The use of taurine and/or hypotaurine and their salts in oral compositions for the prevention and treatment of aging of the pilosebaceous unit and/or alopecia. ACTIVITY : Endocrine-Gen. MECHANISM OF ACTION : Hair follicle alteration regulator; proline incorporation is reduced whilst leucine incorporation is unaffected. Two groups of 36 women aged 18 - 40 years having fine, limp and seborrheic hair were treated either with a composition as described or a placebo based on maltodextrin. The active formulation contained, per unit dose, taurine (159 mg), green tea extract (30 % catechins; 375 mg), grapeseed extract (40 % procyanidin oligomers, 20% catechins; 150 mg), zinc (as zinc sulfate; 15 mg). The number of hairs removed by three sweeps of the comb were counted after 0, 3, and 6 months, and the results are shown in the figure. After six months the number of hairs removed from the treated subjects averaged 40.5, whilst the number from untreated subjects was 56.7.