Reporter.(Product/service evaluation)

Beauty Reporter

The Scoop

Hair Improvement

WHAT IT IS: Kerastase Densitive Daily Anti-Hair Thinning, Anti-Hair Loss Dietary Supplement. WHAT IT DOES: Two pills per day aim to reduce hair loss and thinning over three months by making the scalp healthier. WHAT'S IN IT: A complex of taurine, grape seed, green tea, and zinc. HOW IT WORKS: Taurine -- an amino acid naturally found in the body -- is deposited around each hair bulb, protecting it from becoming misshapen, according to tests conducted by L'Oreal Paris (the company that owns Kerastase). Grape-seed extract and green tea are antioxidants that L'Oreal says improve circulation to the scalp. And zinc supposedly jump-starts the production of hair's main protein, keratin. WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: "I am not aware of any definitive clinical studies showing that these ingredients reduce hair loss," says Jeffrey J. Miller, associate professor of dermatology at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and a specialist in hair loss. Taurine does have "reinforcing effects on cell membranes," says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer, but, like Miller, he knows of "no specific hair-related benefit it has." WHAT WE SAY: Maybe it's just the placebo effect, but after three weeks we swear there are fewer strands in our brush. COST: $60. -- HANNAH MORRILL

Beauty Reporter

Free Stuff

These products aren't available until next month, but the first 500 Allure readers to sign up at noon EST on the dates below will get one free. Log on to allure.com/freestuff for ...