Anyone reading the labels of hair serums often sees the same list: Redensyl, Procapil, Capixyl, AnaGain. The first three are explained everywhere. AnaGain usually gets stuck on one sentence on the packaging: "pea sprout extract that stimulates the growth phase." That doesn't help much if you want to know if it does anything for your hairline.
In this blog, we looked into it. What’s in it, what does it do in your hair follicle, and what do the studies show when you open them yourself? One thing in advance: the evidence is thinner than many webshops would have you believe, and it involves a different group of people than you might think. We will come back to that.
What is AnaGain?
AnaGain is a brand name of Mibelle Biochemistry, a Swiss supplier of raw materials for cosmetics. It is an aqueous extract of young pea sprouts (Pisum sativum). On an ingredient list, it appears as "pisum sativum sprout extract".
Why sprouts and not regular peas? A plant that has just germinated is vulnerable. That is why it produces many protective substances in those first days, such as polyphenols and isoflavones. Mibelle searched through a series of plant extracts for something that triggers the signaling molecules for hair growth, and thus arrived at pea sprouts.
There is also a version to swallow: AnaGain Nu. That is the same type of extract, but as a dietary supplement. That distinction is useful to keep in mind, because some studies you see online are about the pill and not the serum.
What does AnaGain do in your hair follicle?
At the bottom of every hair follicle is the hair papilla, a small group of cells that determines when a hair grows and when it rests. These cells control that with signaling molecules. AnaGain intervenes in two of them.
- FGF7. A growth factor that gives the stem cells in the hair follicle the signal to start a new growth phase. The same substance also plays a role in adenosine and Baicapil.
- Noggin. This substance works via a detour. Your hair follicle also produces BMP4, a kind of brake that keeps the follicle in the resting phase. Noggin releases that brake, so that a resting follicle starts growing again sooner.
The image is therefore: the gas pedal a little further down, the handbrake off. That is a different story than with Capixyl or Procapil, which also focus on DHT.
And that brings us to the most important point of this entire article. AnaGain does not inhibit DHT. In hereditary hair loss, DHT is the reason your hair follicles slowly shrink (more on that in DHT and hair loss). AnaGain does not address that cause. It tries to support the growth phase of follicles that are still working.
What do the studies show?
There are four studies that keep coming back. We go through them one by one, including what is in the fine print.
1. The gene study (2013, published in 2019)
Ten people aged 46 to 60, six men and four women, applied a lotion with 2% AnaGain to a small part of the back of the head twice a day for two weeks. Afterwards, the researchers pulled out hairs and measured what was happening in the hair root.
- The production of FGF7 increased by an average of 56% in 8 out of 10 people.
- The production of noggin increased by an average of 85% in 7 out of 10 people.
- Two other plant extracts tested in the same way did nothing.
The latter is a neat control. But pay attention to what was measured here: genes that are turned on or off, not hairs that are growing. It shows that the mechanism works in a real scalp. Nothing more.
2. The three-month hair growth study
This is the study behind the numbers you see most often. Twenty people applied a gel with 4% AnaGain twice a day for twelve weeks. Using a phototrichogram (an enlarged photo of a shaved piece of scalp), the number of hairs growing and resting was counted.
- 28% fewer hairs in the resting phase.
- Almost 8% more hairs in the growth phase.
- The ratio of growing versus resting went from about 4 to 7.2.
- 95% noticed less hair loss themselves, 85% said they saw regrowth.
Sounds good. Now the fine print. There was no placebo group. The study was conducted by the manufacturer. And of the twenty participants, seventeen were female, between 21 and 37 years old. They did not have bald spots but rather more hair loss than normal, with a still full hair density. That is a very different situation than a 32-year-old man with receding hairlines.
3. The supplement study (2019)
Here, 21 people took 100 mg of AnaGain Nu every day for eight weeks. They counted the hairs they found in their brush in the morning and evening. That number dropped from an average of 164 to 106 per day after one month, and to 100 after two months. There were no side effects.
Again: no placebo group, paid for by Mibelle, and 18 of the 21 participants were female. And it involves the pill, not something you apply to your scalp. The researchers themselves wrote that larger studies with a placebo group are needed.
4. The Korean lab study (2025)
Researchers from Chung Ang University tested pea sprout extract on cultured cells from the hair papilla and gave it to mice via their mouth. In the mice, the hair grew back faster than without extract. They also found how: more FGF7 and IGF1, less BMP4 and fewer inflammatory substances.
This study is independent of the manufacturer and confirms the mechanism. However, two caveats. These were mice and cells. And in the same experiment, minoxidil performed better than the pea extract.
And the combination studies?
AnaGain is almost always in a mix. Two studies tested such a mix in humans:
- A 2024 study with 110 people and a serum with Procapil, Capixyl, Redensyl, Baicapil, and AnaGain. After 16 weeks, hair density was 10% higher and hairs were slightly thicker.
- A study with 32 people and a serum with Redensyl, AnaGain, Procapil, Capilia Longa, and hyaluronic acid. After 60 days, hair grew faster.
Both had no control group. So you don't know how much of the result comes from AnaGain, and how much from the rest.
Our honest verdict
To summarize:
- The mechanism has been well researched, and an independent group has confirmed it.
- In humans, there is not a single study with a placebo group.
- The studies that exist were mainly about women with increased hair loss, not men with hereditary baldness.
- It does not inhibit DHT.
As far as we are concerned, this makes AnaGain a reasonable building block, but not a product to rely on by itself if your hairline is receding. Where it is most logical: during periods of extra shedding, when your hair follicles are mainly slipping into the resting phase too early. Think of seasonal shedding in the autumn or shedding after a stressful period (see telogen effluvium). With hereditary hair loss, it only makes sense alongside something that addresses DHT.
Peas and plant estrogens
On forums, men sometimes ask if pea sprouts are not full of isoflavones, and if those act as estrogen. That is partly true: peas contain isoflavones, and the Korean researchers also mention that as something to investigate further. How much of it is in the extract and enters your blood via your scalp has never been measured. However, in a serum, it involves a few percent of extract on a small piece of skin, and in none of the studies were hormonal complaints reported. We see no reason for concern there, but we are not going to pretend it has been researched.
What to look for in a product with AnaGain?
- It must remain on the scalp. In the studies, it involved a lotion or gel that remained on the scalp. You wash off a shampoo after a minute.
- The quantity. Tested were 2% (for genes) and 4% (for hair growth). If AnaGain is at the very end of the list, there is probably less in it.
- What else is in it. Without something that works on DHT, you are missing the most important side of the story in hereditary hair loss.
- Patience. The shortest hair study lasted three months. Count on three to six months before you can assess anything. You can read why it takes so long in how long it takes before a hair serum works.
In our own Hairborn Growth Serum, AnaGain is one of the twelve ingredients in the new formula. It is there for the growth phase, alongside Capixyl and Procapil that focus on DHT and the Hairborn Complex based on Redensyl. That is precisely the reason why we would not recommend it as a standalone ingredient: in a combination, it has a clear task. Some men use a derma roller once a week to improve absorption. How to do that safely is described in combining derma roller and serum.
Briefly summarized
AnaGain is an extract of pea sprouts that influences the growth factor FGF7 and the resting phase brake noggin in your hair follicle. That mechanism has been measured in the scalp and confirmed by independent lab research. The hair studies are small, without a placebo group, and conducted mainly on women with temporary increased shedding. It does not inhibit DHT. For a man with early hereditary hair loss, it is a useful part of a formula, but not a solution on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AnaGain the same as eating peas?
No, that is not the same. AnaGain is a concentrated extract of young sprouts, which contain different and more protective plant substances than fully grown peas. In addition, you apply it directly to the scalp, where the hair follicles are located. A bowl of pea soup does not deliver a comparable amount of those substances to your hair papilla. Eating healthy does help your hair, but in a different way.
What is the difference between AnaGain and AnaGain Nu?
You apply AnaGain to your scalp, you swallow AnaGain Nu as a supplement. Both come from pea sprouts and the same manufacturer. The study on AnaGain Nu with 100 mg per day showed fewer hairs in the brush after eight weeks, but had no placebo group. There is no research that directly compares the two forms, or tests what they do together.
Does AnaGain work for hereditary hair loss?
That has never been researched separately in men with hereditary hair loss. The hair study was mainly done in young women with temporarily increased shedding. AnaGain also does not inhibit DHT, the main cause of hereditary baldness. It can support the growth phase of follicles that are still working, but only alongside something that addresses the DHT side.
How quickly do you notice something from AnaGain?
Count on at least three months. After two weeks, the genes in the hair root are already changing, but you cannot see that. The hair study measured fewer hairs in the resting phase after twelve weeks. In the supplement study, people saw fewer hairs in the brush after four weeks, although that was without a comparison group. Visibly fuller hair takes longer, because a new hair needs months to gain length.
What exactly is noggin?
Noggin is a protein that your body makes itself and that blocks the substance BMP4. BMP4 keeps a hair follicle in the resting phase. If noggin removes that brake, a follicle can start a new growth phase sooner. In research with mice, more noggin led to a shorter rest period. AnaGain increased the production of noggin in the hair root by an average of 85% after two weeks.
Can AnaGain cause shedding?
Nothing is known about that. In the studies, no extra shedding was reported at the beginning, rather the opposite. Because AnaGain can push follicles from rest to growth faster, a short period with a little more shedding is theoretically possible, but that has never been described. If you see more hair in the shower at this time of year, seasonal shedding is a more likely explanation. Also read how much hair loss per day is normal.
Are you safe with AnaGain if you have a legume allergy?
Be careful if you are allergic to peas or other legumes. In the supplement study, people with such an allergy were even excluded. On the skin, the chance of a reaction is smaller than with swallowing, but not zero. Test a product with AnaGain on a small piece of skin first for a few days, for example behind your ear, and stop if you experience itching, redness, or swelling.
Can you combine AnaGain with minoxidil?
Yes, that is possible, and there are no known problems with that combination. Minoxidil works through blood vessels and potassium channels, AnaGain through signaling molecules in the hair papilla. Whether the combination yields more than minoxidil alone has not been researched. Preferably apply them at different times of the day. If you are unsure whether you need medication, read serum or medication for early hair loss.
Why are AnaGain, adenosine, and Baicapil often in one serum together?
All three work partly through FGF7, but each through a different entry point. Adenosine does this through a receptor on the hair papilla, Baicapil through plant substances from skullcap and soy, and AnaGain also activates noggin. Whether they are stronger together than apart has not been measured. Manufacturers combine them because they theoretically complement each other, and because none of the three has strong evidence on its own.
How much AnaGain should be in a serum?
In the hair study, 4% AnaGain was in the gel, and that is the amount often mentioned as a guideline. The gene study already showed an effect with 2%. There is no research that establishes the lowest effective dose. Many brands do not state the percentage. Look at where "pisum sativum sprout extract" is on the ingredient list: the further to the front, the more is in it.
