✔ Professionally formulated  hair regrowth product with 5% minoxidil, retinoic acid (tretinoin), azelaic acid, ABN^TM complex, and caffeine.

✔ The additional minoxidil enhancer (retinoic acid, or tretinoin), DHT blocker (azelaic acid),  and follicle growth stimulator (caffeine) to 5% minoxidil makes this solution much more effective than minoxidil alone.

✔ Non-greasy, clean, fast drying, odoless

✔ Can be used for both men and women. 

Minoxidil 5% (i.e. 3 grams of minoxidil in bottle, i.e. 50mg/mL)

Azelaic acid 5% (i.e. 3 grams of azelaic acid in bottle, i.e. 50mg/mL)

ABN complexTM 0.8%

Retinoic Acid: 0.025%

Caffeine: 0.001%

Delivery vehicle (Ethanol, Propylene glycol, Purified Water)

(Want to have a product with high strengh of minoxidil 8% with topical finasteride 0.1% and retinoic acid (tretinoin)? please check out Maxogen-X. 

If you want to make your own minoxidil solution with retinoic acid, you can check out the  0.3% topical retinoic acid solution. )

Water, Propylene Glycol (low amount), Alcohol, Aloe gel

It is recommended to use this product twice a day with 8 hours apart between the two applications.  It can be used in conjunction with other stronger solutions (such as DualGen-15 or DualGen-10). 

Note:  The four products containing  5% Minoxidil, 5% Azelaic Acid are called Dualgen-5 NO PG, Dualgen-5 With PG, Dualgen-5 Fast Dry, and Dualgen-5R.  The first 3 products have identical effective ingredients (see the Main Ingredients section of the respective product), and the effectiveness of these 3 products is similar to each other. The difference lies in the solvent vehicle, gentleness to scalp and drying speed. Dualgen-5R is different from the other 3 in which retinol is replaced with retinoic acid, making it the strongest hair regrowth solution among the four products.

Dualgen-5 NO PG: Most friendly to sensitive scalp. Dries slowest among the 3 products.

Dualgen-5 Fast Dry: Dries Fastest. Friendly to sensitive scalp.

Dualgen-5 With PG: Medium drying speed. Medium friendly to sensitive scalp.

Dualgen-5R: Medium drying speed like Dualgen-5 With PG. Strongest hair regrowth. Not suitable for sensitive scalp.

1. What is Retinoic acid?

Retinoic acid (see structure on the image above) has been used for decades as Retin-A® in the treatment of acne. More recently it is widely used as a treatment for fine wrinkles in the skin.  It works essentially as a chemical peel by altering the follicular epithelium (the outer layer of skin) so that it doesn't keratinize (form a hard compact layer).

2. What are the other names for Retinoic acid?

Retinoic acid also called tretinoin, all-trans-retinoic acid, Vitamin A acid, Retin-A®, Atralin®, Avita®, Renova®, Tretin-X®. Do not confuse it with Isotretinoin (brand name Accutane). Isotretinoin to Tretinoin (retinoic acid) is like someone's left hand to right hand structurally. They look almost identical, but you can never overlap them. 

3. Why is retinoic acid added to minoxidil?

A: Minoxidil has to be absorbed by the scalp in order to be effective. Minoxidil itself cannot penetrate the scalp . That is why delivery vehicles such as propylene glycol (PG) or glycerin or dimethyl isosorbide (DMI) is used in all minoxidil products. The addition of retinoic acid can further help minoxidil penetrate the skin and reach hair follicles and thus enhance the effectiveness of minoxidil. 

According to a study by Shin et al, when 5% minoxidil is mixed 0.01% retinoic acid (tretinoin), it can be used once a day and achieve equivalent results as 5% minoxidil twice daily usage. (See the study at the end of this blog).

4. How can I make a minoxidil solution with a diffrent retinoic acid strength?

A: You can use our 0.3% retinoic acid solution to easily make a minoxidil solution with retinoic acid a concentraion different than  0.025%.

5. What are the common side effects of Retinoic Acid (tretinoin)?

The most common side effects are scalp itchiness, skin peeling, redness, dry skin, flaking or dandruff of the scalp. Retinoic acid also makes the scalp sensitive to sun burn.

6. How can I reduce the side effects of Retinoic acid?

a). Use retinoic acid at night.

b). Avoid using the product after a hot shower.

c). Use the product progressively to let your scalp build tolerance. You can start with once every other night, then move to once every night, and finally increase to twice a day.

d). Add steroid such as 0.01% Fluocinolone or 0.1% hydrocortisone or to the retinoic acid minoxidil solution.

e). Use ketoconazole anti-dandruff shampoo such as Hair Covet Restoration shampoo.

7. Will I have shedding when starting Retinoic acid? 

 A small percentage of people may experience an initial increase of hair loss (shedding) at the onset of treatment similar to the use of minoxidil. However, the shedding resolves with time. (Read minoxidil shedding here)

8. Why is retinoic acid recommended to be used at night? 

Retinoic acid is degraded by strong light, so there is no benefit to using it during the day, when the bright light will render the medication ineffective.

9. Can I still use minoxidil solutions with retinoic acid, if I like to be out in the sun or get a lot of sun exposure on my job? 

The activity of retinoic acid is be affected by direct sunlight as mentioned in the question 7. Therefore, if you are in the sun a lot, it is best to use retinoic acid only at night and in the morning use solely the 5% minoxidil. In addition, Retinoic acid also increases your sensitivity to the sun. Therefore if you apply any solution that contains retinoic acid in the morning, avoid direct sun exposure to the scalp or apply sunscreen or wear a hat. 

10. What else can be added to a retinoic acid minoxidil solution?

Topical Finasteride 0.1% (DHT blocker), progesterone 0.25% (DHT blocker), Azelaic acid 5% (DHT blocker), caffeine 0.001% (hair growth enhancer), Vitamin E 0.1% (absorption enhancer), hydrocortisone 0.1% (help reduce scalp irritation), Biotin 3% (hair growth factor). Do all these ingredients have to be included in a solution? Absolutely not. You can compare the ingredients of different products here and choose the right one for you. One good combination is 7% or 8% minoxidil, topical finasteride and retinoic acid (See Maxogen-X). Some people wish to add spironolactone, which we do not think is a good idea. Spironolactone has a peculiar odor. Most people won't be able to tolerate it. We have a topical spironolactone cream (5%) that has a low odor available (see Maxogen-S). 

Article shows the addition of 0.01% retinoic acid to 5% minoxidil double the effetiveness of minoxidil. 

Efficacy of 5% minoxidil versus combined 5% minoxidil and 0.01% tretinoin for male pattern hair loss: a randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical trial.

RESULTS: The two groups showed equivalent results. See the complete article .