Expert-Backed Advice on How Alcohol- Free Minoxidil Could Be the Best Option for Hair Loss Among Men

Published 1 July 2026 · india

A clinical study found Man Matters’ cetosomal technology, alcohol-free minoxidil is built to do what the molecule alone never could: get more of the drug

A clinical study found Man Matters’ cetosomal technology, alcohol-free minoxidil is built to do what the molecule alone never could: get more of the drug into the scalp, and keep men using it long enough to matter. Dermatologists weigh in on what's genuinely new, and where the limits still lie. Hair loss affects millions of Indian men, yet the complaint about minoxidil, the most proven treatment available, has barely changed in decades: it's messy, it stings, and many men give up before it can work. A newer formulation is being talked about for going straight at that problem. Indian men's health platform Man Matters has introduced an alcohol-free minoxidil built on cetosomal technology, designed to drive more of the active ingredient into the scalp. According to dermatologists, including Dr. Mahalakshmi Peruri, MBBS, MD, the advance is real, but it lies in how the drug is delivered, not in what minoxidil itself can promise. For the many men let down by conventional minoxidil, she sees it as a meaningful next-generation option; what it doesn't do, doctors caution, is shortcut the slow, consistent effort that regrowth still demands. Here's what doctors say about how it works, who it can help, and what it realistically can and can't do.

HOW THE NEW MINOXIDIL WORKS The molecule itself is unchanged; this is still minoxidil. What's different is the delivery. The cetosomal, alcohol-free base is designed to get more of the drug into the follicle and to feel gentle enough that men actually keep using it- the single biggest factor in whether minoxidil works at all. What it won't do is rewrite biology. It can't revive dead follicles or reverse advanced baldness, and it isn't a cure. Like all minoxidil, it does most for early-to-moderate thinning, where follicles are still active. Is alcohol-free minoxidil as effective? Most conventional 5% solutions use alcohol to spread the drug across the scalp. The alcohol evaporates fast, often before enough has absorbed and tends to leave the scalp dry and itchy. An alcohol-free minoxidil sidesteps that: this one behaves like a light minoxidil lotion rather than a thin, drying liquid. In in-vitro testing, the company commissioned from Cymbiotics Inc., a conventional solution released 44% of its active ingredient over 24 hours, while the cetosomal version reached 58% in four and a half hours, pointing to up to 2x deeper scalp penetration than regular minoxidil. Does minoxidil have side effects? The main advantage of a minoxidil without alcohol is comfort: less of the dryness, itching and flaking that drive people to stop.