Update Feb 28, 2024. One of the first signs that we may be getting older is that our hair slowly starts to turn gray. Each year, people spend billions of dollars on dyes and creams to help hair keep its youthful appearance. But what about supplements? Yes, there are indeed pills touted to turn back the clock and restore hair to its natural color. One product I quickly ran into as I wrote this review is called Catalase Hx. The word – catalase – is a reference to what's said to be the active ingredient in most of these supplements. But do they work? In this review, I want to look at Catalase Hx, and in doing so, I will try to see if there is any evidence showing that it stops gray hair. If we can figure this out, we can understand all of these products. By the end of this review, you'll better understand whether these “no gray hair” supplements are right for you.
Who Makes Catalase Hx?
Invite Health is the name of the company. According to the Better Business Bureau file, Invite Health is located at 900 Shames Drive, Westbury, NY 11590. The outside of the building displays the name of the company.
An online search of this address also shows that this building is next door to “Hickey Chemists.” Jerry Hickey, a pharmacist, is the Chief Scientific Officer of Invite Health. He also hosts Invite Health Radio on local radio stations.
The About Page of Invite Health states that Hickey Chemists merged with Invite Health in 2001. The BBB did not have a rating for the Invite Health when this review was updated. Ratings change over time, so see the BBB for updates and additional information.
How To Contact Invite Health
Their website lists a hotline number of 800-349-0929. According to the Better Business Bureau File, Invite Heath can also be reached at 718- 325-1100. The contact number listed on the bottle of Catalase Hx I have is 800 437 8090.
Catalase Hx Ingredients & Supplement Facts
According to the product label, one bottle of Catalase Hx contains 30 vegetarian capsules. Each capsule, has the following ingredients:
| Catalase | 600 mg (3600 units activity) |
| Picrorhiza Kurrora Root Powder | 1000 mg |
Other ingredients include hypromellose (for the veggie capsule), rice flower and vegetable stearate.
Let's look at the key ingredients separately
Catalase
Catalase is an enzyme, and a lack of it is involved in hair turning gray. As we get older, we make less catalase. To summarize the explanation listed on the Invite Health website, lack of catalase causes the buildup of hydrogen peroxide, which in turn “bleaches” the hair and skin by blocking the production of the pigment melanin, which gives skin and hair its color.
They go on to say that adding catalase can aid in “helping to prevent discoloration.”
This is an intriguing notion.
Could taking the catalase enzyme:
1. prevent gray hair?
2. restore the natural color to already gray hair?
Previously, the website stated that might help “prevent discoloration.” That is not necessarily the same as saying catalase would reverse grey hair to its normal color. These words have since been amended to “Catalase is a natural antioxidant that helps regulate hydrogen peroxide.”
Does Catalase Prevent Gray Hair?
Even so, is there any evidence that the catalase enzyme helps prevent gray hair? While there seems little doubt the enzyme plays a role in gray hair development. Unfortunately, proof could not be found that catalase supplements reverse or prevent the graying process. In clinical databases, I saw no studies attempting to see if giving catalase to people would return hair to its normal color or slow down the graying process.
Studies related to catalase and gray hair that were located include:
- A 2014 study titled Premature Graying as a Consequence of Compromised Antioxidant Activity in Hair Bulb Melanocytes and Their Precursors
- A 2009 study titled Senile hair graying: H2O2-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair.
Neither of these studies shows that catalase supplementing stops or reverses gray hair.
Picrorhiza Kurroa
According to the Invite Health website, Picrorhiza is “helpful in boosting the body’s Catalase level.”
In one study, picrorhiza improved catalase production in diabetic rats. But this doesn't necessarily mean the same effect occurs in humans.
Other Gray Hair Supplements
Catalase Hx isn't the only grey hair pill out there. For example, another supplement, called Go Away Gray, contains 5000 IU of catalase, folic acid, zinc, biotin, and copper and is a “synergistic and proprietary blend.” Proof for this supplement is lacking.
Another product called Get Away Grey also contains catalase. USA Today posted an article in 2013 titled Can enzyme supplements really keep hair from going gray? Forbs also posted an article that same year titled A Pill To Prevent Gray Hair – Is It Finally On The Way?
On May 13, 2013, the makers of Go Away Gray and Get Away Gray settled charges made by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about claims made pertaining to these supplements. Here is the FTC Press Release.
Given how easy it would be to determine if catalase prevents or reverses gray hair, the failure of the scientific community to test this is an an epic fail
Can We Absorb Catalase?
Since catalase is made of protein, can it make its way through digestion and into the bloodstream as intact, undigested catalase? I can't find any proof we can absorb catalase. If we can't absorb catalase, then all these catalase gray hair supplements might be useless.
What About Sublingual Catalase?
If we can't absorb catalase via the stomach, what if we put a catalase supplement under the tongue and let it be absorbed that way? This would let it enter the blood undigested and, in theory, help it get to the hair follicle to work its magic. It's a fascinating idea, although research does not appear to have been conducted. This same lack of proof exists for transdermal patches, too.
Catalase vs. PseudoCatalase
PseudoCatalase is not the same thing as the catalase enzyme. Rather, it refers to the effect of a cream that seems to restore skin and hair color when combined with sunlight. There is research on pseudocatalase, which is very interesting.
Read the PseudoCatalase review for more on this product.
How To Naturally Raise Catalase
Is there anything we can do to raise catalase levels naturally? Well, it turns out there might be. One study noted that exercise can raise catalase levels by over 400%. This only involved lab rats, though. Ironically, a human study, involving 18 soccer players noted that exercise led to a decrease in catalase levels.
It's thought catalase levels increase to compensate for exercise ramping up free radical production -and that too much exercise might overwhelm anti-oxidant defenses, leading to reduced production of catalase. Regardless of the theory, there doesn't seem to be much research on this -and even less about how this might be related to the loss of hair color.
Lowering homocysteine may also prevent gray hair from developing. Homocysteine contributes to heart disease and generates free radicals by ramping up hydrogen peroxide production. While reducing homocysteine is great from a heart health standpoint, I've never seen any studies linking this to hair color. Does it work? It can't hurt, but I can't say either way.
Simple ways to reduce homocysteine levels include increasing the intake of folate (or folic acid), vitamin B12, and vitamin B6.
While we are on the topic of diet, one human study noted people with prematurely gray hair had low levels of iron, serum ferritin, calcium vitamin D and vitamin B12. This doesn't prove lack of these nutrients causes gray hair.
If gray hair is at least – partially related to elevated hydrogen peroxide -then it makes sense to eat foods that contain naturally occurring antioxidants. Any food that is colorful (red, green, orange, purple etc) will have these ingredients.
Basically, I'm talking about fruits, veggies, beans, and teas.
Do Anti-Gray Hair Supplements Work?
It would be very easy to test the effectiveness of these supplements. Give them to men and women for several months and take before and after pictures. This is so easy to do; a kid in high school could do it.
Personally, I feel gray hair is more complex than just a catalase deficiency. While we tend to think gray hair is a sign of getting “older,” I'm not so sure of this. Rumor has it my grandfather started to go gray at 17. That gives me some solace when I look in the mirror.
Topical PsuedoCatalase
A breakthrough cure for thin and grey hair was published and showed great results for the effectiveness of a topical compound called pseudocatalase (PC-KUS). PC-KUS (modified pseudocatalase) is a proprietary treatment developed by the researchers and is described as a topical, UVB-activated compound. This Cosmecuetical is available in topical cream and body gel
The reason this topical cream was found effective was that it targeted the cause of grey and thinning hair. Research from Bradford University in the UK and several other universities have shown that grey and thinning hair is caused by a buildup of hydrogen peroxide and a decrease in the natural antioxidant, catalase
Catalase is an enzyme that is suppose to breakdown our natural hydrogen peroxide build up into water and oxygen. Over time this build up is weaken with age if our body low level of enzymes (MSR A and B) does not repair the damage. These enzymes (MSR A and B) then disrupt the formation of another enzyme called (Tyrosinase)
Tyrosinase is responsible for the production of melanin in hair follicles. When this occur our hair then begins to turn grey from inside out. Melanin is the pigment responsible for hair color, skin color
Tyrosinase is a copper-containing enzyme present in plant and animal tissues that catalyzes the production of melanin and other pigments from tyrosine by oxidation, as in the blackening of a peeled or sliced potato exposed to air. It is found inside melanosomes which are synthesised in the skin melanocytes.
The TYR gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called tyrosinase. This enzyme is located in melanocytes, which are specialized cells that produce a pigment called melanin. Melanin is the substance that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color
http://www.pseudocatalase.com/
Hi Sarah, I have not heard of topical catalase products but I thank you for this information. I did look at the PseudoCatalase website you linked to. It appears to go to a compounding pharmacy in California. I want to look into whether there is any research on PseudoCatalasse or topical catalase products. Stay tuned…
Hi Sarah, I did some research and here is my review of PseudoCatalase
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
One of the few objective reviews I have come across. Great job!
Thanks Eric, I appreciate that. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for writing on this topic! I first heard of catalase’s possible ability to prevent hair from going gray in my studies for microbiology this semester. I had a thought: if the gray hair could be stopped by simply taking catalase, could the enzyme be taken the buccal route so it could go directly into the blood stream (hence avoiding digestion)? Of course, this poses a different problem: figuring out dosage.
Looking forward to hearing thoughts on this and folk’s results with catalase!
Thanks, again.
Hi Jennifer, that is a really great question and I actually updated the review to add a section on this issue, so thanks for bringing this up! When I looked for evidence, I could not find any studies that checked to see if sublingual catalase would raise catalase levels in the blood. It might work but I honestly don’t know. If you can, ask your microbiology teacher if catalase can be absorbed through the mucus membranes of the mouth (I’m not sure).
This area of research seems to be wide open, so if you ever think about a dissertation topic (hint, hint), I would love to read what you discover 🙂
Jennifer, there is not one study showing that catalase enzyme orally is absorbed even if it is absorbed to some extent it has to get to melanocytes in order to have an effect.In order to reduce oxidative stress H2O2 in melanocytes you can take n acetyl cysteine which is a GSH precursor that has been shown to protect melanocytes (decreasing H2O2 )against oxidative stress in vivo in mice.
Liposomal GSH would be potentially more beneficial there is one study where n acetyl cysteine and liposomal GSH were given to HIV patients, liposomal GSH was found to be 1000x more potent replenishing GSH in cells. Increasing GSH in cells can do the same job like catalase it is even faster reacting with H2O2 than catalase , you can look up the kinetics.
Also flavanoids, polyphenols like quercetin,ginkgo biloba,haritaki etc in high doses induce Nrf 2 pathway (master regulator of intracellular antioxidant enzymes) which upregulates catalase GSH,peroxredoxins etc.
These flavonoids are very interesting because they are not antioxidant but a week prooxidants that induce stress adaptive response (Nrf 2 upregulation) Nrf 2 is expressed in melanocytes too. GSH in cells is tightly regulated in order to increase it significantly a lot of agents should be used which may reverese the damage in melanocytes and hair shaft cells.
What about catalase applied topically to the scalp?
P.S. cool website.
Hi Bill, thanks I’m glad you are enjoying my website 🙂 Feel free to share it with your friends. Catalase applied to the scalp is an interesting thought. I dont know the answer. I dont know if anyone has ever tried it. If you try this experiment, let me know what happens.
Hi, Catalase as an enzyeme will not penetrate through skin.However the is a pseudo-catalase (managanase chloride) used for treating vitiligo. It has a catalase activity and will be effective (H2O2 scavenger) in extracellular spaces only. I would suspect that it will be partially effective for greying since oxidative stress h2o2 accumulation is largely intracellular
I was told by a pharmacist “if your gray hair is genetic catalase will not reverse the gray if it is not genetic it will”. I have been taking wheatgrass for two weeks and catalase for one week. After taking the wheatgrass for one week I noticed four hairs that are dark at the root and the rest of the hair strand is gray! I am going to continue taking both the wheatgrass and the catalase for at least six months to see what happens.
Hi Maryann, thanks for the feedback and I hope things continue to go your way. Do keep us posted what happens. Is there a specific type of wheatgrass and catalase product you are using?
Pines is the brand name of the wheat grass. The catalase is from Suzy Cohen. I also have the invite health brand. I imagine they are both the same.
Thanks Maryann, I’ve heard of Suzie and Invite brands. I’m sure all quality brands are pretty much the same. I found Pines wheatgrass on Amazon. It’s at local health food stores too. I’ll be looking forward to hearing how things continue to go for you.
Hello
I have been taking both Go Away Gray and Get Away Grey for nearly 2 years, I have really grey hair on the side of my head, and on the top a little brown. I have seen a very small change in new growth mainly the bottom part of my head, not sure if its my genes that keep it getting brown, as my family are all grey. I will still take them for another year and see i it improves before I dump the idea.
Hi Dexter, thanks for sharing. Let us know what happens.
Collard Greens are supposed to contain a high amount of Catalase. Why not start eating them several times per week to see if that helps?
Embrace the grey! Keep yourself fit and healthy, nothing is sexier than a smile and positive attitude. Hair color is so over-rated.
Thanks Fran! 🙂
In the livestock world we know when a goat or cow’s haircoat is ‘fading’ it needs Copper supplementation. When we supply Copper to their diet their coat returns to a fully colored and rich color. I have always wondered if it might be the same with people.
Hi Becki, thats interesting and Ive honestly never heard of copper helping restore hair color. sure enough I did a quick search and people are talking about it. I remain skeptical but see if I can find any studies on this.
Hi Becki, According to Bernard Bruno (Head of Worlwide hair biology research group at Loreal)greying of hair is caused by loss of melanocytes stem cells reservoir, these melanocytes progressively disappear due to high sensitivity to oxidative stress H2O2. Absence of catalase and Trp2 expression are involved.The focus should be about fighting against the disappearance of hair follicle melanocytes instead of promoting melanogenesis by copper which in higher dose is a prooxidant that generates free radicals which may further destroy these cells.
Hi Viktor, when you said “melanogenesis by copper” did you mean copper interferes with creation of melanocytes? That’s what I’ve heard copper might do at high levels.
Hi Joe,
In my opinion copper can be helpful if one is deficient which is rare, taking supplemental copper in small dose is ok,(not needed unless deficient) high dose is toxic to cells like melanocytes.
Hi Viktor, thanks for clearing that up 🙂
I can honestly tell you that I’ve been taking Go Away Gray for nearly six (6) months and have not yet seen any reduced amount of gray in my hair. I plan to continue for another four (4) to six (6) months. I would also state that Invite Health is not BBB Accredited, per the NY BBB
Tim, thank you for sharing. For what its worth, I’m sorry it didn’t work.
The idea is to reduce the oxidative stress in the hair bulbs since these hair follicle melanocytes are very sensitive to it H2O2.Taking catalase enzymes are not absorbed at all, but even if it was.the amount that would get to the bulb is negligible…but using it topically pseudocatalase cream which is used to treat vitiligo would break down H2O2 into water or Forskolin topically that would mimick Trp 2 expression that protects hair follicles melanocytes would do the trick…
Hi Viktor, Is Pseudocatalase just a different type of catalase with managenese chloride . Do you know where and how it’s synthesized? I have searched the web to buy it but there’s nothing out there.
Fitz, just curious why are you trying to obtain psudocatalase? what have you heard about it?
Catalase is a large multimeric protein and will be digested by our digestive
system, if taken orally. It will not be available as active enzyme to the rest
of the body. But may be available to some extent in the alimentary canal.
However, since it is a foreign protein, there are certain risks associated
with antigenecity of such proteins. This problem will be definitely severe if
injected into the bod
I have not tried this product, but, can say, it’s not just age, I got my first gray hair in middle school. I am too, disappointed the product didn’t work…..I was hoping.
Hi, it looks like this website exists only to shoot down most supplements on the market using lack of clinical studies as main argument. Refuting the efficacy of these products could best be done by producing clinical data that show that catalase could not be absorbed if taken orally.
There are certain things that are indeed difficult to assimilate orally unless some exotic techniques are used. To name but a few, curcumin and L-Gluthatione. However there are technologies that have been invented that enable the effective assimilation of these substances.
Standard L-gluthatione is not easily absorbable but in reduced form it get delivered effectively into the blood stream. Curcumin is another example of a substance that is not readily absorbed orally but Piperine increases curcumin bioavailability by 2000% (http://www.xtend-life.com/information/ingredients/piperine).
So it is not impossible to do similar things with Calalase.
If you are not an expert about something please don’t scare off people with your ignorance.
Devito, actually I created this website not to slam supplements but to give people a place where they can get an unbiased review that is based on science and rational thought, free from the marketing hype, so they can make their own decisions.
Let’s set aside the absorption of catalase completely and make this an even easier experiment. Take 10-12 people with gray hair and randomly give them either a catalse supplement or a placebo pill (or no pill at all to make it even easier). Lets see if hair color changes. Any junior high school student could do this type of study. How come nobody has done this?
It’s not ignorant to ask questions.
Devito,
Your statement “Refuting the efficacy of these products could best be done by producing clinical data that show that catalase could not be absorbed if taken orally. ” is directly opposed to the scientific process. For a medication to get FDA approved, for instance, the clinical data must first show safety and efficacy.
The onus falls on the purveyor of the product, to produce the appropriate clinical studies. Outside studies then may challenge the studies or try to reproduce the results. If the results are confirmed independently then efficacy may be demonstrated.
Further, this statement “If you are not an expert about something please don’t scare off people with your ignorance.” depends on ignorance to sell the products not the other way around. If a product works and is safe, on should be able to show well done research in respected scientific peer reviewed journals to support its claims when challenged. Otherwise, you come across as a snake oil salesman.
If the body cannot absorb catalase then why not inject it?
Zulhkiple, well that’s not something I would recommend for several reasons. For example, I don’t know if it would work even if it were injected (where is the proof that injecting works?). Also, what might the side effects be? I have no idea. I have not seen any human research about this so I say don’t try it.
So what does work? Just dye?
Get sirius, I have not yet found any oral supplement that I believed worked. Sorry to say. If anyone heard of any, let me know. I’d enjoy reviewing it.
I seem to be getting some results with cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and kale – a fair bit of at least one of these every day.
I guess those don’t qualify as supplements, but they have all kinds of other worthwhile benefits too.
What i’ve noticed is a slowdown of the graying process in some areas and reversal in others, and all around darkening, including on facial hair.
And it’s actually food – Anyone who likes these foods – try this out and let us know – it takes a few months.
I took it for 6 months and it did nothing.
So, “Catalase is an enzyme, and a lack of it is involved in hair turning gray”.
If catalase cannot be absorbed, then perhaps our bodies make it, and it might follow that finding the way for our bodies to make more of it might be the answer. So, what nutrients are required for the synthesis of catalase?
Hal, that is an intriguing question and I’m not sure. One thing to keep in mind is that even if we ate the right nutrients needed to make catalase, we have no way of making the body only catalase from them.
Catalase would still have to be absorbed across the lumen of the intestine. That ain’t gonna happen.
More likely that it might be administered via the nasal route, which does occur with insulin (another protein — but about 10 times smaller than catalase) but insulin is not absorbed well enough through the nasal mucosa to be a reliable replacement for injected insulin.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7672489
Too bad. If it worked, type 1 diabetics wouldn’t need to use needles for their insulin anymore.
Hi, just a thought… What about under the tongue? Can insulin be absorbed under the tongue?
There is a reason they don’t test it– it probably doesn’t work. And with the LOOONG dosing period, they will probably sell you ten bottles of snake oil and be out of town before you come to the conclusion that it’s a fraud. Multiply that by a million and that’s a lot of of elixir money. But, if it helps anybody on this site, show us!
For what is worth, I’ve never met anyone who they have worked for.
I consider the greatest evidence of the efficacy of these supplements is the complete lack of evidence. You clearly identify the ease involved in providing a peer-reviewed test/study, however, the screaming silence from all these manufacturers clearly shows they have nothing to offer, except big bluff and a price-tag.
I thank you, Joe, for providing the exact answer for the question many have, as they approach the inevitable.
Wayne, I’m happy I was able to help.
Just to agree graying is not necessarily a sign of age. I started noticing gray hair in my early 20s and was about 25% gray by my early 30s.
Testing this supplement is even easier than doing a study. You could take the supplement yourself and put up a photo of yourself every day while taking the supplement. It might be best to focus on one small patch of hair and mark a few hairs once a week with a colored marker so the growth can be tracked. If it has any effect, it should be obvious pretty soon.
At over 500 amino acid units (in its active form, four of these clustered together), no way catalase from an oral supplement will make it into the bloodstream without being broken down. It would have to be absorbed across the lumen of the intestine and then pass intact through the liver. That is not possible.
Mark, thanks for the confirmation on absorption!
Based on Marks comment on the impossibily of these pills catalese making it through liver, could the supplement be taken rectally? I don’t plan to try this, I am curious though.
Aaron, I have no idea about that.