Minoxidil Vs Pyrilutamide: How They Compare For Hair Loss
Last reviewed on 17 October 2026. We review our treatment guides every six months to keep them accurate.
Key points
They are both topicals, but they do opposite jobs. Minoxidil and pyrilutamide (also known as KX-826) are both applied to the scalp, but minoxidil stimulates the follicles to grow, while pyrilutamide blocks DHT, the hormone that drives male pattern hair loss.
Minoxidil does not touch DHT. It works through other routes, widening blood vessels and prolonging the growth phase of the hair cycle, so it supports hair regardless of the hormonal cause but does not slow the underlying process.
Pyrilutamide tackles the hormonal cause, locally. It blocks DHT at the follicle without lowering the hormone in the body, which is meant to limit whole-body side effects.
Because they work differently, they are not really rivals. One stimulates growth and the other blocks the hormonal trigger, so in principle they could complement each other rather than compete, much as minoxidil is already paired with a DHT-lowering tablet.
Both can now be bought, but only one is a proven medicine. Minoxidil is a licensed, proven treatment you can buy today, while pyrilutamide is sold over the counter as a cosmetic, is not an approved medicine, and has had mixed trial results.
Pyrilutamide could one day be a topical partner for minoxidil. If it is approved, a stimulant plus a scalp anti-androgen could tackle hair loss from two directions without a tablet, but that is for the future.
Neither adds hair or restores a bald scalp. Both support the hair you still have; for bald areas a hair transplant is the only option that adds hair. Which suits you is best decided with a clinician.
Minoxidil and pyrilutamide are both topical treatments you apply to the scalp, which makes it tempting to see them as rivals. In fact they do almost opposite jobs. Minoxidil is a stimulant that encourages the follicles to grow, working through routes that have nothing to do with the hormone behind male pattern hair loss. Pyrilutamide (KX-826) is an anti-androgen that blocks that hormone, DHT, at the scalp. The other crucial difference is availability: minoxidil is a proven treatment you can use today, while pyrilutamide is still in development.
This guide compares minoxidil and pyrilutamide neutrally: what each is, how they differ, how effective they are, where each stands, who each suits, and how they fit with other treatments. It is general information and not a substitute for advice from a doctor.
The short answer
Minoxidil and pyrilutamide are both topicals, but they work in completely different ways. Minoxidil is a proven stimulant: it widens blood vessels and prolongs the growth phase of the hair cycle, encouraging the follicles you still have to produce thicker, longer hairs, but it does nothing about DHT, the hormone that drives male pattern loss. Pyrilutamide, also called KX-826, is an experimental anti-androgen that blocks DHT at the follicle without lowering it in the body, tackling the hormonal cause locally. Because one stimulates growth and the other blocks the trigger, they are not really competitors, and in principle could be used together, the way minoxidil is already paired with a DHT-lowering tablet. The catch is that pyrilutamide is not approved: it is investigational, and its trial results have been mixed. So, in practice, minoxidil is the proven topical you can use now, while pyrilutamide is now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, though not as an approved, proven medicine, one that could one day, if proven and approved, partner minoxidil without the need for a tablet. Neither, though, can regrow a scalp that is already bald.
What is minoxidil?
Minoxidil is the most widely used topical treatment for hair loss, applied to the scalp as a solution or foam (and sometimes taken as a low-dose tablet). Rather than targeting the hormone behind male pattern loss, it stimulates the follicles directly. As a comprehensive review of minoxidil describes, it "acts through multiple pathways (vasodilator, anti-inflammatory agent, inducer of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, an antiandrogen), and may also affect the length of the anagen and telogen phases", and in practice its main effects are widening the blood vessels around the follicle and prolonging the growth phase, so hairs grow for longer and thicker. The same review notes that "topical minoxidil causes hair regrowth in both frontotemporal and vertex areas". Although that list mentions a minor anti-androgen action, minoxidil is not used or relied upon as a DHT blocker; it is a stimulant that boosts the follicles you still have. Our guide on minoxidil for hair loss covers it in detail, and finasteride versus minoxidil compares it with the first-line DHT-lowering tablet.
What is pyrilutamide (KX-826)?
Pyrilutamide, also known as KX-826, is an experimental topical anti-androgen developed specifically for hair loss by the company Kintor. Unlike minoxidil, which stimulates the follicles, pyrilutamide targets the hormone: it blocks DHT from acting on the follicle. As a 2026 review of emerging hair-loss pharmacotherapies describes, it is a "topical non-steroidal androgen receptor antagonist" that "blocks DHT at follicle without systemic DHT reduction", and it "works by blocking DHT’s effect on hair follicles without lowering overall DHT levels". The idea is to tackle the hormonal cause only at the scalp and so keep whole-body effects low. The review is clear, though, that it remains experimental: it reports "mixed phase III results (some trials met safety/efficacy endpoints in China; prior failures noted); ongoing long-term/1.0% trials", and lists it as "not FDA-approved; investigational". It is not approved or licensed as a prescription medicine for hair loss by regulators such as the UK’s MHRA or the US FDA. The same compound is, however, now sold over the counter as a cosmetic scalp solution, directly to consumers including in the UK, by its developer and its commercial partners. It is the same substance either way: being sold as a cosmetic rather than a licensed medicine does not mean it is a different or weaker product, only that it has not been through the trials and approval that would confirm how well it works. Our guide on pyrilutamide (KX-826) for hair loss covers where it stands.
Which is more effective for hair loss?
Minoxidil has the far stronger evidence, because it is established and proven while pyrilutamide, though now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, is not an approved medicine. Minoxidil has decades of use and good trial support for growing hair at the crown and front, as the minoxidil review sets out, and it is licensed for the purpose. Pyrilutamide has a plausible mechanism, blocking DHT at the follicle, but its results have been inconsistent: the emerging-pharmacotherapies review describes "mixed phase III results", with some endpoints met in China and "prior failures noted", and it is not approved.
The two are also not directly comparable, because they do different jobs: one grows hair, the other would protect it from the hormone. Minoxidil stimulates the follicles you still have, with proven results; pyrilutamide tries to block the hormone that shrinks them, with a plausible but, as yet, unproven and inconsistent effect. So the honest position is that minoxidil is proven and available, while pyrilutamide is a promising but unsettled option that tackles a different part of the problem.
Minoxidil vs pyrilutamide: how do they compare?
Both are topicals, but they target opposite things and differ in availability:
What they are: minoxidil is a topical (or low-dose oral) stimulant; pyrilutamide (KX-826) is a topical anti-androgen.
How they work: minoxidil stimulates the follicles, widening local blood vessels and prolonging the growth phase, without affecting DHT; pyrilutamide blocks DHT from acting on the follicle, tackling the hormonal cause rather than stimulating growth.
What they tackle: minoxidil supports hair regardless of the cause but does not slow the underlying process; pyrilutamide targets that underlying hormonal process locally but does not itself stimulate new growth.
Availability: minoxidil is licensed and available now; pyrilutamide is investigational and not approved.
Evidence: minoxidil has decades of use and good evidence; pyrilutamide’s trial results have been mixed, with some endpoints met and some failures.
Side effects: minoxidil is generally well tolerated, with scalp irritation and some early shedding the most common issues; pyrilutamide is designed to act only at the scalp to keep whole-body effects low, though its long-term safety is still being established.
Rivals or partners: because one grows hair and the other would block the hormonal trigger, they are complementary rather than competing, and could in principle be used together, giving a fully topical way to tackle hair loss from two directions.
What neither does: neither adds new hair or restores a bald area, so both are for supporting the hair you still have rather than replacing hair that is gone.
Which is right for you?
In practical terms today, minoxidil is the option you can actually use: it is proven, licensed, inexpensive and easy to apply, and it stimulates the follicles to grow thicker, longer hair. Pyrilutamide is not approved, and its trial results have been mixed, so however appealing the idea of a scalp anti-androgen that tackles the hormonal cause without a tablet, you can now buy it as a cosmetic, but it is not an approved or proven medicine, so it is best approached with caution rather than relied on as a proven treatment. The more useful way to think about them is not as a choice between two rivals but as two different jobs: minoxidil grows hair, while pyrilutamide would protect it from DHT. Many people already combine minoxidil with a DHT-lowering tablet for exactly that reason, and if pyrilutamide is approved, it could one day offer a fully topical way to do the same.
Neither, in any case, suits someone whose loss is advanced or whose follicles are already gone, because both only support hair that is still there. Because pyrilutamide is still experimental, the sensible step is to start with proven, available options such as minoxidil and to discuss the newer treatments with a clinician, who can keep you informed as each reaches approval.
Can they be combined with other treatments?
For now, combining minoxidil and pyrilutamide is theoretical, because pyrilutamide is not approved. In principle it is an appealing pairing, because minoxidil stimulates growth while pyrilutamide would block the hormonal trigger, so the two work at different points and should complement rather than overlap, giving a fully topical regimen without a tablet. That is the same logic behind today’s standard combination of minoxidil with a DHT-lowering tablet such as finasteride, which we compare in our guide on finasteride versus minoxidil. The comparisons with the other leading topical anti-androgen, clascoterone, are covered in our guides on minoxidil versus Breezula and Breezula versus pyrilutamide, and finasteride versus pyrilutamide looks at pyrilutamide against the first-line tablet.
Neither minoxidil nor pyrilutamide can restore hair where the follicles have been lost. Where loss is advanced, a hair transplant is a separate option that redistributes your own permanent hair, and a topical like minoxidil is often used around a transplant to support the surrounding hair. The key point is that these are treatments to support the hair you have, used as part of a wider plan, not a cure.
The bottom line
Minoxidil and pyrilutamide are both topicals applied to the scalp, but they do opposite jobs. Minoxidil is a proven stimulant that encourages the follicles to grow, working through routes that have nothing to do with DHT, while pyrilutamide (KX-826) is a topical anti-androgen that blocks DHT, the hormone behind male pattern hair loss, at the scalp. Minoxidil is licensed, inexpensive and available now; pyrilutamide is a promising scalp anti-androgen whose appeal is tackling the hormonal cause without a tablet, but it is not approved and its trial results have been mixed. Neither adds hair or restores a bald area.
If you are choosing a treatment today, minoxidil is the proven, licensed option, while pyrilutamide is now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, though not as an approved, proven medicine. But the better framing is that they are not really rivals: minoxidil grows hair, and pyrilutamide would protect it from DHT, so if pyrilutamide is approved the two could one day be a fully topical pairing. A clinician can help you decide what suits your hair loss now, usually minoxidil with or without a DHT-lowering tablet, and how newer treatments might fit in once they are approved.
Frequently asked questions
Is pyrilutamide better than minoxidil for hair loss?
It is not really the right question, because pyrilutamide, though now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, is not an approved or proven medicine. The two do different jobs: minoxidil stimulates the follicles to grow, while pyrilutamide blocks DHT, the hormone that drives the loss. Minoxidil is proven and available; pyrilutamide (KX-826) is a promising topical anti-androgen whose trial results have been mixed and which is not approved. So minoxidil is the established, licensed option, while pyrilutamide is sold as a cosmetic but not an approved medicine, and the two may ultimately work best together rather than as alternatives.
Is pyrilutamide available for hair loss?
It is not approved or licensed as a medicine for hair loss by the UK’s MHRA or the US FDA, and its trial results have been mixed. However, the same compound is now sold over the counter as a cosmetic scalp solution, directly to consumers including in the UK, by its developer and its commercial partners, so you can buy it. It is the same substance whether sold as a cosmetic or studied as a drug: being sold as a cosmetic does not mean you are getting something different or weaker, only that it has not had the data to confirm it is effective. Minoxidil, by contrast, is licensed and available over the counter.
What is the difference between minoxidil and pyrilutamide?
Both are applied to the scalp, but they work in opposite ways. Minoxidil is a stimulant: it widens blood vessels and prolongs the growth phase of the hair cycle, encouraging thicker, longer hairs, but it does not affect DHT, the hormone behind male pattern loss. Pyrilutamide (KX-826) is an anti-androgen: it blocks DHT from acting on the follicle, tackling the hormonal cause locally. So minoxidil grows hair, while pyrilutamide would protect it from the hormone; and both can be bought, but minoxidil is a licensed medicine while pyrilutamide is sold only as a cosmetic.
Could minoxidil and pyrilutamide be used together?
Not as a proven regimen yet. Pyrilutamide is now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, so in practice the two could be used together, but pyrilutamide is not an approved medicine and its evidence is mixed. In principle, though, it would be a sensible pairing: minoxidil stimulates growth while pyrilutamide would block DHT, so the two work at different points and should complement rather than clash. That is the same logic behind today’s standard combination of minoxidil with a DHT-lowering tablet such as finasteride. The appeal of pyrilutamide is that it could, if approved, offer a fully topical way to do this, a stimulant plus a scalp anti-androgen, without taking a tablet. But that remains for the future, and would be a decision to make with a clinician.
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