Cinnamon is one of the most consumed spices in the world, popular in both sweet and savory dishes in many cuisines. Evidence suggests cinnamon improves lipid profiles and protects against damage induced by oxidative stress, improving metabolic profiles in people with type 2 diabetes. New research now shows that a component of cinnamon may promote hair growth.

Researchers studied the effects of cinnamic acid, a component of cinnamon, on hair growth. First, they treated dermal papilla cells (cells involved in hair formation and development) with varying concentrations (0 to 2,000 micrograms per milliliter, µg/mL) of cinnamic acid. They found that low to moderate concentrations of the compound (less than 500 µg/mL) increased the production of genes involved in hair growth and enhanced the activity of receptors for oxytocin, a hormone, in the cells.

Next, they studied the effects of cinnamic acid on hair follicle organoids called follicloids. Organoids are three-dimensional tissue cultures produced from stem cells that mimic the structure and activity of the organ from which they are derived. They applied varying concentrations (0, 50, 100, and 500 µg/mL) of cinnamic acid to the follicloids and measured hair growth for 10 days. They found that concentrations of 100 to 500 µg/mL of cinnamic acid promoted hair growth in the follicloids by the eighth day.

These findings suggest that cinnamic acid is a viable option for promoting hair growth by targeting the oxytocin receptor. Recent research found that oxytocin promotes hair growth, but because oxytocin breaks down rapidly and is a relatively large molecule, it isn’t a good candidate for use in pharmaceutical or cosmetic treatments to grow hair. However, cinnamic acid is a naturally occurring polyphenol with potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Learn more about polyphenols in our overview article.