Insights

Hair became a medical category. Fast.

Hair went from a cosmetic category to a medical one in about eighteen months. Here is what changed, and why the salon is the natural place to sell it.

New, July 2026

The BMJ links GLP-1s to hair shedding

A study published in The BMJ on 22 July 2026 found a 37% higher risk of hair loss on GLP-1 medications compared with SGLT-2 inhibitors, and 68% higher compared with DPP-4 inhibitors. Absolute risk stays low, and the mechanism looks like telogen effluvium from rapid weight and nutrition change rather than the drug itself. Most cases settle once weight stabilises. Your clients are on these drugs now, and the first person they tell is their stylist.

The BMJ via ScienceDaily →

Market

Hair loss telehealth is growing 22% a year

The hair loss telehealth market goes from $2.76bn in 2025 to $3.37bn in 2026, a 22.2% compound growth rate. Hims and Hers built a 2.5 million subscriber business starting from exactly this category. Every dollar of it is a client who could have bought the same program from someone they actually know.

Research and Markets →

The science, Dec 2025

The first new mechanism in thirty years

Clascoterone 5% topical solution posted Phase 3 results showing a large relative improvement in hair count over placebo, and it is the first genuinely new mechanism of action in the category in three decades. Cosmo Pharmaceuticals has signalled an FDA submission in 2026. The category is about to get more, not less, interesting.

Shapiro Medical, 2026 clinical guide →

The science, April 2026

Extended-release oral minoxidil hits its endpoint

An extended-release oral minoxidil formulation met its Phase 3 primary endpoint in April 2026, with a large majority of participants reporting improvement against roughly a third on placebo. Oral minoxidil has moved from an off-label curiosity to a mainstream option in about three years.

Shapiro Medical, 2026 clinical guide →

Standard of care

Combination therapy is the 2026 benchmark

A real-world UK study of 502 patients found 92.4% had stable or improved outcomes over twelve months on oral minoxidil plus finasteride. The clinical point for a salon is simpler than the pharmacology: this is an ongoing monthly program, not a bottle someone buys once.

Shapiro Medical, 2026 clinical guide →

On your menu

Scalp treatments are the fastest-growing service

Salon scalp treatment services grew 9% across the first three quarters of 2025, and they price at just over $40 against about $36 for the average hair treatment. Head spa went mainstream, magnified scalp analysis arrived at the chair, and searches for hair loss prevention jumped sharply. Your clients already accept that the scalp is a health surface.

Kline Group →

The pressure

New guests are down, existing guests matter more

New guest visits fell 5% at full-service salons and 7% at specialty salons in 2025, while existing guests visited 4% more often. The salons that grew did it out of the book they already had. A monthly program is the most direct way to make an existing client worth more without adding a chair.

Zenoti, salon trends 2026 →

Two stylists talking between appointments in a modern salon

Read this as context, not as a claim

Everything on this page is published industry and clinical research about the category as a whole. None of it describes results from a Local Healthcare program, and none of it is medical advice.