When Branneisha Cooper started taking Mounjaro’s GLP-1 injection in late 2022, she heard online that she might experience temporary hair loss and prepare for the worst.
But it would be about a year before she began to notice her hair falling out. Cooper said it was very scary because he always had thick hair.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t happen,” Cooper, 29, told CNBC. “What I told my provider is that since you’re taking medications that allow you to lose weight quickly, that’s what can cause hair loss.”
Desperate to deal with the negative outcome, Cooper said she began prioritizing protein in her diet, taking vitamins meant to help her hair and investing in hair care products meant to rejuvenate the scalp to boost growth.
He is one of a growing number of GLP-1 users experiencing temporary hair loss from the drug, creating a new market for hair treatment products amid the weight loss drug craze.
Cooper took to social media for support, where he found dozens of other GLP-1 users experiencing the same thing. Although the talk was rare at the beginning of his weight loss journey, the increase in GLP-1 meant that many people flocked to his page for fun and strategy.
“There are more people who want to know how to do it, but there are also many who want to know how they can stop it, that’s something I don’t have an answer for,” said Cooper.
According to Gallup, the use of GLP-1 drugs has more than doubled since the beginning of 2024. The KFF Health Tracking Poll found that nearly one in eight US adults, or about 13%, are currently taking a GLP-1 medication.
By 2030, JPMorgan estimates that nearly 25 million Americans will be in GLP-1, up from 5 million in 2023.
Profit in the midst of loss
Many users of GLP-1 have seen significant results in weight loss. But medications come with a host of side effects, too.
Zepbound, produced by the pharmaceutical giant Eli LillyIt advertises common side effects on its website including hair loss, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and more. Mounjaro, which is also a Lilly drug, warns of similar side effects, as well Novo NordiskOzempic. Wegovy also includes hair loss as a possible side effect.
It is a common risk in any type of significant weight loss due to physical changes, according to Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, dermatologist and senior medical advisor for hair care brand Nutrafol.
“When you’re losing weight, whether it’s through GLP-1 or any other type of weight loss, you’re probably eating less nutrients, less protein, and the weight loss itself can be stressful,” he told CNBC.
Those consumers have been looking for solutions to ease the body’s process, according to Circana. A Chicago-based market research firm estimates that GLP-1 households spend about 30% more on beauty products than non-GLP-1 households.
“Hair loss solutions continue to be a growing part of hair care, supported by long-term consumer pressure since the pandemic and the use of GLP-1 drugs is emerging as a growing storm,” said Larissa Jensen, beauty industry consultant at Circana. “Many GLP-1 users report temporary hair loss, which translates into more demand for home growth treatments, scalp serums, and supplements.”
A GLP-1 user’s self-esteem hit due to hair loss can mean more stress, according to Woolery-Lloyd.
In his practice, he said he has seen a noticeable increase in patients coming in specifically with concerns about hair loss, many of them due to the side effects of GLP-1. Woolery-Lloyd said the last time she saw an influx of patients with this anxiety was during a time of violence, due to unexpected stress on the body.
Hair loss from GLP-1s is one of the most important side effects faced by the beauty industry, according to Audrey Depraeter-Montacel, Accenture’s beauty industry leader.
“GLP-1s have not only changed the way people lose weight, but the way consumers expect beauty and personal care to address the situation,” he told CNBC, adding that it is 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 creates a platform for innovation.
“On the life sciences side, we see a lot of medical products raising money to continue to innovate and innovate,” he said. “So a lot of money has been raised in the name of this opportunity, which I think has confirmed that there really is an opportunity to sell here as investors are putting dollars into this on both sides.”
Consumers who will be buying into the GLP-1 hair treatment market are also on hold, Depraeter-Montacel said. Because hair treatment products usually take several months to start showing results, these customers are expected to be very loyal.
Tapping into the market
Brands are taking notice. In early April, Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman told Yahoo Finance that the company is seeing more consumers buying hair care products as part of the GLP-1 craze.
Redken, a hair care company owned by L’Orealhas created an entire line of hair treatments aimed specifically at consumers with thin hair called Acidic Grow Full System.
“We wanted to make sure that the Acidic Grow Full System range was tested in this population using GLP-1, as they may have different hair care needs,” Mounia Tahiri, Redken’s US general manager, told CNBC. “[It] tested on current GLP-1 users who, when using the products, immediately noticed that their hair looked fuller and felt thicker.”
Tahiri said the company has also seen an increase in Google searches for hair loss and weight loss drugs and plans to continue to innovate its hair treatment products as the GLP-1 population grows.
Nutrafol CEO Cindy Gustafson told CNBC that the hair care brand is seeing an increase in demand for hair health products.
“While we haven’t produced performance linked to the use of GLP-1, overall growth is driven by increased awareness and the shift to personalized, clinically supported solutions,” he said.
Gustafson said the company expects this growth to continue as more people start taking GLP-1 and seek products to prevent or combat hair loss.
KeraFactor, another skin 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 have seen a lot [hair loss] during Covid, so that was the first type of patients that came to KeraFactor, and after Covid, it was easier,” Lauren Bartholomeusz, the company’s chief commercial officer, told CNBC.
Bartholomeusz said that KeraFactor has changed the way it treats patients so that it now goes out of the way to prevent hair loss that may occur while taking the drug.
For Cooper, a 29-year-old GLP-1 user, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
She has tried many hair products over the past three years while taking weight loss drugs, hoping her hair will return to its former glory.
“I’ve been paying a lot of attention to it for about a year, and I could see that it’s back,” Cooper said. “A lot of people, they get scared when they get a haircut, because it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be bald forever.’ But the hair is coming back, so that’s what allowed me to be at peace with it. But it was scary.”
