What we know, and how we know it.
An index of the scalp-science notes we have written and the public academic literature we have leaned on. Each entry is a starting point, not a conclusion.
Notes
- 01
Plant monograph
Platycladus orientalis — the highland pine that became a study subject.
Seventeen peer-reviewed studies on the leaf extract, the diterpene content, and the microcirculatory effect. A long read.
12 min read
2025-01-18
- 02
Active ingredient
Adenosine — a molecule the body already makes, and seven trials later.
Why 0.75% matters, what the clinical literature actually measured, and the small print that usually gets cut.
9 min read
2025-02-04
- 03
Plant monograph
Ginger, 6-gingerol, and the difference between 'warming' and 'growing'.
The popular claim is that ginger grows hair. The literature says ginger tends the local environment. The distinction matters.
8 min read
2025-02-21
- 04
Field review
The scalp as an ecosystem — what the microbiome literature has settled.
A short review of the last ten years of scalp-microbiome research, and what it means for the way we formulate.
11 min read
2024-12-09
- 05
Field review
Lipid film, TEWL, and the silent importance of not stripping the scalp.
Why 'deep cleansing' shampoos may be doing more harm than the sebum they remove.
7 min read
2024-11-22
- 06
Biology note
The follicular cycle is on a clock of years, not weeks.
An overview of anagen, catagen, telogen, and the patience required to interpret any scalp-care intervention honestly.
10 min read
2024-10-30
Each entry above is a starting point. The full reference list for every brief lives at the foot of its page.