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Methyl nicotinate
Methyl nicotinate makes skin flush and tingle by widening small blood vessels, but no controlled trial shows it grows hair.
What it is
Methyl nicotinate is an ester of nicotinic acid (niacin) used in topical muscle rubs and as a skin-flushing probe in research. In hair products it is sold on the idea that more scalp blood flow means more growth. The hair claims rest on that circulation story, not on outcome data. It is available as a cosmetic ingredient in the US, EU and UK.
How it works
Topical nicotinate esters cause short-lived widening of skin blood vessels, shown for hexyl nicotinate in a randomized trial (Dowd 1987). Vasodilation alone has not been shown to grow hair.
What the studies show
- A search of the medical literature for methyl nicotinate with hair or alopecia found no studies.
- The closest human data are for other nicotinate esters. In 60 women, octyl and tetradecyl nicotinate raised hair fullness versus placebo over 6 months (P=0.04), and the authors called for more study. Co-authors had commercial ties. Draelos 2005
- Hexyl nicotinate widened skin vessels briefly in normal skin; hair growth was not measured. Dowd 1987
How it's used in studies
No hair studies of methyl nicotinate exist. The nicotinate-ester trial applied its products for 6 months.
Side effects and safety
Expect redness, warmth, tingling and possibly itching where it is applied. People with sensitive or inflamed scalps may react. No scalp-use safety review was found.
Bottom line
Weak evidence. The tingle is real; hair growth is not shown. It is not a substitute for minoxidil, which has direct trial data, and people with sensitive or itchy scalps are better off skipping it.
Studies 2
Draelos ZD et al. A pilot study evaluating the efficacy of topically applied niacin derivatives for treatment of female pattern alopecia. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2005
Tested: octyl and tetradecyl nicotinate vs placebo
Result: Hair fullness improved versus placebo (P=0.04). Niacin derivatives, not niacinamide or methyl nicotinate; co-authors from the ingredient developer.
Read the study ↗Dowd PM et al. Hexyl-nicotinate-induced vasodilation in normal human skin. Dermatologica. 1987
Tested: topical hexyl nicotinate
Result: Nicotinate esters cause short-lived widening of skin blood vessels; hair growth was not measured.
Read the study ↗Related
- NiacinamideNiacinamide is a safe, cheap vitamin B3 form found in many hair serums, but no trial shows it grows hair on its own.
- Caffeine (topical)Caffeine in shampoos and leave-on liquids clearly stimulates hair follicles in the lab, but the human trials are small, mostly industry-run and mostly on blends.
- Rosemary oilRosemary oil became the internet's "natural minoxidil" from one small 2015 trial that had no placebo group and has never been replicated.