As oestrogen declines through perimenopause, many women notice their hair feels finer and their nails split or peel more easily. These are common, well-documented features of the transition, and they are shaped by the same hormonal shift that drives the better-known symptoms.

A review of hair and skin changes around menopause describes how falling ovarian hormones, alongside a relative rise in androgen activity, can present as diffuse hair thinning and changes in skin and nails, and notes how little dedicated evidence exists for treating these changes specifically in post-menopausal women (Blume-Peytavi et al., 2012). The point worth holding on to is that hair and nail change in midlife is usually multifactorial: hormones, nutrition, thyroid function and general health all contribute, so the useful first step is to understand the cause rather than reach straight for a supplement.

Test before you supplement

The single most productive check is iron status. In a retrospective review of 2,851 women seen for diffuse hair shedding (telogen effluvium), low ferritin was found in almost half and low serum iron in close to a third (Karakoyun et al., 2025). Iron carries no authorised claim for hair, and taking it without a measured need is not benign, so the sensible order is to test ferritin first and supplement only if it is low.

Thyroid function and vitamin B12 are worth checking in the same visit, since both can show up as diffuse shedding. None of this is a substitute for a GP conversation where the change is sudden or patchy.

Nutrients with authorised claims

Where you do choose to supplement, these are the nutrients that carry GB-authorised claims relevant to hair and nails. The claim wording is specific, and we hold to it.

Zinccontributes to the maintenance of normal hair, nails and skin. It is the one nutrient whose authorised claim spans all three. Solgar's Zinc 22 mg is a straightforward single-nutrient option; the same nutrient also sits inside Solgar's Skin, Nails & Hair formula.

Seleniumcontributes to the maintenance of normal hair and normal nails. It has a narrow safe range, so a standard-dose product such as Solgar's Selenium is preferable to stacking several selenium-containing products.

Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and normal skin. Worth being honest here: the evidence for biotin supplementation is strongest in genuine deficiency, which is uncommon, so it maintains rather than transforms. Solgar offers it as a single B-vitamin.

Research-context only

Some of the most-marketed options for hair and nails have no GB-authorised claim. We include them as research-context, not as recommendations that carry a health claim.

Collagen peptides.A 24-week open-label study of 2.5 g daily bioactive collagen peptides reported a 12% increase in nail growth rate and a 42% fall in broken nails (Hexsel et al., 2017). It is a small, unblinded trial, and collagen carries no UK authorised claim for hair or nails, so treat it as a reasonable thing to try rather than something the evidence base has settled.

Diet pattern. A review of hair loss and nutrition points to the Mediterranean pattern, rich in unsaturated fats, fibre and polyphenols, as the dietary context most often associated with better outcomes, while noting the data are mixed and no single food fixes hair (Gokce et al., 2022). Whole-diet quality is the unglamorous lever that tends to matter more than any capsule.

  1. Blume-Peytavi U, et al. Skin academy: hair, skin, hormones and menopause. Eur J Dermatol. 2012;22(3):310-8. doi:10.1684/ejd.2012.1692
  2. Karakoyun O, et al. Retrospective review of 2851 female patients with telogen effluvium. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025;24(2):e70037. doi:10.1111/jocd.70037
  3. Hexsel D, et al. Oral supplementation with specific bioactive collagen peptides improves nail growth and reduces symptoms of brittle nails. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2017;16(4):520-526. doi:10.1111/jocd.12393
  4. Gokce N, et al. An overview of the genetic aspects of hair loss and its connection with nutrition. J Prev Med Hyg. 2022;63(2 Suppl 3):E228-E238. doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2S3.2765

Reader questions

“Will a hair, skin and nails supplement regrow my hair?” No supplement is authorised to make that claim. Zinc, selenium and biotin carry maintenance claims, which is a more modest and more honest promise. If hair is visibly thinning, test ferritin and thyroid first and speak to a GP.

“Is biotin worth taking?” It maintains normal hair and skin, and it is inexpensive, but the visible benefit is largest in the uncommon case of true deficiency. Also note that high-dose biotin can interfere with some blood tests, so mention it to your clinician.

“Should I bother with collagen for my nails?” The evidence is one small trial. It is a reasonable thing to try for brittle nails, but it is research-context, not a claim-backed recommendation.