Once-a-day fruit protein could keep hair from going grey

Researchers believe that a daily pill to prevent locks going grey could be available within four years.

However, it could be a decade or more before they know if it is really successful or not due to the often lengthy greying process.

The race to create a “cure” for ageing hair has been going on for many years, with cosmetics companies keen to cash in on what is likely to be a lucrative market.

Figures suggest that as many as two-thirds of British women colour their hair, and experts believe most would be keen to avoid this hassle if an alternative treatment were available. Now it has emerged that Paris-based L’Oréal is close to unveiling a daily medication based on a fruit extract to prevent greying hair.

Bruno Bernard, head of hair biology at L’Oréal, said they believed the product would appeal to both men and women.

“We intend people to take it in the same way as a dietary supplement,” he said.

“It won’t be expensive. Ideally you would take it for your whole life, but realistically we would encourage people to start using it before their hair goes grey because we don’t think it can reverse the process once it has started.”

The researchers have published papers explaining how the absence of a protective enzyme called tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2) leads hair pigment cells, which give colour, to die as we get older.

However, rather than trying to create a drug to mimic the effects of TRP-2 – which would greatly extend the clinical trial process – the researchers looked for natural compounds which would accomplish the same job, finding one in an unidentified fruit.

Details of the compound and how it works will not be revealed until experts gather for the International Investigative Dermatology meeting in May 2013.

Safety trials involving hundreds of volunteers were said to be under way, but the research team admit that the success of the product will not be proved until at least ten years of use because the process of hair-greying is so slow.

While many celebrities appear happy to flaunt their grey locks, including Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, aged 68, and acting legend Sir Sean Connery, 81, many people are keen to avoid this obvious sign of ageing – especially as some find their first grey hairs in their 20s or even teenage years.

This is especially true as workers become concerned about job security and competing with younger entrants into the jobs market.

However, Age Scotland said people should not feel under pressure to disguise their age in order to keep their jobs.

“If people go grey they should just be accepted for going grey and they should not have to hide the signs of ageing to avoid discrimination,” a spokesman for the charity said.

“People should be treated on the basis of their ability and whether they can do a job.”