarbonate or something. Not sure if you knew but Daniel Alain for was selling this for a few months up until recently on his website but noticed it’s not available anymore. I wanted to purchase it but it was compulsory to buy his minoxidil with it which was too expensive. Looking forward to a standalone version of this coming out soon.
Thanks! Very interesting.
Do you have any idea if you using tret would fade the pigment of SMP if you mix tret with minoxidil, rather than applying tret on its own? I doubt it but wondering.
FYI: I’m seeing the minox booster on the Daniel Alain website again: https://www.danielalain.com/products/minoxidil-booster-kit-for-men
https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2023-07-25/jupiter-wellness-and-sanpellegrino-cosmetics-announce-launch-of-cosmofix-minoxiboost-in-india-boosts-effectiveness-of-minoxidil
This is really interesting, especially if it improves the results of oral Minoxidil. If it starts selling in Japan, please let us know.
Looks like Brazil is ahead of the game:
https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/488011
“In Brazil, alternatively, there has been a rise in the prescription and use of MXS-based formulations due to its pharmaceutical solubility.”
Hi James, if you are very bald and oral Minoxidil just maintains, you may still be upset. Or not even notice the benefit.
I just looked at the American dermatology association website, and while it says oral minox has hair benefits, it also says:
“Minoxidil is indicated for refractory hypertension and carries a black box warning for the risk of developing a pericardial effusion that may progress to cardiac tamponade and angina pectoris exacerbation. (3) As an antihypertensive, oral minoxidil is usually dosed between 5 and 40 mg daily. The most common adverse reactions are generalized hypertrichosis, tachycardia, and pedal edema. Interestingly, the drug has a minimal hypotensive effect in normotensive patients. (1) Recently, there have been multiple studies exploring the use of low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM, < 5mg daily) for treating many forms of alopecia, with the goal of gaining hair while keeping adverse reactions at bay.
Interesting. Thanks for updating the hope medicine post, admin. Looks like he’s almost done (or getting close).
Yes that’s the link I posted for you before since you were worried about the potential heart effects. But such warnings are likely for most high blood pressure medications. Might also show up for the Hope Medicine product.
It is a judgement call between you and your doctor. I decided the risks were way too low for me to be worried. The only thing I am worried about with LDOM is getting an even higher and lower beard line and forehead hair!
Oh yeah you’re right same link. Everything I’ve seen (not just on this link but others) said pretty much don’t take if you have heart issues or heart disease, otherwise low risk. I have heart issues so it’s a skip for me, unfortunately (not just blood pressure but it can impact the heart in other in other ways). But I’d probably take it if it wasn’t for my heart issues.
Maybe with hope medicine there will be issues and side effects too, who knows. But at least with hope it’s 12 shots and done for good (not meds everyday forever). Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed with that last update from the Reddit guy in the hope trial. But we’ll see.
Makes perfect sense to avoid if you have existing heart issues.
I wouldn’t focus on the results from reddit too much yet, because the monkey trials showed that the re-grow took well over a year to fully finalise, the result at the end of the 12 injections most likely won’t reflect the final potential of the treatment.
Please discuss the Hope product in the Hope post for now fyi.
This is interesting news, and I hope it helps people. For me, I’ll always just be waiting for the day where something says 100% efficacy. Even if it’s 90%, that’ll still leave me NW7 bald. Anyway, I appreciate hearing of the positive progress and being allowed to vent on here. I will not take internal medicine that alters hormones of my whole body for the sake of my hair, and I won’t risk a topical on my perfect SMP unless it’s 100% effective for everyone… But I’m always looking forward to the real cure and appreciate all progress that helps the more fortunate people.
Kindly please someone help me with the name of any organic shampoo with mainly ingredients of Biotin AND DHT blocker.
Please Please Please.
KAPPO
What is Kappo?
Check this page:
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/the-10-best-hair-loss-shampoos/
Can’t believe we’re still talking about minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, graft-limited hair transplants, hair tattoos and hairpieces in freaking 2023….
COME ON SCIENCE! CURE THIS EPIDEMIC ALREADY!
I know…it’s one reason minox discussions get me down. It’s old news, mostly. Been around forever and we (as a society) keep circling back to it even though we already know what it can and can’t do. I know why – it’s all we got. But it just feels like we’re stuck in a time loop. Some things are on the horizon so maybe someday soon we can leave “the great minox” in the past, once we have something better.
Oral Minoxidil is the first drug that stopped my hair loss almost cold Turkey (albeit only two months so far). I would have never considered taking it were it not for the developments of the past year and some of the quotes from the impressed doctors. You should read my post on the subject and all the links in there very thoroughly before making any judgement. A miracle “new” treatment for some who only considered topical Minoxidil before.
I read something “inspirational” about two guys that saw a sign for free beer, one was bitching about the line while the other was thankful for the free beer. One man’s bitching about the same old treatments is another’s gratefulness that we have weapons beyond only pluggy transplants and toupees when he started thinning over forty years ago (that’d be me). I’ve always seeked out the best versions of what’s available, while far from the “miracle cure” that only some will be happy with, I have cosmetically decent hair.
Very apt.
Why should I be grateful? I took it for years and it did nothing. Not so apt for those it never worked for. For every person that says how great it is there is one (or more than one) saying it did nothing. So it’s really not so apt for a huge portion of people. Quite few I know it did nothing for. So they “stood in line” for no beer at all.
Why did you say in the OM thread that if you didn’t have heart issues you’d take OM? No doubt OM doesn’t work for everyone, does that mean no one should take it? I can’t be grateful that I’ve had some level of results with current available treatments over the past 40 years? Beats the alternative of bitching about the line, waiting for a pluggy transplant with a ill-fitting toupee on.
Yeah although to be fair, if any of these treatments worked for me even a little I wouldn’t complain :/
I started thinning around 40 years ago at the age of 15. Luckily not aggressive. I was grateful when Propecia (1999) became available and later Dutasteride. I never used topical minox. Ok, I did in 1989 and 1990. I bought it in the US on a holiday. But I hated the grease. After around 18 months I stopped as it didn’t do anything for me. Thus OM is heaven for me altough I expected a bit more.
I simply can’t understand young people nowadays that hesitate to begin treatments. Everybody should know that the internet is full of misinformation and vicious trolls plus outrageous generalisations.
On the other hand, balding and shaving is quite common these days. Thus a lower social disadvantage for balding people. But by observation, it was a different story 40 years ago.
We all hope that the miracle treatment is about to be released. Everybody wants hair like Reinhold Messner.
In the meantime, use what is available and be grateful for it.
Great post of your experience MRKA. I didn’t realize you were an older guy too. I understand your hesitance to use topical minox due to the poor cosmetic effect. There are quicker drying ones that help to mitigate that problem. You might also just use at night. I believe that supplementing oral treatments with higher strength topical minox with dutsteride gives an extra boost.
Hello Yoda, I am contemplating to use CosmeRNA due to ease of use. Apparently it will be released this spring in Europe. I am also contemplating to use the ManeBiotech device.
Of course, only additional to proven treatments. Perhaps there are synergistic effects on top of it.
Fingers crossed.
Hey Admin,
If you don’t mind me asking, what amount of oral minoxidil are you taking?
I am taking 2.5mg per day. Just amazing to see so little scalp hair shedding.
My already robust facial hair seems to be growing a bit faster and possibly some new upper cheek hairs…so I am reluctant to move up to 5mg per day. You can see some amazing results on Reddit Tressless when it comes to LDOM lately.
Thanks for your response, at that dose, do you have any neg. side effects? I am taking 1.25 mg but thinking of moving to 2.5mg
Just the extra facial hair that I mentioned. And not 100 percent sure.
I didn’t say it’s not helping some. I’ve said many times it helps some people. But it’s not a new drug (very old in fact). And it’s not a cure (meaning it’s not going to grow a full head of hair on anyone). Indisputable facts here.
New discussions on old topics can help, certainly, and I’m glad it’s helping you. I’ve know about oral minox for a very long time, though. It’s nothing new (I’ve been tried it and it did nada). I’m not saying we shouldn’t discuss it here (you’re the admin so we can discuss what you want, of course), only that it’s the same drug that’s been around for decades. Nothing new has come out in decades. Same thing Brian said. By all means, discuss it. Take it. I hope it helps many. It’s just old news to me and I’m looking forward to something new that will blow minox away. Like most others are.
In the future I’ll just skip minox discussions. Didn’t mean to offend or annoy. I was just agreeing with Brian.
It is helping many and not just “some”. Sinclair even says it maintains in 100 percent of people, though I have my doubts about that stat. I think you forget that for those in the early phase of hair loss, even maintenance and slight regrowth is a cure, especially if they pass the Sulfotransferase test. Oral Minoxidil as a hair loss treatment option is new for most people in the US. Most dermatologists only started discussing the option in the last year after the NY Times article. FYI — Reddit Tressless is a great place to vent in case you are not a member.
I’ll check the Reddit. Thanks.
Serious question. Only you know the foot traffic (visits) but I wonder why the minox threads get so few comments/interaction and the others (about trials and new meds) get so many more. I mean, take our mine and a few others like mine you’re left with a dozen maybe. Do you think it’s because the word/term minox just makes people go “eh” and that they don’t know the potential benefits of oral (they may feel it’s like topical)? Basically, they disregard minox right away having tried rogain already? Curious.
Like you, I’m extremely doubtful about that 100% of people. I can see it having benefits for many, but to stop genetics dead in their tracks (permanently, not just slowing it down) for everyone just seems highly unlikely.
The Oral Minox post has 257 comments. The Oral Dutasteride reviews post has a record 460 comments. These two medications work for numerous people per all studies out there.
You even posted about LDOM in March 2022 in another post btw when a long time reader said it was a game changer for him. You basically said it is useless because it was useless for you. Time to move on like you said.
Yeah, time to move on. Apparently if a treatment is old it’s of no use. Kind of like Yoda, I’m freaking old but still have cosmetically decent hair thinks to these outdated treatments. ;-) Don’t get me wrong, I’m ready for the next “game changer”, until then I’d prefer to keep my hair and strive for it to be the best version of it I can with what’s available. You know, focus on the beer, not the line.
This post has 28 comments lol. It’s a minox post.
But agreed, moving on.
Cheers!
Meanwhile, Europe is filling up with centers, where they offer payable transplants starting at 60 euros a month. I see a definitive cure further away than ever :(
If anyone is interested… here is the link.
https://hairskin.com/de/preis/haartransplantation/
That could mean a cure closer.
Wait. That, of course, is very positive thinking. What are you thinking? HMI-115 or something else?
@Admin
Hello, do you have any information regarding the Daniel Alian minoxidil booster? It was on their site for a short time before it was taken down.
Also, is the Daniel Alain booster different from the Taisho one or is it the same just different companies which got the license?
Any one got an answer for this. The booster is a big deal. Almost like a new treatment.
What do you think the method is of using this product? Apply it before minoxidil treatment or after once the minoxidil is dry? Would we apply it twice in a day or just once?
Hello, I am a female..topical l’inox never worked for me. I started 0.5 mg oral minox 3 weeks ago, and I am already seeing baby hair growing, that and been growing for more than a decade….
However 3 days ago I noticed water retention around hips/belly, yet I am on spironolactone… I stopped the minor 2 days ago to see what happened, my water retention is almost gone… I am worried as I am afraid I might retain water elsewhere….
I am so bummed because it really is working…
0.5 of OM indeed is enough to retain some fluid. I recommend cutting back to 2.5 mg to see if it’s still effective and cuts down on the fluid retention. Or you can get an RX for a diuretic, I take one with my OM, helps with fluid retention but unfortunately makes you piss a lot.
I am not on 5 mg, I am on 0.5 mg so it is difficult to go lower
I am already on spironolactone…it is weird as spirit alone is a super diuretic for me, I am hypersensitive to it, but if I take OM along with it, it’s s like the diuretic effect on Spiro stops, even if I up my dosage from 75 to 100 mg ( I tried of course…)..
I am bummed…maybe it’s some kind of electrolyte issue or i just need to give it time…I ‘ll see
Hello, do you mean 0.5mg or 5 mg??
5mg is too high for women. Maximum dosage should not exceed 2.5mg methinks.
But if you only take 0.5mg its hard to believe that minox is the culprit.
Do you take it under medical supervision?
0.5 mg I started on a very low dose
I can assure you oral minox is the culprit, I stopped it for a week and no more water retention ..inserted it again the day before yesterday, water retention is back…. Apparently it can subside with time. A derm to me…
I am deficient in magnesium… I will ask about supplementing with magnesium to my GP that I am seeing soon (I have to ait to see the derm)…
Minox is the culprit andni am bummed…maybe I have some deficiency or something else going on triggering that side effect…
I know for exemple that my cortisol is too high (at least it was in January)…. maybe getting my cortisol in range would help as cortisol can cause water retention…yet without the minox I don’t get the water retention…but maybe with oral minox it is too much for my body to handle.
My apologies, I read that wrong. You did indeed state 0.5 mg, not 5 mg. Very odd situation, as MRKA alluded to, hopefully you’re taking this under medical supervision and asking your doctor, rather than a bunch of random internet people.
My GP is not worried so far, she says forgive it time..I stopped however to see what happened and after 10.days off things are getting back to normal…I will I’ve it another try however.
@admin
Apparently Cosmofix in India launched the booster:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jupiter-wellness-sanpellegrino-cosmetics-announce-130800153.html
But I can’t find the link to the product. On their IG page there was a post about a launch event being held in early August.
I also came across this booster from Rida Hair Research Institute (company based in California). Which also claims 7x more enzyme activity:
https://www.amazon.com/Hair-Non-Responders-Absorption-Efficiency-Stimulator/dp/B0BN2CDNM1/
Is there any way to tell are all these boosters (from Cosmofix, RHRI, Daniel Alain) the same? There seems to be difference in pricing for each but how would one know which product is the best? Having to try all these boosters doesn’t really help the average customer.
Thanks! I am on a weeklong vacation, but will check out when back (or earlier if free).
https://www.cutiskart.com/products/minoxiboost-solution-60ml
MinoxiBoost (Cosmofix) is available in India and it’s just $12+ per bottle. But it appears they won’t ship to the USA. I asked – no response. Will MinoxiBoost ever be available in the US?
I had the same experience when contacting Cutiskart – no response. I also contacted Cosmofix themselves asking how to get it outside India (e.g. the US and Europe) but they also haven’t replied.
I assume my mails either got into the spam folder or they simply don’t reply unless it’s from a corporate inquiry made by a company. Maybe @admin could help us here and try reaching both of these parties in hopes of getting more information.
From what I understand Danial Alain booster is meant for the US market only. Cosmofix says on their website that they have the rights for manufacture, sale and distribution of MinoxiBoost in 31 countries including India, Philippines, Malaysia, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Nigeria. Sadly no mention of USA/Europe.
It seem the only way to purchase it from India is through a forwarding parcel service in India (which can be rather expensive).
I messaged them on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwmAnLHIHRS/?hl=en
Just want to ask if anyone has tried the booster? Thank you!
Apparently, we can’t get it. I’ve bought a few OTC products from other suppliers from India, so I have no idea why Cosmofix will not ship to the USA. If the product works as they say it does, they’re leaving a lot of money on the table. Makes me skeptical about the claims.
It seems that Cosmofix doesn’t have their own stores and sells it through 3rd parties like the Curtiskart shop in India. I think there is nothing in the way of a US company making a deal with Cosmofix to resell the booster unless Danial Alain has some deal with Jupiter Wellness which makes them an exclusive distributor to the US market.
Maybe the booster will appear in more online shop which will offer world wide shipping, who knows. But I agree that the US/Europe customers are being left out unjustifiably.
Strange that US/Europe are being left out. Strange why don’t, for instance, McNeill sell it as a combination option in with Rogaine.
All non-responders would have a reason to buy Rogaine.
I bought the one from Amazon but it doesn’t say Sulfotransferase (SULT1A1) enzyme in the ingredients even though on the Amazon page it says it is the main ingredient. Any insight? Do the other ingredients listed encourage the enzyme or something?
I agree it is odd that Sulfotransferase (SULT1A1) enzyme doesn’t appear to be specifically listed on the packaging but if you scroll down to Product Description, it does say that: “Minoxidil Sulfotransferase Enzyme (SULT1A1 Enzyme) is the main ingredient of Mino Booster-proven to be one of the key enzymes needed for Minoxidil growth response.”
I don’t think the enzyme itself was ever expected to be in the product. The ingredients are intended to promote the activation of existing scalp enzyme to produce more minoxidil sulfate. I could be completely wrong.
That’s what I was thinking. I checked the more expensive Dabiel Alain booster and it also doesn’t have it listed in the ingredients.
John, I think you are correct. Admin’s link to a study seems to say that: “…..increases the activity of SULT1A1 in hair follicles” and refers to it as a SULT1A1 enzyme booster. I’ll dig into this a little further as I have time and see what ingredients might typically boost the SULT1A1 enzyme. I did see that tretinoin (retinoic acid which is in Mino Boost) “enhances minoxidil response in androgenetic alopecia patients by upregulating follicular sulfotransferase enzymes.”
I’ve looked at the ingredients in a couple of these boosters. I’m impressed that in most of them the most conspicuous ingredient seems to be a form of……baking soda. Lol. Yep, check it out.
I have a question… I hope someone can give me an honest answer. Over the years many of you have complained of libido issues with the use of finasteride…my question is…those of you who have had problems, have you had a decrease in libido/desire? or the desire has always been there but you weren’t able to have a good performance?
I saw that on the ingredients in Daniel Alain’s Booster:
Water, Sodium Bicarbonate, Phosphatidylcholine, Glycerin, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexyglycerin, Polysorbate 80, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance
The full ingredient list for MinoBoost is impressive by comparison……….and no baking soda. As far as I can tell so far, only retinoic acid, and possibly microneedling, are the only SULTA1A enzyme boosters.
Ingredients for the Rida Mino Boost product:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81jmzjdRsXL._SL1500_.jpg
Also, on the product page, they say the active ingredient is “peptides”.
To be fair, baking is powerful stuff in the right setting…that’s why it can fix your indigestion pronto if properly used.
I still don’t understand, how/from where can this be bought in europe?
Has anyone had results with these boosters? I’ve been trying it since August last year. Nothing. Another scam probably.