When Branneisha Cooper started taking the GLP-1 Mounjaro injection in late 2022, she heard online that she might experience temporary thinning of her hair and prepared for the worst.
But it would be about a year before she started noticing her hair falling out in clumps. Cooper said it was especially shocking because she’s always had thick hair.
“I was really hoping this wouldn’t happen,” Cooper, 29, told CNBC. “What my provider told me is that since you’re taking a medication that makes you lose weight faster, that’s what can cause hair loss.”
Desperate to counter this side effect, Cooper said she began prioritizing protein in her diet, taking vitamins meant to help her hair, and investing in hair care products meant to stimulate the scalp to promote growth.
She is one of a growing number of GLP-1 users who are experiencing temporary hair loss from these drugs, creating a new market for hair treatment products amid the weight-loss drug craze.
Cooper turned to social media for help, where she discovered many other GLP-1 users were experiencing the same thing. Although the talk was less frequent at the start of her weight loss journey, the rise of GLP-1 means more people are flocking to her page to commiserate and strategize.
“There have been more and more people wanting to know how to deal with it, but there are also a lot of people wanting to know how they can possibly prevent it, and that’s just a question I don’t have an answer to,” Cooper said.
According to Gallup, the use of GLP-1 medications has more than doubled since the beginning of 2024. The KFF Health Tracking poll found that about one in eight American adults, or nearly 13 percent, are currently taking a GLP-1 medication.
By 2030, JPMorgan estimates that about 25 million Americans will benefit from a GLP-1, compared to just 5 million in 2023.
Profit amidst loss
Many GLP-1 users have seen significant weight loss results. But these medications also come with a multitude of side effects.
Zepbound, manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Elie Lillyadvertises common side effects including hair loss, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, etc. on its website. Mounjaro, also a Lilly drug, warns of similar side effects, as well as Novo NordiskIt’s Ozempic. Wegovy also includes hair loss among its possible side effects.
This is a common risk with any type of significant weight loss due to body changes, according to Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, dermatologist and chief medical advisor for hair care brand Nutrafol.
“When you lose weight, whether it’s through GLP-1 or any other type of weight loss, you may be consuming fewer nutrients, less protein, and the weight loss itself may be a stressor,” she told CNBC.
These consumers are increasingly looking for solutions to make the physical process easier, according to Circana. The Chicago-based market research company estimates that GLP-1 households spend about 30% more on beauty products than non-GLP-1 households.
“Hair loss solutions continue to be a remarkable growth segment in the hair care industry, supported by prolonged consumer stress since the pandemic and the use of GLP-1 medications emerging as an additional tailwind,” said Larissa Jensen, beauty industry advisor at Circana. “Many GLP‑1 users report temporary hair loss, resulting in increased demand for at-home growth treatments, scalp serums and supplements. »
According to Woolery-Lloyd, a GLP-1 user’s loss of self-confidence can mean even more stress.
In her practice, she said she has seen a notable increase in the number of patients presenting specifically with hair loss issues, many of them from the side effects of GLP-1. Woolery-Lloyd said the last time she saw an influx of patients with these issues was during the pandemic, due to unexpected levels of stress on the body.
Hair loss due to GLP-1 is one of the most significant side effects seen by the beauty industry, according to Audrey Depraeter-Montacel, global beauty industry leader at Accenture.
“GLP-1s have not only changed the way people lose weight, but also the way consumers expect beauty and personal care to address the situation,” she told CNBC, adding that it was not a “one-size-fits-all” solution.
Depraeter-Montacel called the size of the GLP-1 market “unprecedented” and said the business opportunity for the hair treatment market with this growing population paves the way for innovation.
“On the life sciences side, we see many pharmaceutical brands raising funds to pursue innovation and new solutions,” she said. “So a lot of money was raised in the name of this opportunity, which I think confirmed that there is indeed a business opportunity here because investors are putting dollars into it from both sides.”
Consumers who will shop in the GLP-1 hair treatment market also stick around, Depraeter-Montacel said. Since hair treatment products often take a few months to show results, these customers are expected to be very loyal.
Exploit the market
Brands are taking note. At the beginning of April, Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman told Yahoo Finance that the company is seeing more consumers purchasing hair treatment products amid the GLP-1 craze.
Redken, a hair care company owned by L’Orealhas created a complete line of hair treatments specifically for consumers with fine hair, called Acidic Grow Full System.
“We wanted to make sure the Acidic Grow Full System line was tested on this specific population of GLP-1 users, as they may have unique hair care needs,” Mounia Tahiri, Redken’s US general manager, told CNBC. “[It] was tested on current GLP-1 users who, upon using the products, immediately noticed that their hair appeared fuller and thicker.
Tahiri said the company has also seen an increase in Google searches for hair loss and weight loss medications and plans to continue innovating its hair treatment products as the GLP-1 population grows.
Nutrafol CEO Cindy Gustafson told CNBC that the hair care brand is also seeing increased demand for hair health products.
“While we do not detail performance related to the use of GLP-1, overall growth is driven by increased awareness and a move toward personalized, clinically supported solutions,” she said.
Gustafson said the company expects this growth to continue as more people begin taking GLP-1 and look for products to prevent or counteract hair loss.
KeraFactor, another scalp health company, told CNBC that it is seeing 100% year-over-year growth in its direct-to-consumer store due to increased interest from GLP-1 users.
“We saw a lot of [hair loss] So during Covid, that was actually the first kind of increase in patients that came to KeraFactor, and then after Covid, that kind of settled down,” Lauren Bartholomeusz, the company’s chief commercial officer, told CNBC. “And then now we’re seeing that increase again with the GLP-1 craze.”
Bartholomeusz said KeraFactor has changed the way it treats patients to now take a more preventative perspective to get ahead of possible hair loss while taking medication.
For Cooper, a 29-year-old GLP-1 user, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
She has experimented with many hair products over the past three years of taking weight-loss medications, hoping to get her hair back to its former thickness.
“I’ve been paying more attention to it over the last year or so and noticed it’s back,” Cooper said. “A lot of people get nervous when they lose their hair, because it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be bald forever.’ But the hair is coming back, so that’s what’s allowed me to be at peace with it. But it was scary.”