The 12 Best Brow Growth Serums of 2023, According to Dermatologists and Trichologists
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Revitalash Revitabrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner takes our top spot
Amazon / Sephora
While brow trends come and go, from skinny and precise shapes of the early aughts to bushy and bold à la Brooke Shields, shaping the brows requires having brows to shape in the first place. That’s where the best brow growth serums can help. Brows can thin for a lot of different reasons, from years of tweezing to chronic stress, which explains why thinning or sparse brows are so common.
Sometimes, that hair loss is temporary. “For example, hormonal imbalances or changes can cause brows to thin, which is often seen during pregnancy and menopause specifically,” says Dendy Engelman, MD, a dermatologist at Shafer Clinic in New York City. “Nutritional deficiencies, stress, and skin conditions can also contribute to thinning brows.”
However, thinning brows can also result from aging (through a similar mechanism to how hair on the head thins over the years, too). While brow serums won’t necessarily turn back time, they can encourage new growth — and help you retain the hair you do have. Brow serums aren't a magical fix-all, and some hair may not ever grow back. But, with regular use, brow serums can drastically change the look and feel of your arches so that you can play with their shape by adding as much brow gel as you please.
Because so many factors can influence thinning brows, it can still be worth incorporating a brow growth serum into your routine — either to maintain your current arches or encourage healthy follicle growth.
With that in mind, consider the best brow growth serums hand-picked by the pros.
Best Overall: RevitaLash RevitaBrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner Serum
Who It's Good For
Since it’s designed by an ophthalmologist and hypoallergenic, it’s great for anyone who has eye sensitivities.
Who It's Not Good For
It’s pricey, so not ideal for someone on a budget.
While Revitalash is best known for its lash-growth serums—created by its founder, an ophthalmologist whose wife was then undergoing treatment for breast cancer—the brand has applied its innovative technology to the brows, too. The formula uses a proprietary BioPeptin Complex®, which includes peptides, lipids, green tea extract, and biotin to condition and protect fragile brow hairs. (For the uninitiated: “Peptides are a chain of amino acids that become proteins that help thicken the brow hairs,” says Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, co-founder of Modern Dermatology.)
“It targets eyebrow aging to make eyebrows appear healthier, bolder, and more defined,” says Engelman. “It’s also great because it protects against breakage due to chemical and environmental stressors, making your brows stronger than ever.” It's also safe for tinted brows, and won't impact those with permanent or semi-permanent makeup (like microblading, for instance). Plus, the doe-foot applicator makes it a cinch to swipe on the brows. One user said she was skeptical of this product initially, but her eyebrows are thicker now than they have ever been thanks to RevitaBrow.
Price at time of publish: $111
Size: 3 mL | Active Ingredients: BioPeptin complex | Application: Once a day
Best Overall, Runner-Up: Grande Cosmetics GrandeBROW Brow Enhancing Serum
Who It's Good For
Anyone wanting a relatively affordable product that's also ophthalmologist-tested.
Who It's Not Good For
Those who have shaky hands, since the super-fine brush can make application tricky.
Brow serums tend to be pricey — think triple digits for most — so at $73, this brow serum is a relative bargain. And it’s jam-packed with all sorts of nourishing ingredients for healthy brow growth. “I recommend GrandeBROW Brow Enhancing Serum as an OTC option because it’s infused with vitamins and antioxidants that work to promote healthier-looking brows over time,” says Engelman. You’ll also find the usual skincare-minded suspects in here, too, like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, for extra hydration.
Thanks to these active ingredients, “the formula conditions your brow hairs to create a fuller-looking brow, making the serum perfect for sparse, thinning or even over-plucked brows,” she says. Of course, consistency is key, and the tube holds just enough serum for four months’ worth of application (which is based on the length of brow hair’s growth cycle), although you might begin to see improvements around the six-week mark.
Price at time of publish: $73
Size: 3 mL | Active Ingredients: L-Proline, hyaluronic acid | Application: Once a day
Fastest Acting: Vegamour VegaBrow Eyebrow Volumizing Serum
Who It's Good For
Those who want a more fast-acting solution, as it’s clinically proven to work quickly.
Who It's Not Good For
Anyone who can’t be consistent with the application, since it needs to be applied twice a day.
Rather than conditioning the brows, this serum aims to stimulate the hair growth process and stretch out the growth phase of the growth cycle. When this happens, New York City trichologist and hairstylist Shab Reslan says, “This makes the hair strands grow for longer than they typically would before ceasing to grow and eventually fall out.”
This formula harnesses a combo of red clover and mung bean, which help regulate the growth factors that contribute to hair loss, as well as amino acids, which help encourage healthy follicle growth. The payoff: The brows will start to look thicker and fuller after around four weeks of consistent use.
Price at time of publish: $72
Size: 3 mL | Active Ingredients: Peptides, red clover, mung bean | Application: Up to twice a day
Best Two-in-One: Maya Chia Power Fol Lash and Brow Multi-Correctional Growth Serum
Who It's Good For
Anyone who needs both brow and lash growth serum, as it's a 2-in-1 product. It's also great for animal lovers with a vegan and cruelty-free formula.
Who It's Not Good For
While it's a good value, the price is still steep, so it's not ideal for anyone only needing brow growth serum.
If you’re targeting both lashes and brows, consider this dual-ended formula. (Hey, why not both?) On one end, it features a thin, super-fine tip to allow for application along the lash line; the other has a thicker brush to swipe the formula onto brows. To add volume to the brows, “this contains peptides and botanical extracts,” says Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. That includes the brand’s patent-pending Quadruple Peptide Complex formulation.
Plus, it’s got the stats to back it up. “In an 8-week study conducted by a third party, 90.9 percent of the participants reported significant growth.” Plus, she notes, it’s both vegan and certified by Leaping Bunny (which is the gold standard for cruelty-free certification).
Price at time of publish: $110
Size: 8 mL | Active Ingredients: Quadruple peptide complex | Application: Up to twice a day
Related: The 10 Best Eyelash Curlers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
Best for Sensitive Skin: Joey Healy Brow Renovation Serum
Who It's Good For
It’s ideal for those with sensitivities, since it’s free of parabens and fragrance (it's also cruelty-free and vegan).
Who It's Not Good For
If you’re looking to spend less, this might not be the one for you.
Who better than celebrity brow artist Joey Healy, who’s based in New York City, to formulate a brow growth serum? Better yet, it actually works: “It contains peptides and hydrolyzed wheat protein, as well as botanical extracts and vitamins A, C, and E,” Dr. King says, noting that it’s also paraben free. Those peptides are key since they’re responsible for strengthening hair follicles.
The formula also contains anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as white tea, to soothe skin. On top of that, the vitamins “all support the hair at the surface as well as the skin beneath it,” says Dr. Robinson. That said, it’s the most expensive brow serum on this list, and the tube will last about two to three months.
Price at time of publish: $118.75
Size: 0.25 oz. | Active Ingredients: Peptides, hydrolyzed wheat | Application: Twice daily for the first six weeks, then daily
Backed by Science: Women's Rogaine 5% Minoxidil Foam for Hair Thinning and Loss
Who It's Good For
Anyone who wants a clinically proven option, look no further than this option that's available at a great price.
Who It's Not Good For
It can get messy, so it may not be ideal for those wanting a quick and easy application.
While it’s an off-label use of the hair-growth formula, research has found that good old Rogaine can help bolster the brows. In a study published in The Journal of Dermatology, “40 participants applied a 2 percent concentration to their brows over a period of 16 weeks,” says Dr. King. “At the end of the study, participants who used Rogaine saw better results overall.” Not only that, but the researchers concluded that Rogaine can be both a safe and effective treatment for brow growth.
That said, it’s still Rogaine, which means the application is different (and a little more involved) than your usual brow serum. You have to apply the foam to the brows and massage it in before letting it dry; while there’s also a liquid version of Women’s Rogaine that’s applied via a dropper, it may be more likely to run into your eyes.
Price at time of publish: $45.44
Size: Two 2.11 oz. cans | Active Ingredients: Minoxidil | Application: Once a day
Related: The 13 Best Hair Growth Products of 2023
Best Clinical Strength: Latisse Bimatoprost Ophthalmic Solution 0.03%
Who It's Good For
Someone who wants proven results and is willing to consult with a practitioner.
Who It's Not Good For
It’s not ideal for those on a budget or someone who doesn't want to have to go through a practitioner to order the product.
As with Rogaine, Latisse is FDA-approved only for eyelash growth, so swiping it onto the brows is technically an off-label use. It works a little differently than other brow serums, too. “Latisse is a prescription-strength formula that contains prostaglandin analogs, or bimatoprost, which work by manipulating the growth cycle to extend it, allowing more time for the hairs to grow in before resting and shedding,” says Dr. Robinson, who advises talking to your dermatologist about it before using.
That said, it’s not usually covered by insurance unless you’ve lost your brows for medical reasons, like chemotherapy. (But even then, it can depend on your plan.) The upside is that you can use it on your lashes, too — and you can trust that it delivers results since it’s been approved by the FDA to do just that.
Price at time of publish: $110
Size: 3 mL | Active Ingredients: Bimatoprost | Application: Once a day
Read Full Review: We Tried It: Latisse, An Eyelash-Growing Serum
Best Clean: MILK MAKEUP KUSH Lash + Brow Enhancing Serum
Who It's Good For
Someone who wants to enhance both brows and lashes — and loves clean ingredients.
Who It's Not Good For
Those who want results ASAP, as it can take time to see an improvement.
While some botanical oils have been linked to hair growth (see: castor oil, which we’ll get to in a moment), they could be doing more harm than good, says Dr. Robinson. “Proceed with caution when it comes to oils,” she warns. “While they’re oftentimes ‘natural,’ they can also be comedogenic — leading to acne in the area or even clogged pores, which could actually inhibit hair growth.”
Rather than relying on the slick stuff, then, this serum deploys hemp-derived cannabis seed extract (which both hydrates and soothes skin) as well as a proprietary peptide blend, which can help promote thicker hairs. It's also infused with aloe and quinoa to nourish the hair follicles, making for a formula that's 94 percent natural.
Price at time of publish: $52
Size: 3.5 mL | Active Ingredients: Hemp-derived cannabis sativa extract, peptides | Application: Twice a day
Best Oil-Based: Pure Body Naturals Organic Castor Oil for Eyelashes and Eyebrows
Who It's Good For
The person looking for an affordable option — and who’s game to try out a more natural formula.
Who It's Not Good For
Someone who prefers a formula backed by clinical studies.
If you’ve heard that castor oil can help with hair growth (on the scalp, lashes, and brows alike) you’re not alone — it’s a popular home remedy for promoting hair growth. The good news? “Castor oil is not damaging to the hair, and can provide some conditioning that improves the flexibility of the hair fiber,” says Dr. King. That said, there are no studies that show castor oil directly leads to hair growth.
“The thinking is that the ricinoleic acid in castor oil activates a prostanoid receptor and has been shown to increase synthesis of prostaglandin E2 in some tissues in-vitro, and we know that prostaglandin analogs can be helpful for hair growth — Latisse! — so this could be a possible mechanism of action,” she explains. (In other words, it could potentially act like DIY Latisse — but again, there’s no scientific evidence of this.) If you want to give it a shot, this pure castor oil formula is budget-friendly and might, at the very least, make your brows shiny and soft.
Price at time of publish: $9.99 (orig. $15.95)
Size: 30 mL | Active Ingredients: Castor oil | Application: Once a day
Related: The 7 Best Tweezers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
Best Value: The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum
Who It's Good For
This is ideal for those who want an affordable and effective serum that they can use on both brows and lashes.
Who It's Not Good For
It does require twice-a-day application, and some users noted the application brush didn't hold up.
The Ordinary is known for its highly effective and affordable products, including the Multi-Peptide Serum. This product is packed with ingredients that may help eyebrow growth, including peptides, caffeine, and botanical extracts. We also love that this water-based serum can be used on both brows and lashes — and is safe to use with eyelash extensions.
This product also has a clinical study to back it up, showing significant improvement in lash and brow fullness and density in four weeks. Some users did note that the applicator brush didn’t hold up well with frequent use. However, for the affordable price and the effectiveness, that doesn’t appear to be a dealbreaker for most people.
Price at time of publish: $14.50
Size: 1 oz. | Active Ingredients: Peptides, caffeine, camellia extract | Application: Twice a day
Top Rated at Amazon: Pronexa Hairgenics Lavish Lash Serum by Hairgenics
Who It's Good For
This product is a good choice for those who want a top-rated product that works quickly and offers a money-back guarantee.
Who It's Not Good For
The applicator is thin, so it may take more time to coat your brows with enough of the product.
More than 19,000 five-star reviews make Pronexa Hairgenics serum one of the top-rated products at Amazon. Users raved that this affordable brow and lash product makes their brows thicker and their lashes longer, it works quickly, and is easy to apply.
This product stimulates hair growth with botanically derived compounds, including peptides and biotin. The brand says that with once-a-day use, you should notice hair growth within 60 days (and they offer a money-back guarantee). This product is hypoallergenic and dermatologist-certified. One drawback is that because this product is made for both lashes and brows, the applicator is thin. You may need to spend more time applying it to your brows to ensure they are coated with enough product.
Price at time of publish: $19.99 (orig. $24.89)
Size: 3 mL | Active Ingredients: Peptides, biotin | Application: Once a day
Related: 13 Under-$30 Beauty Products on Amazon So Popular, They've Gained 'Hall of Fame' Status
Best for Sparse Brows: RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum
Who It's Good For
Those who have sparse brows that want an easy-to-apply product that works quickly.
Who It's Not Good For
This serum has a thicker consistency that works well to set brows in place; however, this isn't for those who want a lightweight brow serum.
If you have sparse brows, RapidLash has a potent blend of six ingredients, including peptides, keratin, biotin, vitamin B, sweet almond extract, and apple fruit extract, to help boost hair growth. The unique spoolie applicator ensures that each strand, no matter how small, is coated with the product. The formula also has a gel consistency and works well to help style and set brows in place. (Keep that in mind if you would prefer a lighter-weight serum).
Apply the serum twice a day to your brows and the brand says you will have thicker, fuller, and more defined brows within one to two months.
Price at time of publish: $34.69 (orig. $42.75)
Size: 3 mL | Active Ingredients: Peptides, panthenol, keratin, biotin, apple fruit extract, sweet almond extract | Application: Twice a day
Things to Consider Before Buying a Brow Growth Serum
Ingredients
While some hair growth formulas are powered by FDA-regulated ingredients, like minoxidil (found in Rogaine) and bimatoprost (in Latisse), other active ingredients can help build up brows. “For conditioning serums, I recommend looking for formulations with peptides, amino acids, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins — namely vitamins A, B, C, and E,” says Dr. Robinson. “Together, these ingredients can enhance thickness, shine, and resiliency of your brows.”
Application Frequency
Choose a brow growth serum that best matches with your lifestyle. Some serums require you to apply twice a day, which may not be ideal for those that have busy schedules or anyone not good with sticking to routines. Many on the list including our top pick (the Revitalash Cosmetics RevitaBrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner Serum) only require one application per day.
Skin Sensitivity
Be aware of any side effects that may occur when using brow serums, which can include irritation, redness, and itchy skin and eyes. If you do have sensitive skin, look for gentle, hypoallergenic products. One good choice on our list is Joey Healy's Brow Renovation Serum which is free of parabens and fragrance. If you do have any side effects, stop using it right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do eyebrow growth serums really work?
While they can work, it’s important to have realistic expectations. “Eyebrow serums typically don’t work to help your brows grow any faster, but they do contain strengthening ingredients, which help improve your brow health overall,” says Dr. Engelman. “There are also moisturizing ingredients that help, but these formulations mostly work to prevent existing hair from falling out.”
How do I fix my thinning eyebrows?
A brow growth serum can help you hang onto your hairs — as can other steps. “Much like the scalp, any kind of follicle-congesting products and ingredients that are not sufficiently cleansed off the eyebrows can cause thinning,” says Reslan. (Think of it like applying dry shampoo to your scalp and never washing; it can inadvertently plug the hair follicles and prevent healthy growth.) Plus, “daily exfoliation is required for anyone using eyebrow gel or thickeners,” she says. That’s because a clogged follicle can lead to inflammation, which may in turn contribute to thin or weak hairs.
How long does it take for eyebrow serums to work?
You may start to see hair growth within the first month or two, but full results often won't be seen until you have been using the product consistently for four months. It is important to be patient and consistent with the application according to the instructions for the best results. You should also keep your expectations in check as far as how much new growth you will have. If you stop using the product, your brows will eventually return to their original fullness.
Take Our Word for It
Deanna Pai has been covering beauty and health for over 10 years, writing deeply reported stories on everything from the rise of fermented ingredients in skincare to the merits of intermittent fasting.
Meet Our Experts
Dendy Engelman, MD is a dermatologist at Shafer Clinic in New York City.
Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD is the president and co-founder of Modern Dermatology, as well as the founder of DMR Research.
Hadley King, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.
Shab Reslan is a New York City trichologist and hairstylist.
Up Next: The 12 Best Eye Creams for Puffiness of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
