Anagen formulation · 3 activesBStrong base regimen without androgen modulation

Guys & Girls

The no-DHT-blocker combo. Minoxidil + T3 + levocetirizine in a single daily topical — designed for users who don't want or can't take a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor.

What's in it

Every active in Guys & Girls

Each active in this formulation, scored against its own standalone evidence for AGA. Click any active for the full claim-by-claim breakdown.

Active	Grade	Why it's in this formula
Minoxidil5%→Follicular activator	A	Carries the primary efficacy load here — full-dose topical 5% minoxidil, the most-studied AGA topical.
Liothyronine (T3)6.5 ng/mL→Anagen induction	C	Microdosed T3. Mechanism for anagen induction is supported by animal models and ex-vivo human scalp data; orthogonal to minoxidil's vasodilator pathway.
Levocetirizine0.5%→Anti-inflammatory / anti-PGD2	C	PGD2-pathway adjunct. Mechanism rationale plus the Zaky 2021 case-controlled supporting study (60 men, 6 months) showing significantly higher hair regrowth on dermoscopic assessment vs control (P<0.001).

The case for this stack

Why we paired these actives

Why no 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor

Guys & Girls is built for a specific user population: those who can't or won't use finasteride or dutasteride. That includes users planning a pregnancy (partner or self), people with documented finasteride sensitivity or post-finasteride symptom concerns, and women whose AGA isn't primarily androgen-driven (or for whom anti-androgens like spironolactone are a better fit than fin/dut). The central design choice: build the strongest combination that doesn't touch the DHT axis. Minoxidil carries the primary efficacy load — backed by 35+ years of RCT evidence as the most-studied topical AGA agent. T3 adds anagen-phase induction via thyroid hormone receptor signaling (orthogonal to vasodilation). Levocetirizine adds anti-PGD2 / anti-inflammatory effect with supporting human evidence (Zaky 2021). The honest tradeoff: removing the 5-AR inhibitor removes the most-evidence-backed mechanism after minoxidil. Pure efficacy ranking will favor combinations that include finasteride or dutasteride. Guys & Girls exists because not every user can or wants to take those — and a no-DHT-blocker combination has a meaningfully better safety profile.

Cited literature

Zaky MS, et al. (2021). Therapeutic implications of topical cetirizine 1% in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia. J Cosmet Dermatol PMID 33417284
Safer JD, Fraser LM, Ray S, Holick MF (2001). Topical triiodothyronine stimulates epidermal proliferation, dermal thickening, and hair growth in mice and rats. Thyroid PMID 11525263

What's been studied

The studies behind the combination

No published RCT of this exact three-active formulation. Evidence is per-component and per-pairing.

Minoxidil 5% — gold-standard topical evidence

Multiple

RCT

Design

Multiple RCTs over 35+ years

—

Duration

Variable

5% topical minoxidil twice daily produces meaningful hair count and density improvements in male and female AGA. The most-replicated topical agent in the AGA literature; foundation of essentially every modern combination protocol.

Zaky 2021 — Topical cetirizine 1% in male AGA

J Cosmet Dermatol · PMID 33417284

STUDY

Design

Case-controlled

Duration

6 months

Topical 1% cetirizine produced significantly higher hair regrowth than control on dermoscopic assessment (P<0.001), with significantly higher patient satisfaction (P<0.001). PGD2 inhibition is a credible mechanism in AGA given documented elevation of PGD2 in bald scalp.

Topical T3 — mechanism + ex-vivo human scalp evidence

Multiple

PRECLINICAL

Design

Animal and ex-vivo human scalp organ culture

—

Duration

—

Topical T3 increases anagen-phase hair follicle percentage in ex-vivo human scalp and produces dose-dependent hair growth in animal models. TRα/TRβ expression confirmed in human follicle dermal papilla. Mechanism-strong; AGA-specific human RCT data limited.

Honest limits

What the science doesn't yet answer

No RCT has tested this three-active formulation directly. Evidence is per-component.
Whether Guys & Girls produces meaningful regrowth gains over minoxidil monotherapy is not directly studied; the case for the additional actives is mechanistic plus per-component human data.
For users with strongly androgen-driven AGA (high baseline scalp DHT), a no-5ARI protocol has a structurally lower efficacy ceiling than fin- or dut-containing protocols.
The product is positioned as gender-neutral and is indicated for both men and women — but most published AGA combination data is male-only or female-only. Whether the same efficacy holds across genders for this exact protocol is inferred.

Bottom line

Our verdict on Guys & Girls

Strong no-androgen baseline

Guys & Girls is the answer to a real user question: "I can't or won't take finasteride. What's the strongest topical I can use?" The combination is honestly evidence-driven within its scope — minoxidil is Grade A, T3 and levocetirizine each have independent human support. The protocol's ceiling is structurally lower than fin- or dut-containing combinations for users with androgen-driven AGA. But for the population it's designed for — pregnancy planning, finasteride-sensitive, women whose pattern isn't primarily DHT-driven — this is the most-evidence-backed Anagen formulation that doesn't touch the androgen axis.

The best no-DHT-blocker protocol in the catalog. Lower efficacy ceiling than fin-containing combinations, but a meaningfully better safety profile and a clear indication for users who can't take 5ARIs.

Go deeper

Long-form analysis and primary-source breakdowns that go beyond the summary above.

Compare

How does Guys & Girls compare to its closest Anagen siblings?

Mr. MiddlegroundB

Designed for the systemic-side-effect-averse

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The BasicsA

The cleanest evidence in the catalog

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For The LadiesB

Female-pattern-targeted multi-mechanism stack

Read the evidence →

← Back to all treatments & brands

Every active in Guys & Girls

Each active in this formulation, scored against its own standalone evidence for AGA. Click any active for the full claim-by-claim breakdown.

Active	Grade	Why it's in this formula
Minoxidil5%→Follicular activator	A	Carries the primary efficacy load here — full-dose topical 5% minoxidil, the most-studied AGA topical.
Liothyronine (T3)6.5 ng/mL→Anagen induction	C	Microdosed T3. Mechanism for anagen induction is supported by animal models and ex-vivo human scalp data; orthogonal to minoxidil's vasodilator pathway.
Levocetirizine0.5%→Anti-inflammatory / anti-PGD2	C	PGD2-pathway adjunct. Mechanism rationale plus the Zaky 2021 case-controlled supporting study (60 men, 6 months) showing significantly higher hair regrowth on dermoscopic assessment vs control (P<0.001).

Why we paired these actives

Why no 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor

Cited literature

Zaky MS, et al. (2021). Therapeutic implications of topical cetirizine 1% in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia. J Cosmet Dermatol PMID 33417284
Safer JD, Fraser LM, Ray S, Holick MF (2001). Topical triiodothyronine stimulates epidermal proliferation, dermal thickening, and hair growth in mice and rats. Thyroid PMID 11525263

The studies behind the combination

No published RCT of this exact three-active formulation. Evidence is per-component and per-pairing.

Minoxidil 5% — gold-standard topical evidence

Multiple

RCT

Design

Multiple RCTs over 35+ years

—

Duration

Variable

Zaky 2021 — Topical cetirizine 1% in male AGA

J Cosmet Dermatol · PMID 33417284

STUDY

Design

Case-controlled

Duration

6 months

Topical T3 — mechanism + ex-vivo human scalp evidence

Multiple

PRECLINICAL

Design

Animal and ex-vivo human scalp organ culture

—

Duration

—

What the science doesn't yet answer

No RCT has tested this three-active formulation directly. Evidence is per-component.
Whether Guys & Girls produces meaningful regrowth gains over minoxidil monotherapy is not directly studied; the case for the additional actives is mechanistic plus per-component human data.
For users with strongly androgen-driven AGA (high baseline scalp DHT), a no-5ARI protocol has a structurally lower efficacy ceiling than fin- or dut-containing protocols.
The product is positioned as gender-neutral and is indicated for both men and women — but most published AGA combination data is male-only or female-only. Whether the same efficacy holds across genders for this exact protocol is inferred.

Our verdict on Guys & Girls

Strong no-androgen baseline

Guys & Girls

Every active in Guys & Girls

Why we paired these actives

Why no 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor

The studies behind the combination

What the science doesn't yet answer

Our verdict on Guys & Girls

From the Anagen blog

Related Anagen formulations

Guys & Girls

Every active in Guys & Girls

Why we paired these actives

Why no 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor

The studies behind the combination

What the science doesn't yet answer

Our verdict on Guys & Girls

From the Anagen blog

Related Anagen formulations

Guys & Girls