Emblica (Phyllanthus emblica Linn.) has been used to promote the growth of hair in traditional
medicine, however less is known regarding its pharmacological activities in hair follicles. To
investigate the effects of emblica fruit extracts in terms of hair growth stimulation, the proliferative
effects of extract in HaCaT keratinocytes and Dermal Papilla (DP) cells of human hair follicles were
determined by MTT assay and cell counts. The results show that emblica extract stimulated
proliferation of DP cells in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas it showed minimal effect
on keratinocytes, suggesting that the extract might promote hair growth by prolonging the anagen
phase through the proliferative effect on DP cells.