26 ingredients. All of them on the bottle.
NAPE Hair Serum
Thinning hair is not a grooming problem. It is a follicle that stopped getting the signal.
Five bioengineered signalling peptides, a topical DHT blocker and a carrier built to get them past the surface of the scalp. One full dropper, once a day, twenty seconds.
- When your part looks wider in a photo than it does in the mirrorsh-Polypeptide-1 and sh-Oligopeptide-2 are the growth-factor signals a scalp makes less of with age. They are the wake-up call, and they are the first two things in the bottle.
- When the shower drain tells you before the mirror doessh-Polypeptide-11 works on how firmly a follicle is anchored. Shedding is an anchoring problem before it is a growth problem.
- When you have already tried the rosemary oil, the castor oil and the gummiesSaw palmetto addresses DHT at the follicle itself, on the scalp, rather than through your bloodstream. It sits alongside the peptides, not instead of them.
- When new growth comes in fine and then gives upsh-Polypeptide-9 is an FGF-9 mimic. Its job is to hold follicles in the growth phase for longer, so a new hair has the time it needs to thicken.
- Twenty seconds, once a day, on a dry scalpOne full dropper, parted across four or five sections, worked in with fingertips. No rinsing, no pills, no twice-daily routine to fall off.
Use the whole bottle. Use all three. If your hair has not changed in ninety days, email us and we refund what you paid.
For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Patch test before first use. Discontinue if irritation occurs. Sunburn alert: this product contains an alpha hydroxy acid that may increase sensitivity to the sun. Not for use by athletes subject to anti-doping testing. Not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or with a history of hormone-sensitive cancer - ask your doctor.
Five peptides and four botanical extracts
What each part of the formula is there to do - and, where the evidence does not support a growth claim, what it is not there to do.
Five signalling peptides
sh-Polypeptide-1 is bFGF and sh-Oligopeptide-2 is IGF-1 - growth-factor peptides that support the appearance of thicker, fuller hair. We name them by the proteins they actually correspond to, which sounds like a low bar until you check what else in this category gets it wrong.
sh-Polypeptide-1 / -9 / -11, sh-Oligopeptide-2 / -10Amino acid support
Arginine, an amino acid the hair shaft is partly built from, supports hair strength and helps hair look and feel healthier through the length.
ArginineBotanical conditioning
Eucalyptus extract supports the scalp barrier and adds shine and body to the hair itself. This is a comfort-and-condition ingredient rather than a growth one, and we would rather tell you that than let it sit on the page implying otherwise.
Eucalyptus globulus leaf extractSaw palmetto for fullness
The one ingredient in the formula with published human results in pattern hair loss. It acts on the enzyme behind DHT and helps maintain the appearance of fuller, thicker hair.
Serenoa repens extractTwenty-six ingredients. All of them printed on the bottle.
The habit in this category is a proprietary blend, one peptide named on the front, and a back panel you need a phone torch to read. Ours is the largest block on the label, at a size you can actually read, because it is the argument.
Five signalling peptides, not one
sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-9, sh-Polypeptide-11, sh-Oligopeptide-2 and sh-Oligopeptide-10. Waking a follicle, holding it in growth, and anchoring it are three different jobs, and no single peptide does all three.
DHT handled on the scalp
Saw palmetto is a natural 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor working at the follicle. It means the hormone side of thinning gets addressed without a systemic drug taken daily for a cosmetic concern.
A carrier that actually carries
Lecithin with lactic acid and gluconolactone. Peptides are large molecules and the scalp is built to keep large molecules out - the delivery system is the difference between a serum that reaches the follicle and one that sits on the skin.
A full dropper, once a day
Thirty millilitres is thirty days at a full dropper. A 30 ml bottle sold as a three-month supply is asking you to use a third of a dose on a whole scalp, and then to judge the result.
The full INCI list is on the back panel and on this page. Nothing in this formula is hidden behind the words "proprietary blend".
Where you notice it first is not where it started
Choose the area you see most. Thinning follows the same three stages everywhere on the scalp - only the order changes.
Scalp Showing Through
- Light catches skin at the crown
- Hairs come in finer each cycle
- The spot looks bigger in photographs
- Styling stops covering it
Signal Restored
- Peptides signal resting follicles
- Blood flow to the bulb improves
- DHT pressure eases at the follicle
- Growth phase is held for longer
Density Holding
- Less scalp visible under light
- New hairs arrive coarser
- Coverage survives styling
- The area stops moving backwards
Corners Creeping Back
- The temples deepen a little each year
- Baby hairs at the front disappear
- The parting starts further back
- Hats and headbands sit differently
Front Follicles Signalled
- Growth-factor peptides reach frontal follicles
- Saw palmetto works on DHT where it is worst
- Anchoring peptides reduce shedding triggers
- Micro-inflammation at the hairline settles
Edge Rebuilt
- Fine hairs return along the front
- The corners stop retreating
- The parting sits where it used to
- The hairline reads even again
The Part Keeps Widening
- The line looks broader than last year
- Volume at the roots disappears
- A ponytail feels thinner in the hand
- You start parting it somewhere else
Density Signalled Back
- Dormant follicles are signalled toward growth
- Arginine improves the supply to the bulb
- FGF-9 mimic extends the growth phase
- Follicle anchoring is strengthened
Line Closing Up
- The part narrows under light
- Roots hold volume through the day
- The ponytail feels fuller
- You stop hiding the line
Hair Everywhere But Your Head
- The shower drain after every wash
- Hair on the pillow and the collar
- Handfuls when you brush
- No single bald spot, just less of everything
Shedding Pressure Reduced
- Anchoring peptides strengthen root grip
- Inflammatory triggers are calmed
- More follicles held in the growth phase
- The scalp barrier is supported
Shedding Settles
- Noticeably less hair in the drain
- Brushing stops being an event
- Overall density steadies
- Hair feels heavier in the hand
How a peptide serum actually works
A follicle is not dead. It is cycling too fast and resting too long. Four things have to happen for that to change, and they have to happen in order.
Illustrative. Resting follicle left, signalled follicle right.
Step 1 · Signal Wakes the resting follicle
Every follicle cycles: growth, transition, rest. Age and DHT hold more of them in rest, for longer, and each one that restarts comes back finer than the last. sh-Polypeptide-1 is an EGF-like growth factor and sh-Oligopeptide-2 is IGF-like - between them they are the wake-up signal a thinning scalp produces less and less of.
Step 2 · Feed Opens the supply line
A follicle that has been signalled still needs something to build with. Arginine is a nitric oxide precursor, which is the body's own way of widening the small vessels feeding the bulb. More oxygen and more nutrients arrive at the exact place the new hair is being made.
Step 3 · Protect Takes the pressure off
DHT is what shortens the growth phase in pattern thinning, and low-grade inflammation quietly speeds the same process up. Saw palmetto is a natural 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor working topically at the follicle; baicalin and soybean germ extract work on the inflammatory side. Neither involves a systemic hormonal drug.
Step 4 · Hold Keeps it there
Waking a follicle is worthless if it rests again in six weeks. sh-Polypeptide-9 is an FGF-9 mimic that extends the growth phase, and sh-Polypeptide-11 supports the extracellular matrix that anchors the hair in place. Together they buy a new hair the months it needs to come in thick rather than fine.
Seven actives, each doing a different job
sh-Polypeptide-1
Bioengineered EGF-like growth factor
- Restarts the cycle: Signals dormant follicles from the resting phase back toward growth
- Builds the shaft: Stimulates the keratinocyte activity that produces the hair itself
- Repairs the site: Supports micro-injured follicles through a pathway similar to PRP
- Improves the ground: Rebuilds a healthier environment around the follicle
Age and DHT both reduce natural growth-factor signalling at the scalp. This peptide restores the wake-up signal that has to come first - nothing else in the formula matters until a follicle has been told to start.
sh-Oligopeptide-2
IGF-like signalling peptide
- Speeds the turn: Moves follicles into the growth phase faster
- Protects the engine: Shields dermal papilla cells from miniaturisation
- Fuels the build: Raises the cellular energy available for a thicker shaft
It works alongside sh-Polypeptide-1 rather than duplicating it - one starts growth, the other keeps shrinking follicles from collapsing before growth can take hold.
sh-Polypeptide-9
FGF-9 mimic
- Extends the phase: Keeps follicles in anagen, the active growth phase, for longer
- Adds calibre: Associated with greater hair diameter, not just count
- Defends density: Helps hold density over the long term rather than in a burst
Miniaturisation is a shortening of the growth cycle. Keeping a follicle switched on for longer is what allows a replacement hair to come in coarse instead of fine.
sh-Oligopeptide-10
Repair and regeneration peptide
- Improves signalling: Boosts cellular communication inside the follicle
- Better structure: Encourages healthier structural protein formation
- Thickens new growth: Supports thickening during the regrowth phase
It works after the growth signal has landed, improving the quality and resilience of what actually comes through.
sh-Polypeptide-11
ECM-support growth factor mimic
- Strengthens root grip: Supports how firmly the follicle is anchored
- Rebuilds the matrix: Supports extracellular matrix repair around the bulb
- Improves transfer: Better nutrient transfer into the bulb
- Reduces triggers: Fewer breakage and shedding triggers
It does not drive growth directly. It fortifies the foundation, which is why it belongs in a formula meant to hold a result rather than produce a spike.
Saw palmetto
Natural 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor
- Lowers DHT locally: Reduces DHT activity at the follicle
- Slows the shrink: Slows the miniaturisation process
- Protects the future: Helps prevent further thinning rather than only addressing current thinning
- Topical, not systemic: Delivers DHT control without a daily oral hormonal drug
DHT is the main driver of pattern thinning. Addressing it on the scalp is the difference between pushing growth uphill and removing the thing pushing back.
Baicalin
Scutellaria baicalensis root extract
- Activates the papilla: Activates dermal papilla cells
- Recruits follicles: Encourages more follicles into the growth phase
- Calms the scalp: Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative
- Holds thinning zones: Helps maintain density where thinning is already visible
It is one of the few botanicals with controlled-study evidence for increasing the proportion of follicles in the anagen phase, which is why it sits with the peptides rather than in the supporting cast.
The research described here was conducted on these individual ingredients, not on the finished NAPE formula, and is not a claim that this product treats, prevents or cures anything.
What is not in it
A hair serum sits on your scalp every day for months. What has been left out matters as much as what went in.
Formulation attributes confirmed by the manufacturer of the formula.
Why we sell it in threes
Not as an upsell. A hair follicle takes about three months to complete a cycle, so ninety days is the shortest window in which this can honestly be judged. Anything less and you are not judging a serum, you are judging a timeline.
Weeks 1-4
Nothing visible, and that is normal
The signalling is happening below the surface, where you cannot see it. Anyone promising a visible change this month is selling you a timeline that hair does not have. Some people notice the scalp feels calmer.
Weeks 5-10
Shedding usually settles first
The most common first change people report is less hair in the drain, not more hair on the head. Anchoring comes before density. Fine, colourless new hairs at the hairline and temples are often visible around here.
Weeks 10-14
The part is where you will see it
A full cycle has now turned over. Density change shows up first in a photograph of your part taken under the same light as the one you took on day one - which is why we ask you to take that photo before your first application.
One full dropper. Not a third of one.
Both our bottle and the cheap ones hold 30 ml. The difference is what you are told to do with it. A full dropper parted across four or five sections of scalp uses about a millilitre a day, which is why a bottle is a month.
A 30 ml bottle sold as a three-month supply is the same glass with a third of the dose. That is where the low price comes from, and it is why so many people conclude that peptide serums do not work.
1 ml a day
A full dropper, once daily. 30 ml lasts thirty days, which is what a month of use actually costs.0.33 ml a day
A third of a dropper across an entire scalp. The bottle lasts longer because far less of it reaches you.Against what you have already tried
Most people arrive here having already used one of these. This is what each one does and does not do - including the parts that are not in our favour.
See the 90-day packComparisons describe the category, not any single named brand. Verify each row against current product labelling before launch and re-check it whenever this page is edited.
| NAPETopical peptide serum | Minoxidil 5% | Oral finasteride | $30 peptide serums | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works on the growth signal itself | Yes, five peptides | No - a vasodilator | No - hormonal | Usually one peptide |
| Addresses DHT | Topically, saw palmetto | Not at all | Yes, systemically | Sometimes |
| Systemic hormone exposure | None | None | Yes | None |
| Full ingredient list printed | All 26 | Yes, one active | Yes, one active | Often a blend |
| Daily routine | 20 seconds, once | Twice every day | A daily tablet | Once |
| Shedding phase on starting | Not typical | Common early on | Reported | Not typical |
| What one 30 ml bottle covers | 30 days, full dropper | About 30 days | n/a | Sold as 90 days |
| Suits colour-treated hair | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guarantee | 90 days, money back | Retailer policy | Prescription | Varies by seller |
Twenty seconds, once a day
On a dry or towel-dried scalp. Not on the hair - on the skin, where the follicles are.
1
Photograph it first
Before the very first application, take a photo of your part and your hairline in bright, even light. In three months this is the only comparison that will tell you anything true.
2
Part and apply
Draw a full dropper. Part the hair into four or five sections across the areas you care about and lay the serum directly onto the scalp, not onto the lengths.
3
Work it in and leave it
Sixty seconds with the fingertips, then leave it. Do not rinse. It absorbs clear and is safe on colour-treated and chemically treated hair.
The part nobody tells you
The reason most topicals fail is not the formula, it is week six. Nothing has visibly changed, the bottle is two thirds gone, and it stops getting used. That is the single biggest predictor of whether this works for you.
Which is why the guarantee runs ninety days and not thirty. We would rather you use all three and ask for your money back than stop at week six and never find out.
The questions that actually stop people
Is this a subscription?
No. Every pack is a one-time purchase - you are charged once, nothing renews, and there is nothing to cancel. When you run out you decide whether to buy again. We would rather earn the second order than schedule it.
Do I need to keep using it to keep the result?
Yes, and that is true of every topical in this category including the prescription ones. The peptides work by signalling follicles that would otherwise be resting; stop signalling and the follicles return to the cycle they were on. If you would rather not commit to something ongoing, this is the wrong product and we would rather you knew now.
What exactly does the 90-day guarantee cover?
The full amount you paid. Use all three bottles. If your hair has not changed, email us and we refund you - no restocking fee, no hoops, and you do not send the bottles back. Claims can be made up to 120 days after delivery, and the guarantee covers each customer once. Full terms are in our Refund Policy.
Why is it more expensive than the serums I see on Instagram?
Two reasons, and one of them is not in our favour. The first is dose: a 30 ml bottle sold as a three-month supply is the same glass with a third of the daily amount, so the low price is really a low dose. The second is that we did not build the formula down to a price - five peptides plus a topical DHT blocker costs more than one peptide and a botanical list. If price is the deciding factor, buy the cheaper one; just use a full dropper of it.
How long until I see something?
Reduced shedding is usually the first change, somewhere around weeks five to ten. Visible density in the part typically takes ten to fourteen weeks, because that is roughly one full hair cycle. Anyone quoting you thirty days is describing a timeline hair does not have.
Does it work for women as well as men?
Yes. Peptide signalling works the same way on male and female follicles. What differs is the pattern - men more often see it at the hairline and crown, women along the part and in overall density - which is why the sections above are organised by area rather than by gender.
Is this minoxidil?
No, and it does not contain it. Minoxidil is a vasodilator applied twice daily. This works on the growth signal itself and on DHT at the follicle, and it is applied once. Some people use both; they are not doing the same job.
Will it cause the shedding phase people talk about?
That effect is most associated with starting minoxidil. It is not typical here, though a small number of people notice a brief increase in the first few weeks as weaker hairs are replaced. If shedding increases and keeps increasing past a month, stop and take the refund.
Is it safe on colour-treated or chemically treated hair?
Yes. It goes onto the scalp rather than the lengths, absorbs clear and does not interfere with colour or chemical treatments.
Who should not use this?
It contains an alpha hydroxy acid, so it can increase sun sensitivity - use sun protection on any exposed scalp. Four of the actives fall in WADA class S2, so it is not for athletes subject to anti-doping testing. It is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or with a history of hormone-sensitive cancer, without asking your doctor first. Patch test before the first use.
Where is it made and is it tested?
Made in the USA in an FDA-registered facility and third-party tested by batch. The certificate of analysis for the batch you receive is available on request, and the full ingredient list is printed on the back panel at a size you can read without a torch.
Will it work if my scalp is already smooth in places?
Probably not in those places. Where there is no fine, colourless hair left, there is nothing for a topical to signal - ours or anyone else's. If there are other areas where fine hair is still present, this is relevant to those. We would rather say that now than take your money and have you find out in ninety days.
Use the whole bottle. Use all three.
If your hair has not changed in ninety days, we refund what you paid. One email, no restocking fee, no hoops - because a guarantee you cannot actually use is not a guarantee.
Ninety days is not a round number chosen because it sounds generous. It is one full hair cycle, and it is the shortest honest window in which a topical can be judged. Thirty days would cost us less and tell you nothing.
- Ninety days, not thirty. One full hair cycle, so you can actually judge it.
- One email, no questions. No return shipping, no restocking fee, no form.
- Nothing to cancel. Every pack is a one-time purchase. There is no subscription to unwind.
The full terms are in our Refund Policy. In short: you do not send the bottles back, claims are made by email within 120 days of delivery, and the guarantee covers each customer once. Faulty, damaged or incorrect orders are handled separately and are not counted as a guarantee claim.
Ninety days, and you will know
Three bottles is the course. Take the photo today, use a full dropper every day, and judge it in three months against that photo rather than against your memory.
What this is not. It is not a drug, it is not minoxidil and it is not a transplant. Where a follicle is gone entirely there is nothing left for a topical to signal. It is a daily topical for hair that is thinning but still there, and it only does anything if you keep using it.