We have seen a rather eye-catching headline on social media platforms such as Instagram and X about scientists from Taiwan creating a “magical” cure for baldness. According to the different headlines circulating, this cure is supposedly a serum that restores hair within 20 days, with some posts even suggesting that this new technology will soon be available to the public.
Hair regrowth solutions with proven efficacy do already exist on the market. Minoxidil and Finasteride are two commonly prescribed oral or topical drugs used as treatments. However, both require several months of consistent use to see results and need to be used long-term without stopping to prevent hair loss from resuming. And, rather than full restoration of lost hair, these existing treatments have a 60-80% regrowth rate and can have side-effects that negatively impact quality of life.
Because of this, we have also found many different groups of researchers looking for new treatments that can potentially provide fuller and faster regrowth. However, is there any truth to this specific claim about Taiwanese scientists’ new “magic serum”?
We actually found two different groups of Taiwan-based researchers announcing potential breakthroughs in baldness treatment in 2025. The first group from Schweitzer Biotech Company developed a plant-based serum (from the Centella asiatica plant) and tested it on a small group of participants, finding a 25% increase in hair density and reduced hair loss after 56 days of daily use. However, this research has not been peer-reviewed and is far from being released as a product.
The second group of researchers from National Taiwan University published a study on 22 October in a peer-reviewed journal. These researchers developed a topical serum containing naturally derived fatty acids that stimulate hair follicles and carried out experiments on mice to track regrowth.This study appears to be the basis of the “magic serum” claims.
According to the paper, when tested on mice over the span of 20 days, the serum was able to reactivate dormant follicles without causing inflammation or irritation and triggered healthy, dense regrowth. However, no human trials have been carried out yet, although the researchers purportedly patented the serum and are planning to begin testing it on human scalps soon.
Therefore, while it is partly true that a serum has been created by scientists that regrows hair in 20 days, it has only done so on mice in a controlled environment. The safety and efficacy of the serum has not been tested on humans. Further, hair loss in humans can take different forms and require different treatments based on the state of an individual’s hair follicles. While researchers are optimistic about the potential of this serum, it remains to be seen if a single treatment can be developed to become a “cure for baldness” at large.
We give this claim a rating of somewhat true, but misleadingly represented by some news outlets and social media headlines.
When researching this particular claim, it was difficult to track down the original paper and find reputable reports about its findings. The complex title of the actual paper, for one, made it harder to find, and sensationalised reports about the “magic cure” still dominate search results. Many of these articles and social media posts also neglect to link the paper (despite it being available to download in PDF form), possibly because the article is rather less exciting than their claims suggest.
When assessing claims such as this, it is therefore important to be alert to red flags such as the lack of original sources and misleading headlines that do not convey the full story. In the case of health or cosmetic treatments, it is also vital to check official regulatory approvals and announcements to ensure our personal safety and wellbeing before believing or purchasing any “magic serums” or cures.
