Topilutamide
guinea pig1 source
Topilutamide has a completed, published, placebo-controlled trial, which is more than most topical antiandrogens can claim. One trial, 43 men, from 2002. It showed anagen ratios climbing and no detectable drug in serum at the three draws they checked, which is exactly what you want from a topical antiandrogen. The problem is that the data is small, old, and nobody has replicated it in 24 years. Niche and unproven, but not unreasonable if you can source it.
What it is
A topical androgen receptor blocker available in a few European markets and as raw compound elsewhere. The design is clever: the molecule is hydrophobic and breaks down on contact with water, so it stays in the oily environment of the scalp and degrades before reaching your bloodstream. That is exactly the property every topical antiandrogen is chasing, and topilutamide had the published human data to show it works. The one small trial from 2002 confirmed the principle: applied at 2%, anagen ratios went up, and neither the drug nor its breakdown product showed up in serum.
What the research shows
One trial, one paper, two decades old:
Realistic protocols
Topilutamide is available as Eucapil in a few European countries, a pre-made 2% solution in isopropyl myristate. Outside Europe, sourcing means finding the raw compound and mixing it yourself, which puts it in research chemical territory despite being technically approved somewhere.
Apply once daily to dry scalp. The compound breaks down in water, so applying to wet hair or mixing into a water-based vehicle defeats the purpose. Let it absorb. Like every topical antiandrogen, this is maintenance: the effect reverses when you stop. The trial used 2%, and no data suggests a different concentration performs better.
Side effects
The one published trial reported a clean side-effect profile, but it was small and short: