Ingredient spotlight · Vitamin B6, pyridoxine hydrochloride in Health Royals’ Hair Beautification, hair vitamins with millet extract · 5 min read
Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism and to the regulation of hormonal activity. It also contributes to normal cysteine synthesis, and cysteine is one of the amino acids hair keratin is built from. The reference intake is 1.4 mg a day, and Hair Beautification contains exactly that, as pyridoxine hydrochloride, alongside Keranat®, zinc and biotin.
Key takeaways
• Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism and to the regulation of hormonal activity.
• It also contributes to normal cysteine synthesis. Cysteine is part of keratin, the protein the hair fibre is made of, which is why B6 belongs in a supplement for hair.
• Hair Beautification contains 1.4 mg vitamin B6 per daily dose as pyridoxine hydrochloride, 100 percent of the EU reference intake.
Vitamin B6 is rarely the headline ingredient in a supplement for hair, and it does not need to be. Its job sits one step further back: in the chemistry that turns protein from food into the amino acids the body builds with, keratin included.
That is why vitamin B6 is one of the four ingredients in Hair Beautification, the hair supplement from Health Royals. Here is what the vitamin is, what it contributes to, which form we chose and why the dose is 1.4 mg.
Vitamin B6 at Health Royals
Hair Beautification contains 1.4 mg vitamin B6 per daily dose as pyridoxine hydrochloride, 100 percent of the reference intake, together with 300 mg Keranat® millet complex from Robertet, zinc 10 mg and biotin 50 µg. Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism and to the regulation of hormonal activity.
What is vitamin B6?
A small family of related compounds, pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine, that the body converts into one active coenzyme.
That coenzyme is pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, usually shortened to PLP, and it takes part in a large number of enzyme reactions, above all those involving amino acids. Vitamin B6 is water-soluble and found in fish, poultry, meat, potatoes, chickpeas, bananas, wholegrains and fortified cereals.
Why does vitamin B6 matter for hair?
Because hair is protein, and vitamin B6 works where protein is handled.
Protein from food is broken down into amino acids, which are then rebuilt, converted or used for energy through a network of enzyme reactions. Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism because its coenzyme form runs many of those reactions. It also contributes to normal cysteine synthesis, and cysteine is one of the amino acids in keratin, the structural protein that makes up most of the visible hair fibre. How the follicle builds that fibre is explained in how hair grows.
No single vitamin decides how hair grows or sheds. Genes, hormones, age, stress, illness and overall nutrition all play a part. What we do know is that the protein chemistry behind every strand depends on vitamin B6, and that a daily intake at the reference level covers that need.
Hair is built from protein. Vitamin B6 is part of how the body handles protein.
What does the regulation of hormonal activity mean?
It is the wording of an authorised EU claim, and it describes a normal nutritional function.
Hormones are chemical messengers that coordinate metabolism, reproduction, the stress response and the menstrual cycle. Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity, which means it is one of the nutrients those systems rely on to work normally.
What else does vitamin B6 contribute to?
Energy, the nervous system and the reduction of tiredness.
Vitamin B6 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the nervous system, to normal psychological function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. The role is metabolic, not stimulating: it supports the systems behind normal energy rather than producing a surge of it.
Why pyridoxine hydrochloride?
Because it is a stable, clearly defined and well-established form that the body converts into PLP itself.
Some products use PLP directly, often at a higher price. For someone with a normal metabolism, pyridoxine hydrochloride does the same job once absorbed, and it stays stable in the capsule until the jar is finished. Other permitted forms have their place, and what matters to us is that the form is specified and the dose is right. For us, the dose matters as much as the raw material.
The ingredient at a glance
An essential B vitamin, dosed at the reference intake, in one capsule with Keranat®, zinc and biotin.
Form
Pyridoxine hydrochloride
Daily amount
1.4 mg vitamin B6
100% NRV
In the product
Hair Beautification, with Keranat®, zinc and biotin
Why does Hair Beautification contain 1.4 mg vitamin B6?
Because 1.4 mg is the EU reference intake, the amount set to cover the daily need.
Hair Beautification contains 1.4 mg vitamin B6 per daily dose, which is 100 percent of the nutrient reference value. With vitamin B6, a considered amount matters. Long-term use of high-dose supplements can cause nerve-related side effects, and the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the upper intake level in 2023. At the reference intake, Hair Beautification stays at an ordinary nutritional level, with room for the vitamin B6 you get from food.
That is the principle behind every vitamin and mineral we use: nothing is dosed higher than there is a reason for. If you take several products with vitamin B6, add up the total.
How does vitamin B6 fit into Hair Beautification?
As one of four ingredients, each with its own reason to be there.
At the centre is Keranat®, a defined millet complex from Robertet in Grasse. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in women, Keranat® at 300 mg a day for twelve weeks was measured by phototrichogram, and the study reported an average 50 percent reduction in hair loss against placebo. Keranat® was studied at 300 mg per day, and Hair Beautification contains 300 mg per daily dose.
Around it sit three nutrients at a nutritional level. Vitamin B6, 1.4 mg, for the protein chemistry. Zinc, 10 mg as zinc citrate: zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal hair, normal skin and normal nails and to the normal function of the immune system. Biotin, 50 µg: biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and normal skin. The Keranat® study ran on daily intake for twelve weeks, so the jar is designed to stand out on a shelf, where a daily capsule is easy to remember.
We have done the selection so that you do not have to. Hair Beautification gives you vitamin B6 at the reference intake, together with Keranat® at its studied dose, zinc and biotin, in doses we publish and can explain. Which other hair ingredients have support in research we go through in our guide to hair supplements, and our hair page collects the wider context. You can stop looking.
See Hair Beautification, hair vitamins with millet extract
Further reading
- Guide: thinning hair in women
- Guide: hair from within
- Millet extract for hair loss: what the Keranat® trial measured
- What is zinc good for? Hair, skin, nails and the immune system
- Biotin: what is it good for, and how much does hair need?
- How hair grows: the follicle, the cycle and how much shedding is normal
- The scalp: dandruff, itch and what the follicle needs from within
- Menopause: the biology, the stages and when to see a doctor
- Which hair supplements does the evidence support?
- Hair Beautification, hair vitamins with millet extract
Frequently asked questions
What is vitamin B6 good for?
Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism, to the regulation of hormonal activity and to normal cysteine synthesis. It also contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Why is vitamin B6 in a supplement for hair?
Hair is made mostly of keratin, a protein, and vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein metabolism and to normal cysteine synthesis, one of the amino acids in keratin. It is one of several nutritional fundamentals behind normal hair.
What does the regulation of hormonal activity mean?
It is the wording of an authorised EU claim: vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity. It means vitamin B6 is one of the nutrients the body’s hormonal systems rely on to work normally.
Is P-5-P a better form than pyridoxine hydrochloride?
For someone with a normal metabolism, the body converts pyridoxine hydrochloride into the active form itself. It is stable and well established, which is why we chose it.
How much vitamin B6 does Hair Beautification contain?
1.4 mg per daily dose as pyridoxine hydrochloride, 100 percent of the reference intake, alongside 300 mg Keranat®, zinc 10 mg and biotin 50 µg.
References
European Commission. EU Register of nutrition and health claims made on foods: authorised health claims for vitamin B6.
European Food Safety Authority. Dietary reference values for vitamin B6. EFSA Journal. 2016;14(6):4485.
European Food Safety Authority. Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B6. EFSA Journal. 2023.
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6: fact sheet for health professionals.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It summarises nutrient functions and published scientific information. Individual needs and experiences may vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions about supplementation, medication or personal health.
