Epilobium extract, in addition to its important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action, is also a seboregulator and an antiandrogen: in particular, this is important for organizing an appropriate therapeutic response in patients with androgenetic alopecia associated with seborrheic dermatitis, which causes severe inflammation and is associated with hyperseborrhea of the scalp.

The combination of epilobium extract with other active ingredients with antioxidant action, such as astaxanthin, greatly improves the function of hair follicle cells. In fact, since these experience a strong mitotic rate, they tend to be subjected to more intense oxidative stress than cells in other organs; in addition, astaxanthin also has a moderate anti-inflammatory action, also helping to reduce the production of prostaglandin D2.

Epilobium extract is, as already mentioned, endowed with activity anti-androgenic and seboregulatory. It, in fact, contains short-chain fatty acids, which are able to bind to 5-alpha reductase, altering its active site and thus preventing its function of reducing testosterone to DHT.[1] Inhibition of 5-alpha reductase also indirectly has a sebum-regulatory action in that the sebaceous glands are more stimulated to produce from DHT than testosterone.[2]