They need to go through FDA approval process to allow them to market the solution. The approval process can easily cost hundreds of million dollars, let alone it takes many years to complete the clinical trials.(2). They don't have a patent for the use of higher than 5% minoxidil solutions to treat male pattern baldness, which means any company can make and sell it. For something to be patentable, one of the requirements is that it has to be something new that was never disclosed to public (meaning no prior art). So even if a big pharmaceutical company decides to invest in 15% minoxidil and successfully get FDA approval, it won't be able to patent it since this formula has long been used. Yes, if they can make a 15% minoxidil foam, they could patent the 15% minoxidil foam because no one has ever made such a product to our best knowledge. Without a patent, a big company won’t invest in it to get FDA approval because its profits cannot be guaranteed. Keep in mind when big companies make decisions on investment, the first thing they consider is how much profit it can make not how good a product is. If selling sugar water or junk food can bring them big profit, they will not hesitate to do so.(3). The last but not least reason is due to manufacturing and logistic consideration. For this formula to be absorbed in a reasonable timeframe, you will need use a lot of alcohol, higher than 50%, which is much more flammable than 30% alcohol. As a result, it completely changes the scope of requirement for manufacturing process and shipping, resulting in much higher cost.A lot of people ask why there is no a big company that is smart enough to come with a fast dry 5% liquid minoxidil similar to EssenGen-5 Fast Dry. Why would they stick with a formula like Rogaine or Kirkland 5% liquid minoxidil that has only 30% alcohol and 50% propylene glycol which takes ages to dry, not switching to a 50% alcohol and 30% propylene glycol formula? We believe this is part of the reason.

In addition, different brands of 15% minoxidil add different auxiliary effective ingredients such as azelaic acid, retinol, and/or caffeine to the solution, which further differentiates one from another. Some people think the addition of retinol is just a sales gimmick, because retinol is useless and only retin-A works. That is not true. Although most studies were done with retin-A and demonstrated that it enhanced minoxidil penetration and therefore its effectiveness. There are reputable studies published in peer reviewed journals that have showed retinol enhanced minoxidil effectiveness as well. One advantage of using retinol instead of retin-A is that it is a much milder ingredient than retin-A and does not cause skin irritation as the latter does.

According to the completed accelerated stability study, it shows that minoxidil and azelaic acid are stable for at least 2 years in a typical 15% minoxidil with azelaic acid formula.

Here is our experience. The glycerin based  minoxidil 15% is milder than propylene glycol based one. It eliminates any scalp irritation caused by propylene glycol. Therefore, if you are known to be allergic to propylene glycol, a glycerin based version (or minoxidil without propylene glycol) is recommended. The down side of the glycerin based 15% minoxidil is that it takes slightly longer than the propylene glycol based version to dry. Is the glycerin one stickier than the other one? The answer is no. Actually, the opposite is true. Glycerin based one is somewhat greasier than propylene glycol based one. Nonetheless, the former is less sticky than the latter after it is dry. When the two types of solutions are properly compounded and used properly, they should be equally effective.