Saw Palmetto: What It Is and Where It Shows Up in Hair Care
By Shiny Leaf · September 29, 2021
Saw palmetto is one of those ingredients you’ve probably seen on a shampoo bottle without ever seeing the plant. So let’s fix that. Here’s what it is, where it grows, and where it shows up in hair care, ours included.
What is saw palmetto?
Saw palmetto is a small, shrubby palm native to the southeastern United States. Its botanical name is Serenoa repens, and you’ll sometimes see the older name Serenoa serrulata, which is the one most ingredient lists still use.
The name comes from its leaves: big, fan-shaped fronds on stems lined with tiny, saw-like teeth. It rarely grows tall. Instead it spreads low and wide, often covering the ground in thick stands under pine trees.
Saw palmetto is a palm that likes to stay low. Think ground cover, not palm-tree postcard.
Where does it grow?
Mostly in Florida and along the coastal plains of the Southeast, from South Carolina and Georgia around to Mississippi and Louisiana. It’s happiest in sandy soil, pine flatwoods and coastal scrub, and it’s famously tough: it handles heat, drought and even wildfire, often sprouting back from its creeping stems.
It’s also a slow grower. Some stands are thought to be hundreds of years old, which makes it one of the longer-lived plants in its neighborhood.
Which part ends up in hair care?
The berries. In spring, saw palmetto puts out small, creamy-white flowers that bees love (saw palmetto honey is a Florida specialty). By late summer and early fall, those flowers turn into olive-sized berries that ripen from green to a deep blue-black.
The ripe berries are harvested, dried and made into an extract. That extract is what you’ll find in a shampoo or conditioner.
Saw palmetto berries (left) with two of their usual label neighbors: coffee beans and red clover.
A plant with a long local history
Long before it landed on a shampoo label, saw palmetto was part of daily life in the Southeast. Indigenous peoples of Florida ate the berries, and the sturdy fronds were used for thatched roofs, baskets and mats. Early settlers used the fronds too.
Today it’s still an important wild plant: its thickets give shelter to animals, and its berries feed everything from birds to black bears.
Bees like the flowers, bears like the berries, and scalp-care formulas like the extract.
Where does saw palmetto show up in hair care?
It’s one of the most popular botanicals in scalp-care formulas, so you’ll often see it on shampoos and conditioners, sometimes in products sold in the “DHT” category. The category name describes the family; the ingredient list tells you what’s actually inside.
In a rinse-off product, saw palmetto is a featured botanical: a small amount of extract, chosen on purpose, alongside the cleansers and conditioners that do the everyday work.
1Look for “Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract.” That’s saw palmetto.
2You may also see “Serenoa Repens.” Same plant, newer botanical name.
3Expect it in the second half of the list. Botanicals are used in small amounts, and ingredients are listed from most to least.
4Check the rest of the list too: the cleansers and conditioners shape how a product feels.
5Can’t find a full ingredient list? Ask the brand. We publish ours on every product page.
Frequently asked questions
Is saw palmetto a real palm?
Yes. It’s a true palm, just a low-growing one that spreads along the ground instead of growing a tall trunk.
What’s the difference between Serenoa repens and Serenoa serrulata?
They’re two names for the same plant. Serenoa repens is the current botanical name; Serenoa serrulata is an older name that most cosmetic ingredient lists still use.
What part of the plant is used in shampoo?
The berries, which are dried and made into an extract.
Where is saw palmetto harvested?
Mostly in the wild in Florida, in late summer and early fall when the berries ripen.
Does saw palmetto shampoo smell like the plant?
Not usually. It’s a small part of the formula, so the scent you notice comes from the rest of the blend.
Which Shiny Leaf products have saw palmetto?
Our Peptide Shampoo and Peptide Conditioner, plus the sets and bundles that include them. The saw palmetto collection lists them all.
The complete post-op hair kit
Your daily routine
DHT Pro Set
The 90-day routine
Bariatric bestsellers
The 90-day hair routine
Shop the routinePeptide Shampoo with Saw Palmetto, Caffeine & Biotin | 16 oz$18.95
Shop now
