Viviscal vs Nutrafol: Ingredients, Evidence and Cost
A marine-protein tablet against a botanical blend. Both have small placebo-controlled trials paid for or written by their makers; they differ on ingredients, allergens and price by about half.
Viviscal and Nutrafol sit in the same evidence band: each has small placebo-controlled trials tied to its maker, and neither has an independent repeat that we could find. The practical differences are ingredients and price. Viviscal is a marine-protein tablet with iron and shellfish-derived ingredients, listed at $40 for a one-month pack; Nutrafol Men is a botanical blend with vitamins, listed at $79 a month on subscription.
This entry is information only, written from published sources on 22 September 2026 and not reviewed by a clinician.
Side by side
The direct answer: the table shows two products with different ideas behind them and similar-quality evidence.
| Compared on | Viviscal Hair Growth Supplement | Nutrafol Men |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Marine protein complex plus vitamins and minerals | Botanical blend plus vitamins and minerals |
| Headline ingredients | AminoMar marine complex (collagen and oyster extract), horsetail, millet, biotin, iron, zinc, vitamin C | Saw palmetto, curcumin, ashwagandha, tocotrienols, marine collagen, hyaluronic acid |
| Allergen note | Contains oyster extract; not suitable for vegetarians or vegans | Contains marine collagen from fish |
| Placebo-controlled trials we read | Women 2015, 60 randomised; men 2016 | Men 2025, 85 completed; women 2018 and 2021 |
| Ties to the maker | 2015 trial funded by Lifes2good, named as the maker | 2025 trial funded by Nutraceutical Wellness Inc. |
| List price | $40 for a one-month pack | $79 a month on subscription |
| Owner | Church & Dwight | Unilever holds a controlling stake |
Twelve months, Viviscal against Nutrafol Men
The two brands in brief
The direct answer: Viviscal is a Church & Dwight brand built around a marine-protein complex; Nutrafol is made by Nutraceutical Wellness Inc., controlled by Unilever since 2022, and built around botanicals.
Viviscal's homepage, read on 22 September 2026, listed a women's hair growth supplement from $40, a men's hair growth supplement from $40, a shed-control supplement from $40 and a "4D" hair growth cycle supplement from $70. Its product page offers one-month, three-month and six-month packs, with free shipping on subscriptions and a shipping fee on smaller one-off orders. Nutrafol sells separate men's formulas for ages 18 to 49 and over 50, women's formulas and add-ons, and its men's capsule was $79 a month on subscription when we checked. Both brands print the standard FDA statement that their claims have not been evaluated.
Ingredients: two different bets
The direct answer: Viviscal bets on marine protein and classic nutrients; Nutrafol bets on botanicals aimed at hormones, stress and inflammation.
Viviscal's women's label, as printed on its product page, lists vitamin C, niacin, biotin, calcium, iron, zinc, the AminoMar marine complex made from collagen and oyster extract, horsetail extract and millet seed extract. The iron is worth noticing: iron is useful when you are short of it and unwanted when you are not, which is one reason to ask your doctor about a ferritin test first. Nutrafol Men's page names saw palmetto, curcumin, Sensoril ashwagandha, tocotrienols, marine collagen peptides and hyaluronic acid, plus vitamins and minerals; our entry on Nutrafol ingredients, one by one covers each.
Evidence: similar strength, similar weakness
The direct answer: both have randomised, placebo-controlled trials with positive results; both sets are small and linked to the companies selling the products.
Viviscal's 2015 trial randomised 60 women with self-perceived thinning to the supplement or placebo for 90 days and found more terminal hairs in a marked scalp area and less shedding; the paper states it was sponsored and funded by Lifes2good. A 2016 trial tested the men's version for six months against placebo. Nutrafol's 2025 men's trial enrolled 112 men, saw 85 finish, and found more men on the supplement rated improved; it was funded by Nutraceutical Wellness Inc.
The 2023 JAMA Dermatology systematic review named both Viviscal and Nutrafol among products where the highest-quality evidence showed potential benefit. Neither brand's results have been repeated by an independent team in any trial we found. That is why both share the "Some" grade on our hair growth supplements graded by evidence page.
The men's trials, compared
The direct answer: both brands have one placebo-controlled trial in men, each six months long.
Viviscal's 2016 trial, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, tested its men's formula against placebo in adult men with clinically diagnosed male pattern hair loss and reported significant increases in total hair count, total hair density and terminal hair density at 180 days. Nutrafol's 2025 trial in the same journal found significantly more men on its supplement rated improved by blinded investigators. Viviscal's trial measured hair counts, which is a firmer measure; Nutrafol's reported the number of people who completed it, 85, which we could not confirm for Viviscal's from the abstract. Neither has been repeated independently in any trial we found.
Safety notes for each
- Viviscal: shellfish-derived ingredients and iron. People with a shellfish allergy, or a condition that makes extra iron a problem, should check with a doctor.
- Nutrafol: a longer ingredient list, biotin that can distort lab tests, botanicals that appear in liver-injury grading schemes, and a maker's caution for people on blood thinners. See Nutrafol side effects and who should avoid it.
- Both: they are dietary supplements, not medicines, and neither is approved by the FDA to treat hair loss.
Cost: roughly half
The direct answer: at list prices, twelve months of Viviscal costs $480 and twelve months of Nutrafol Men on the monthly subscription costs $948.
Viviscal's store listed three- and six-month packs at $120 and $240, the same monthly rate as the single pack, while Nutrafol's prepaid plans bring its monthly price down to about $70.33. Even at Nutrafol's cheapest plan, the year costs $844, so the gap stays wide.
Which one fits whom
The direct answer: neither is a first step; after a diagnosis, the choice comes down to allergies, iron and budget.
- Someone with a shellfish allergy should not choose Viviscal.
- Someone whose doctor has ruled out low iron may prefer a formula without it; someone told they are low should follow the doctor's plan rather than a hair tablet.
- Someone on blood thinners or several medicines should clear either product with a doctor, and Nutrafol's longer list gives more to check.
- Someone on a tight budget is paying about half as much for Viviscal for evidence of similar quality.
Our Nutrafol review scores the men's capsule 5 out of 10 on a published rubric and lists every plan. If you want to check prices yourself, these are affiliate links: Viviscal's own store and Nutrafol's plans. We may earn a commission on either; the grades above do not depend on it.
If neither: the steps that pay nothing
The direct answer: before choosing between two supplements, it is worth checking whether you need either.
A GP or dermatologist can confirm whether your thinning is pattern hair loss, shedding after a stressful event, a thyroid problem or a deficiency, and can order blood tests if they are useful; our entry on getting iron, ferritin and vitamin D tested first explains why that order matters, especially with an iron-containing product like Viviscal. Topical minoxidil is an FDA-approved over-the-counter medicine for pattern hair loss, sold by pharmacies and store brands under its own label. None of these earns this site anything, and any of them may make the choice between Viviscal and Nutrafol unnecessary.