Comparison
Clascoterone vs Pyrilutamide
Clinically-backed AR antagonists for hairloss: clascoterone brings regulated safety, pyrilutamide brings raw potency.
Clascoterone
Topical Androgen Receptor Antagonist
Pyrilutamide
Topical Androgen Receptor Antagonist
Effectiveness Profile
At a Glance
| Clascoterone | Pyrilutamide | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Hair | Hair |
| Legal status | Rx-Only | Research |
| Half-life | Parent drug clears within hours; cortexolone metabolite ~4–6 hours | Not formally published; BID dosing implies short topical residence |
| Preferred route | Topical | Topical |
| Dose frequency | twice-daily | twice-daily |
| Beginner dose | 10–25 mg | 1–1 ml |
| Intermediate dose | 25–50 mg | 1–2 ml |
| Advanced dose | 50–100 mg | 2–2 ml |
| Cycle length | 12–52 wks | 24–260 wks |
| Time to peak | 4h | — |
| Active duration | 12h | 12h |
| Storage | Room temperature (20–25°C); keep tightly closed, away from light | Room temperature, away from light; refrigeration extends vehicle stability |
| PCT required | No | No |
| Ancillaries required | No | No |
| Safe for women | Yes | Yes |
Verdict
Clascoterone wins for: clinical safety, regulated sourcing, lowest systemic exposure, and minimal risk of scalp irritation. Its Phase 3 file for acne, and strong safety data for AGA, make it the topical AR antagonist of choice if you want something with FDA oversight and minimal unknowns. Application feels clean, with rare irritation, and it's now possible to get pharma-grade Winlevi for hair via compounding pharmacies.
Pyrilutamide wins for: raw AR blockade potency, fastest apparent results in real-world use, and first-choice for users with very high androgen load (AAS, 19-nors) or those needing maximum efficacy despite messier regulatory status. Recent Phase 3 data shows the highest responder rates among topical anti-androgens. It's the go-to for users refusing or failing finasteride/dutasteride, or those who want the most aggressive scalp AR antagonism possible.
Pick A or B?
Pick Clascoterone if:
- You want a clinically validated, regulated option with minimal systemic exposure.
- You're worried about unknown long-term risks of research chemicals/RU58841.
- Your main concern is scalp irritation/safety, especially for longer-term, daily use.
- You're already running oral finasteride/dutasteride and want added follicle-level defense.
- You want a simple, stack-friendly protocol with minoxidil.
Pick Pyrilutamide if:
- You want the absolute strongest topical androgen receptor blockade available right now.
- You're running DHT-derivative or 19-nor AAS, or have aggressive, rapid AGA progression.
- You've failed or had poor results with finasteride/dutasteride or topical minoxidil.
- You can source research compounds reliably and don't mind less regulatory certainty.
- You want to stack with RU58841 or on top of a no-oral-finasteride hair protocol.