Blog
Hair serums and ampoules
The hair care shelf is confusing. Serums, ampoules, lotions, tonics, concentrates: the names overlap, prices differ tenfold, and the labels are in Latin. This article explains what is actually in these products and how to compare two of them before you choose.
Serum, ampoule, tonic: is there a difference
Mostly not. These names describe the packaging and the texture, not the product category.
- An ampoule is a single dose in sealed packaging. The advantage is that the contents stay protected from air and light until opening.
- A serum is a more concentrated product in a bottle with a dropper or a pump.
- A tonic and a lotion are usually thinner solutions in a larger bottle.
- A concentrate or lyophilisate is a product prepared just before use, because some ingredients are unstable in solution.
The name on the box tells you nothing about quality. The composition does.
What is most often in the composition
Peptides
Short chains of amino acids used in cosmetics as signalling ingredients. On the label you recognise them by names such as Copper Tripeptide-1, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 and Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3.
The most studied in this group is the copper tripeptide, which we covered in the article GHK-Cu, the copper peptide. We explained the basics of peptides as a class in the article What are peptides.
Caffeine
A frequent ingredient in scalp products. It is inexpensive, stable and well tolerated.
Biotin
Vitamin B7. It appears very often in topical products, even though its role is primarily nutritional. Biotin deficiency is rare in people with a normal diet.
Niacinamide and panthenol
Ingredients familiar from skin care. In scalp products they are used for the condition of the skin itself: hydration and tolerability.
Plant extracts
Saw palmetto, green tea, rosemary and similar. They are popular and sound natural, but their concentrations in finished products are usually low and the data is limited.
Ready made blends with a trade name
Some ingredients are sold under trade names that bring together several active substances. On the label you still have to look for them under the INCI names of the individual components.
How to compare two products
Read the INCI list, not the front of the box. The front is marketing, the INCI list is required information.
Look at the order. Ingredients are listed in descending order of share until the level drops below one percent: from that point the order is no longer required. Active ingredients are almost always in that lower part, and that is normal.
Compare volume and how long it lasts. The price per package means nothing until you know how long the package lasts. Compare the cost per day of use.
Check how it is applied. With scalp products this matters more than it seems. Liquid that ends up on the lengths instead of on the skin has not been applied. That is why many products come with an applicator, something we wrote about in the article Dermaroller and microneedling.
Check the storage conditions. Some active ingredients are sensitive to light, heat and air. That is why ampoules exist, and why some products are prepared just before use.
What to watch for in the text on the packaging
A cosmetic product may talk about scalp care, about the look and feel of the hair, about the appearance of density and about reduced breakage. It may not claim to treat, to stop hair loss or to restore follicles: those are claims that belong to medicines.
If the packaging promises a result within an exact deadline, or compares itself to medical procedures, that is a sign the text does not respect the rules, and it is then reasonable to be cautious about the other claims as well.
What cosmetics do not solve
No cosmetic product addresses the cause of hair loss. If the cause is iron deficiency, a thyroid disorder or one of the conditions described in the article Alopecia, the answer lies in the cause.
So it makes sense first to establish what is going on, and only then to choose care. Once it is known that this is gradual, hereditary thinning, regular scalp care is a reasonable part of a routine, but as care, not as therapy.
In short
The name of a product says little, the composition says a lot. Compare INCI lists, the cost per day of use, the way it is applied and the storage conditions. And check whether the text on the packaging promises what cosmetics are allowed to promise.
In our shop you will find the SORA peptide hair set, with three peptides and an applicator for the scalp.