A Japanese study published in 2024 suggests that cinnamon could unexpectedly play a role in combating baldness. Despite the potential for hair regrowth and risks to the liver, researchers are urging caution.
Could the sprinkle of cinnamon on your rice pudding really slow down balding? A recent Japanese study suggests that cinnamon could promote hair growth to the point where it offers a natural boost to those experiencing hair loss.
In France, hair loss affects not only a few concerned forty-year-olds. According to an IFOP survey, around 13% of the population may be affected by baldness, explaining the enthusiasm for every anti-hair loss promise. It’s worth taking a closer look at what this cinnamon story really entails between hope and scientific reality.
In the vast majority of cases, it is androgenetic alopecia, the famous “male pattern baldness”, linked to the sensitivity of hair follicles to hormones. Hair thins, shortens, and eventually disappears in some areas. For those experiencing it, the issue goes beyond aesthetics and touches on self-confidence.
Available treatments today mainly rely on medications to apply or take orally, and hair transplants. They may slow down the hair loss or densify certain areas, but require great regularity, sometimes have side effects, and remain costly or inaccessible for many. Hence the interest in more natural avenues like cinnamon.
In February 2024, a team from the Yokohama National University published a study in the journal Scientific Reports devoted to cinnamic acid, a key component of cinnamon, especially Chinese cinnamon. The researchers tested this molecule on “hair follicle organoids,” small hair structures cultured in the laboratory that mimic miniaturized hair.
In this study, at concentrations below 500 micrograms per milliliter, cinnamic acid stimulated the activity of genes involved in hair growth and further activated an oxytocin receptor, a well-known hormone affecting hair follicles. When researchers increased the dose to 1,000 or even 2,000 micrograms per milliliter, the cells showed signs of toxicity. Everything was done on 3D models, without animal or human trials for now.
This does not mean that sprinkling your desserts with cinnamon will make a rockstar mane grow back. The doses used in the laboratory have nothing to do with what we consume daily, and no study has shown that cinnamon lovers are less bald than others.
Another crucial point is that cinnamon, especially Chinese cinnamon, is rich in coumarin, a molecule that can strain the liver at high doses. According to Anses, the tolerable daily dose is 0.1 mg of coumarin per kilogram of body weight, approximately 6 mg per day for a 60 kg person, a threshold that some supplements can quickly reach.
In practice, it is better to consider cinnamon as a pleasure spice, used in moderation in sweet or savory dishes along with other foods rich in beneficial compounds like cocoa, grapes, or spinach. For the best care for your hair, a varied diet and advice from a professional remain your best allies.
