Skin-Nomad's Take — At a Glance

• Strengthens scalp environment and fortifies hair from the root
• Targeted brush ampoule with caffeine and exfoliating actives
• For anyone with thinning, weakening or shedding hair

An itchy, flaking scalp and roots that feel weaker are frequently the same problem seen from two angles. The lilyeve Scalp:Turn CICA PDRN Brush Ampoule treats the scalp as skin with a yeast and sebum problem, putting climbazole and piroctone olamine against the organism behind the flaking and salicylic acid against the buildup it feeds on. lilyeve is a South Korean brand, and this is the Scalp:Turn end of its hair range, where the work is done on the skin rather than the strand.

Key Benefits

• Climbazole and piroctone olamine go after the yeast, not the flake: Both are antifungal actives that reduce the Malassezia yeast living on scalp oil, which is what sets off the itch and the flaking that follows it. That is a different job from softening flakes with a moisturiser, because scalp flaking of this kind is a reaction rather than a dryness problem.
• Salicylic Acid reaches into the follicle opening because it dissolves in oil: Salicylic acid moves through sebum instead of being repelled by it, so it loosens the plug of oil and dead skin at the mouth of the follicle rather than only lifting the flat surface between hairs. A clear opening is the difference between an ampoule that reaches the root and one that sits on top of the congestion.
• Caffeine turns the ampoule's attention to the follicle itself: Topical caffeine may extend the growth phase of the follicle, on evidence that comes from laboratory work and small human studies rather than large trials. That is a claim about the follicle rather than the scalp surface, which sets it apart from everything else in the bottle.
• Panthenol goes into the hair shaft while the rest of the formula works on the skin: Panthenol is small enough to enter the strand and hold water inside it, which keeps thinning hair flexible instead of snapping where it is already weakest. Centella, the CICA of the name, settles the redness on the skin below it.

Texture & Finish

The fluid is watery and quick, and the brush head parts the hair so that it lands on the skin rather than soaking into the lengths. It dries in a couple of minutes and leaves nothing to comb out, so hair does not look greasy or separated after an application.

Note: The antifungal actives and the acid are working on the skin, so the flaking and itch settle well before anything about the hair itself looks different.

Ideal For

• Hair types: Fine and thinning hair with weakened strands, any curl pattern, on oily or congested scalps.
• Hair concerns: Flaking and itch, sebum buildup around the roots, shedding, and hair that feels finer at the root than it used to.
• Best used by: If your scalp flakes and itches by the second day and your hair has started feeling thinner at the root, this ampoule works on both ends of that at once.

FAQ

Q: How is this different from an anti-dandruff shampoo?
A: A medicated shampoo carries similar antifungal actives, but it is on the scalp for the length of a wash and then rinsed away. This ampoule is left on, so climbazole, piroctone olamine and salicylic acid stay in contact with the skin all the way to the next wash. It is also doing a second job a dandruff shampoo does not, working on the strength of the hair at the root with caffeine and panthenol.

Q: What is PDRN doing in a scalp ampoule?
A: PDRN is a DNA-fragment ingredient that came into beauty from clinical repair work, and repair is the piece the rest of the bottle does not cover, because clearing the yeast and the sebum plug leaves a scalp that has been irritated for months still needing to settle. Its reputation was built in injectable and wound-healing use, where the molecule is placed beneath the skin, and topical research, where it has to work from the surface, is newer and still developing. lilyeve pairing it with Centella tells you what it is in for, since both are aimed at the state the skin is left in once the flaking stops.

Q: Can I use this with a caffeine shampoo, and how often?
A: Yes, there is no interaction to worry about between a rinse-off caffeine shampoo and a leave-on ampoule. If you use other exfoliating or antifungal scalp products, alternate rather than layering them on the same day, because doubling salicylic acid on the scalp buys irritation rather than a faster result.

Hair looks thicker when the skin it grows out of stops being inflamed, which is a duller sentence than the one on the front of the bottle and a more dependable one.