Nutrafol Reviews
Editorial disclosure: The Root Co. publishes this article and sells a competing hair supplement. The author, Dr. Yehoshua Maor, is the named inventor of the Phyllotex patent, and The Root Co. Hair Vitamin contains a Phyllotex blend. For that reason, the Nutrafol findings below rest on retailer review data we collected and coded ourselves, with our method shown, and on public sources linked in the text.
We analyzed 601 Nutrafol reviews from Ulta, plus the public rating distributions behind 43,566 Amazon ratings. The biggest issue in reading Ulta's score is that 520 of those 601 reviewers (86.5%) disclosed receiving the product free.
Across all 601 reviews, Nutrafol averages 4.65 stars. The 81 reviewers who did not disclose a free product averaged 3.73, and 23 of them (28.4%) gave 1 or 2 stars.
How we reviewed Nutrafol: 613 Ulta reviews collected, 12 duplicates removed, 601 coded by theme; Amazon's public rating distributions checked separately. Full methodology below.
Nutrafol review verdict
- Reviews are broadly positive: 4.65 stars across 601 Ulta reviews, and 59.4% describe less shedding, fuller hair or new growth.
- Ulta's headline score needs context, because 86.5% of those reviewers disclosed receiving Nutrafol free.
- Reviewers who did not disclose a free product were less positive: 37.0% described an improvement, and 28.4% gave 1 or 2 stars.
- The recurring objections are the 4-capsule daily dose, side effects, price and little or no noticeable improvement.
- If your hair loss is sudden, patchy or unexplained, get the cause diagnosed before you buy any supplement.
What 601 Nutrafol reviews say
Most Nutrafol reviews on Ulta are positive. Of all 601, 357 (59.4%) described at least one hair improvement: fuller or thicker hair (32.3%), less shedding (27.5%) or new growth such as baby hairs (25.6%). The most common drawback was the 4-capsule daily dose (7.3%), followed by the price (4.3%) and side effects (4.2%).
| What reviewers mentioned | Reviews (601) |
|---|---|
| Fuller or thicker hair | 194 (32.3%) |
| Less shedding | 165 (27.5%) |
| New growth or baby hairs | 154 (25.6%) |
| At least one of those improvements | 357 (59.4%) |
| 4 capsules a day as a drawback | 44 (7.3%) |
| Price as a concern | 26 (4.3%) |
| Described a side effect | 25 (4.2%) |
| Little or no noticeable change | 23 (3.8%) |
| Taste or smell complaint | 14 (2.3%) |
| Too early to judge | 15 (2.5%) |
Ulta reviews of six Nutrafol supplement formulas across 7 product pages, collected September 14 and 15, 2026. One review can mention several themes.
What reviewers said
Six reviews, three positive and three critical, summarized. Critical reviews are a small share: 47 of 601 were rated 3 stars or lower, including 30 reviews rated 1 or 2 stars.
-
Noticed less shedding in the shower and new baby hairs along the part around week six.
Postpartum · 4 stars · gifted · August 2026 -
Saw less hair falling out after two to three months of 4 capsules a day, and longer hair by months three to four.
Women's Balance 45+ · 5 stars · no free product disclosed · July 2025 -
The 4 large capsules a day felt like too much at first, but after three months shedding eased and hair felt thicker, with no miracles.
Men 50+ · 4 stars · gifted · August 2026 -
Shedding seemed to ease in the first two months, picked back up by month 4, and showed no improvement after that, over nine months of use.
Women's Balance 45+ · 1 star · no free product disclosed · August 2026 -
No new growth after about three months with the supplement and matching shampoo, and disappointed given the cost.
Men · 1 star · no free product disclosed · June 2026 -
A reviewer with a sensitive stomach had gurgling, bloating and dizziness in the first week, which cleared within 36 hours of stopping.
Women's Balance 45+ · 3 stars · gifted · July 2025
Results by formula
| Formula (Ulta) | Reviews | Average | Gifted | Described an improvement | Little or no change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Balance 45+ | 181 | 4.70 | 82.9% | 58.0% | 3.3% |
| Postpartum | 147 | 4.69 | 91.2% | 59.2% | 2.7% |
| Women 18-44 | 80 | 4.29 | 68.8% | 55.0% | 7.5% |
| Men | 75 | 4.76 | 97.3% | 56.0% | 5.3% |
| Men 50+ | 68 | 4.59 | 91.2% | 63.2% | 2.9% |
| Women Vegan 18-44 | 50 | 4.84 | 92.0% | 72.0% | 2.0% |
The two Women 18-44 listings are combined. That formula has the largest share of reviews without a free product (31.2%) and the lowest average rating, 4.29.
Do Nutrafol reviews look different when reviewers didn't get it free?
Yes. 520 of the 601 Ulta reviewers wrote that they received Nutrafol free, with lines such as "gifted by Nutrafol" or "complimentary from Nutrafol". Receiving a free product does not mean a review is dishonest. But in this dataset it materially changes the picture: reviewers who did not disclose receiving Nutrafol free were less positive across almost every measure we tracked.
| Measure | Gifted (520) | No free product disclosed (81) |
|---|---|---|
| Described at least one hair improvement | 62.9% | 37.0% |
| Rated 1 or 2 stars | 1.3% | 28.4% |
| Would recommend Nutrafol | 98.2% (502 of 511 respondents) | 82.1% (46 of 56 respondents) |
| Little or no noticeable change | 1.7% | 17.3% |
| Price as a concern | 3.1% | 12.3% |
| Described a side effect | 2.1% | 17.3% |
| Average rating | 4.79 | 3.73 |
The differences were largest on some of the outcomes buyers care about most. Little or no noticeable change appeared in 17.3% of reviews with no disclosed free product, compared with 1.7% of gifted reviews. Side effects appeared in 17.3% versus 2.1%, and price concerns appeared in 12.3% versus 3.1%. Gifted reviews also tend to name a set time frame: "60 days" appears in 45 reviews, 44 of them gifted.
These groups were not randomly assigned. People who receive a product free may differ from people who do not in other ways, so this comparison shows an association rather than proving that receiving the product free caused the rating gap.
The group without a disclosed free product is small, at 81 reviews, so these percentages should not be treated as estimates of what all Nutrafol customers experience. A reviewer who did not mention a free product did not necessarily pay for it.
Amazon ratings sit lower than Ulta's
| Nutrafol listing (Amazon) | Ratings | Average | 5 stars | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women 18-44 | 20,864 | 4.2 | 68% | 9% |
| Women's Balance 45+ | 15,669 | 4.1 | 64% | 11% |
| Men | 5,834 | 3.9 | 57% | 16% |
| Postpartum | 1,199 | 4.2 | Not shown | Not shown |
Amazon and Ulta ratings are not directly comparable because the platforms have different review populations, listing histories and review systems. We use the Amazon figures only as an external reference point.
Amazon shows most review text only to signed-in shoppers, so we used its public star distributions. The three largest listings average 3.9 to 4.2 stars, with 9% to 16% of ratings at 1 star, against a 4.65 average in our Ulta set. Nutrafol Men has the lowest average and, of the three listings that show a breakdown, the largest share of 1-star ratings. Ratings build up over a listing's life, so older ratings may cover earlier formulas.
How we analyzed the reviews
- Sources
- Every review on Ulta's 7 product pages for six Nutrafol supplement formulas, collected September 14 and 15, 2026, and dated 2025 to 2026. Public star distributions for four Nutrafol listings on Amazon.
- Sample
- 613 reviews collected, matching Ulta's own review counts for those pages. 12 duplicate review texts removed, 601 analyzed.
- Gifted
- A review counts as gifted when its text discloses a free or complimentary product, for example "gifted by Nutrafol". Ulta's feed marked none of these reviews, gifted or not, as Verified Buyer or as sampling reviews, so gifted status comes only from the reviewer's own words.
- Coding
- Each theme has keyword rules that skip negations such as "no stomach upset". Every match for the rarer themes (price, little or no change, side effects, taste, capsule count) was reviewed individually, as were all 47 reviews rated 3 stars or lower. Spot checks of 20 random matches, run on the first 474 reviews collected, found 20 correct for less shedding, 19 for fuller or thicker hair and 20 for new growth.
- Not included
- Trustpilot and Reddit (not accessible to our collection tools), Amazon review text (sign-in required), Walmart (third-party listings with 4 reviews) and nutrafol.com's own reviews (hosted by the brand).
- Limits
- Reviews are self-reported and come from one retailer. They cannot show that Nutrafol caused a result, and they describe the formula a reviewer says they took. Keyword coding can miss reviews that describe a theme in other words, so theme shares are likely undercounts.
What you're actually getting for $79 to $88 a month
- A 4-capsule daily dose: 120 capsules a month, or 1,460 a year.
- A price of $88 one-time, or $79 a month on subscription, which is $948 a year.
- A formula chosen by life stage: Women Advanced for ages 18 to 44, Women's Balance for 45 and older, Postpartum, Men and Men 50+.
- In Women Advanced, key actives of Sensoril ashwagandha, tocotrienol complex, Moldavian dragonhead, saw palmetto and curcumin, in a formula Nutrafol describes as biotin-free with 100% vegan ingredients (Nutrafol product page).
- A guarantee: "Results in 6 months or your money back."
2 capsules a day instead of 4
The Root Co. Hair Vitamin fits 15 mg of zinc and a four-botanical Phyllotex blend into 2 biotin-free, vegan capsules.
What the evidence shows, and what it doesn't
Nutrafol has published placebo-controlled trials of its own formulas. In one, 70 women in perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause took Nutrafol Women's Balance (40 women) or a placebo (30) for six months. The Nutrafol group had significantly higher terminal and total hair counts than placebo at 90 and 180 days, and shedding fell 32% by day 180 (Journal of Drugs in Dermatology). That is a stronger study design than most supplement brands can point to, and a 2026 systematic review of oral hair supplements included Nutrafol among the eight commercial products it assessed.
The trials leave some questions open: which ingredient does the work, and how a result in 70 women applies to the formula on sale today. Of the individual actives, saw palmetto has the most direct hair research, mostly from small studies (systematic review). Ashwagandha and curcumin have been studied mainly for stress and inflammation.
Does Nutrafol work, and how fast?
Many reviewers reported improvement, but retailer reviews cannot show whether Nutrafol caused those results. Of the 357 Ulta reviews that described an improvement, 141 mentioned 60 or 90 days, or two or three months, although many of those came from gifted trials. Hair growth occurs over multi-month cycles, and Nutrafol's own guarantee asks customers to assess results over six months.
Why some reviewers say it didn't work
23 reviewers (3.8%) described little or no change, and 14 of them did not disclose a free product. Several gave their own context: shedding after pregnancy, long-standing genetic hair loss or menopause. Others took it for three to nine months and saw nothing. Reviews cannot tell you why a supplement failed for one person, but they do show it does not work for everyone.
Nutrafol side effects in reviews
Of all 601 Ulta reviewers, 25 (4.2%) described a side effect. 12 mentioned stomach upset, nausea or indigestion, and 4 of those said it eased with food or after the first few days. 6 described acne breakouts, 2 weight gain, 2 menstrual changes and 2 headaches, and a few described other reactions. The share was higher among reviewers who did not disclose a free product: 14 (17.3%), against 2.1% of gifted reviewers. Reviews cannot show how often a side effect happens, or prove the supplement caused it.
At the ingredient level, Nutrafol Women Advanced lists saw palmetto, Sensoril ashwagandha and curcumin among its key actives. Saw palmetto can cause gastrointestinal side effects in some people. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should discuss saw palmetto and ashwagandha with a clinician before use.
When to see a doctor before trying a hair supplement
A supplement supports normal hair growth. It does not diagnose why you are losing hair, and it does not replace treatment. See a dermatologist or doctor first if you have:
- Sudden or patchy hair loss
- Scarring, scalp pain or bald areas that have been smooth for years
- Heavy shedding with fatigue or other symptoms, or known thyroid, iron or autoimmune issues
- Persistent or progressive pattern hair loss, where a dermatologist can confirm the cause and discuss treatment options
- A pregnancy, breastfeeding or prescription medication, before adding any supplement
Finasteride and minoxidil are drugs for male pattern hair loss, and whether either fits is a conversation for a doctor. The American Academy of Dermatology hair loss guidance is a good starting point before an appointment.
Is Nutrafol worth it?
Nutrafol's retailer scores look excellent, but our analysis suggests the headline ratings are more positive than the non-gifted subset. That group is small, 81 reviews, so it isn't definitive. The differences are large enough that we would give those reviews more weight when judging results, cost and value.
Retailer reviews are only one part of the evidence. Nutrafol also has placebo-controlled trials, formulas for different life stages and a six-month guarantee. On price, the signal is clear: cost came up in 12.3% of reviews without a free product, against 3.1% of gifted ones. If Nutrafol's 4-capsule routine or $79 monthly price is your objection, that is where alternatives become relevant.
$49.90 a month, not $79
Subscribe to The Root Co. Hair Vitamin and save 17%, with free shipping. Pause or cancel your subscription anytime.
Nutrafol alternatives
- Biotin-only vitamins cost less but target one nutrient, which may not match thinning with more than one cause. Here is why single-nutrient hair vitamins often disappoint.
- Minoxidil is a drug with a clearer treatment role for pattern thinning, applied to the scalp or prescribed. It is a different category with different trade-offs.
- Viviscal is another oral supplement; we cover the trade-offs in Viviscal vs Nutrafol.
- The Root Co. Hair Vitamin is a drug-free supplement with a smaller dose and a lower price, compared below.
Nutrafol vs The Root Co.
For most buyers the question is whether Nutrafol's extra cost and extra capsules buy something they care about.
| Buyer question | Nutrafol Women Advanced | The Root Co. |
|---|---|---|
| Capsules a day | 4 | 2 |
| Subscription price | $79 a month | $49.90 a month |
| Cost per year on subscription | $948 | $598.80 |
| One-time price | $88 | $59.90 |
| Formula choice | Separate formulas by life stage and sex | One formula for women and men |
| Published evidence | Placebo-controlled trials of Nutrafol formulas | One 38-person study with no placebo group |
| Money-back guarantee | 6 months | 90 days |
| Biotin-free and vegan | Yes | Yes |
| Best fit | You want a formula for your life stage and a longer guarantee | You want half the capsules and about $349 a year less |
Nutrafol details from nutrafol.com, The Root Co. details from its Supplement Facts label and product page, September 2026.
The main trade-off is straightforward: The Root Co. costs less and requires two capsules a day instead of four, while Nutrafol offers more formula options, a longer guarantee and more robust published clinical evidence. The Root Co.'s 38-person Phyllotex study did not include a placebo group, so it cannot establish cause and effect. See our full The Root Co. review and direct Nutrafol comparison for the underlying evidence.
Try the 2-capsule routine for 90 days
One formula for women and men. Start at $49.90 a month on subscription, or buy the 90-day supply for $129.90.
Sources
Review data
- Ulta: every customer review on seven Nutrafol product pages covering six formulas (Women's Balance 45+, Postpartum, Women 18-44, Women Vegan 18-44, Men and Men 50+), collected September 14 and 15, 2026.
- Amazon: public star-rating distributions for four Nutrafol listings (Women 18-44, Women's Balance 45+, Men and Postpartum), accessed September 14, 2026.
Product information
- Nutrafol: Women Advanced product page, ingredients and pricing, accessed September 14, 2026.
- The Root Co.: Supplement Facts label and product page, September 2026.
Medical and scientific sources
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of a Nutraceutical Supplement for Promoting Hair Growth in Perimenopausal, Menopausal, and Postmenopausal Women With Thinning Hair. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Commercial Oral Supplements for Hair Growth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026.
- Friend or Foe? Saw Palmetto, a Systematic Review in Alopecia. Evron E, et al., 2020.
- Hair loss: diagnosis and treatment. American Academy of Dermatology.
- Treating hair loss in men. Harvard Health Publishing.
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking prescription medication, or experiencing sudden or significant hair loss, consult your healthcare provider before adding a new supplement to your routine. The Root Co. contains pau d'arco. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or take blood-thinning medication, discuss its use with your healthcare provider first. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
FAQ
Are most Nutrafol reviews on Ulta from people who received the product free?
On Ulta, yes. 520 of the 601 Nutrafol reviews we analyzed (86.5%) disclose that the reviewer received the product free. Gifted reviews averaged 4.79 stars and the other 81 averaged 3.73. A free product does not make a review dishonest, but gifted reviews make up most of Ulta's overall score.
What do negative Nutrafol reviews complain about?
Among the 30 Ulta reviews rated 1 or 2 stars, 17 described little or no change, 13 described a side effect, 6 raised the price and 4 complained about the taste or smell. Many reviews raised more than one.
Why do some people say Nutrafol didn't work?
23 of 601 Ulta reviewers described little or no change, many of them after three months or more. Several pointed to their own situation, such as shedding after pregnancy, long-standing genetic hair loss or menopause. Reviews cannot show why a supplement did not work for someone.
Is Nutrafol worth $79 a month?
It depends on what you value. Price came up in 12.3% of Ulta reviews from reviewers who did not disclose a free product, against 3.1% of gifted reviews. In Nutrafol's favor, it has placebo-controlled trials and a six-month money-back guarantee, which limits the risk of trying it.
Do people stop taking Nutrafol because of the capsule count?
Not in the reviews we coded. 44 reviewers called the 4-capsule dose a drawback, but reviewers who wrote that they stopped taking Nutrafol most often gave side effects as the reason, followed by cost.
Are Nutrafol's Amazon reviews better or worse than Ulta's?
Lower. The three largest Nutrafol listings on Amazon average 3.9 to 4.2 stars, with 9% to 16% of ratings at 1 star, against 4.65 across our 601 Ulta reviews, most of which were gifted. Amazon and Ulta ratings are not directly comparable because the platforms have different review populations, listing histories and review systems. Amazon ratings build up over years, so some may cover earlier formulas.
How does Nutrafol compare with The Root Co.?
The biggest differences are dose, price, formula choice, guarantee length and published evidence. Nutrafol Women Advanced is four capsules a day and $79 a month on subscription, while The Root Co. is two capsules a day and $49.90 a month. Nutrafol offers separate formulas by life stage, a six-month guarantee and placebo-controlled trials. The Root Co. uses one formula for women and men, has a 90-day guarantee and has one 38-person study without a placebo group.
