The future of hair care is personal

Welcome to the Hair & Health Series, where we break down the science and trends shaping next generation hair care together with industry experts.

Today we’re sitting down with Fared Ahmed, a Berlin-based pharmacist at Zentrum Apotheke with a background in medical and pharmaceutical consulting as well as working on digital health platforms. Join us as we explore the growing world of hair care products and why personalisation is the future of hair health. 

Hair health - it’s personal

While it’s a challenge as old as time, when it comes to hair health, the modern product market remains relatively young. 

Overall, according to Fared Ahmed, patients and customers still lack good education around the solutions and approaches to treat and prevent common conditions such as hair loss. 

“Most patients, in my opinion, are confused about which medication they should take. Should they take only the non-prescribed medications like vitamins and shampoos or can they rely on a doctor's prescription? 

What works? There is no universal answer. “It depends on their experience - everyone's experience is different. It also has a lot of other factors like age, inheritance and so on.” 

Today the product landscape consists of over the counter, prescription and cosmetic products.

On the prescription side, Minoxidil is still one of the most common treatments used for pattern hair loss, prescribed by a doctor and typically tested in three month stretches to monitor side effects and efficacy. 

Proving efficacy remains challenging due to the inherently personal reaction each person has to treatment - with variables including natural genetics and reactions to side effects.

Alongside that, as a pharmacist, he might advise patients to take vitamins to reduce stress or shampoos and serums that can increase the strength of hair follicles and the strength of the hair itself to grow longer and stronger.

He says he therefore welcomes the emergence of new, clinically tested, natural products entering the market to broaden the range of solutions available to individuals.

Ingredients > brand

So, how do pharmacists decide which consumer brands to recommend? Fared says he first looks at the active ingredients in the product. 

“It doesn't mean a lot which brand or which manufacturer it is, what matters is what is in it. In the end it’s the active constituent that will give the effect we want. For example if it has certain vitamins or a certain plant and I have done my research I can recommend this product to the customer.”

“He will come to me after maybe one month or maybe two months and ask about the results of what I recommended to him so that's why it's very very important to me to know as a pharmacist that it will get the desired effect at the end.”

Again, it’s a naturally personal solution. For example, if it is a pregnant woman, or if it is a man in his 20s, 30s or 40s will affect what he recommends. 

“There are a lot of factors to consider.”

While hair care is something humans have been talking about for hundreds of years, the modern product market remains young. From genetics to lifestyle pressure like diet and stress to follicle health, the factors that affect hair health are vast and naturally demand personalised solutions. 

Thanks to Fared for making the time to share first hand learnings with our learning community of pharmacists, beauty professionals and customers curious about cutting edge hair care. Sign up to our Hair & Health newsletter for latest events, articles and learnings direct to your inbox.