Roll Call

“PABA?”Here!

Synthetic

Appears in 4 scanned products.

As a supplement

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.

Para-aminobenzoic acid is an organic compound related to the B-vitamin family. It is produced by some bacteria and plants and was once marketed as 'vitamin Bx,' though it is not recognized as an essential nutrient for humans.

Why it’s used

Historically taken for skin and hair-related complaints; it has also been used topically in older sunscreen formulations.

What the evidence says

PABA is not classified as an essential nutrient, and NIH ODS does not maintain a fact sheet for it, reflecting the limited modern research base for oral supplementation. Older, small studies exist for specific skin conditions, but the overall body of evidence is thin and dated.

Where we looked

There was no paper to cite here, so this is the search instead — run it yourself and see what we saw.

  • PubMed: 184 records · searched September 2026"PABA"[Title/Abstract] AND (review[pt] OR "safety assessment"[Title/Abstract] OR "risk assessment"[Title/Abstract] OR toxicology[Title/Abstract] OR toxicity[Title/Abstract] OR characterization[Title/Abstract] OR characterisation[Title/Abstract])
  • PubMed: 2 records · searched September 2026"PABA"[Title/Abstract] AND ("dietary supplements"[MeSH] OR supplementation[Title/Abstract] OR supplement[Title/Abstract] OR supplements[Title/Abstract] OR "oral administration"[Title/Abstract]) AND (randomized controlled trial[pt] OR clinical trial[pt] OR meta-analysis[pt] OR systematic review[pt]) AND humans[MeSH]
  • PubMed: 1503 records · searched September 2026"PABA"[Title/Abstract]

This says what this database holds under these terms. It is not a finding that no research exists.

Context

No standard dose has been established through modern clinical research, and historical use predates current trial standards.

Insufficient dataToo little has been studied to say either way.

Rumors

  1. Taking PABA restores grey hair to its original colour.

    Unresolvedhealth and safety evidence

    Studied in: adults with premature or age-related gray hair given oral PABA/potassium PABA at high doses.

    Measured as an outcome.

    Who’s saying this

    • Hair Transplant Network — a platform — posts are by its users: patient forum that recommends hair restoration physicians
      How we know who this is
      • “Welcome to the most popular and arguably most respected patient based hair restoration community in the world – the Hair Transplant Network.” (their page)
      • “Drawing upon our collective wisdom and experience, we recommend physicians worldwide who consistently provide the best results.” (their page)