Shiseido to launch hair loss treatment

Japanese cosmetic manufacturer Shiseido has announced that its
research has discovered that adenosine contains hair re-growth
properties, and that it is expecting to market as a hair growth
product in Japan from next Spring.

Adenosine is one of the in vivo substances that exists in the human body and the company's extensive research on the substance has shown that it directly affects the hair papillae, a key part of the chemical reaction required to grow human hair. Consequently this substance influences the production of FGF-7, which is key to hair growth, and helps to speed up and encourage the process.

Japan's Corporate News reported that from this finding Shiseido has developed a hair growth substance called Adenosine, which has been given approval as an active ingredient for medicated cosmetic products by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The company says that it plans to launch its own patented hair growth product for male pattern baldness under the name Adenogen, using Adensosine as a key ingredient. No launch date has as yet been confirmed for international markets.

Shiseido has been carrying out pioneering research into hair growth solutions from its Life Science Research Centre in Yokohama. The research team has been making advances towards a possible treatment for baldness by researching TGF-beta2, a substance that is said to influence the growth of hair cells.

The company already markets a number of leading hair-growth treatments which are sold internationally. They include its Intensive Hair Treatment Mask, which uses ingredients that replicate hair cells to build up thinning hair.

Shiseido is also active in the skin care segment and recently announced the development of a new UV protection technology in conjunction with BASF for high SPF treatments.