Bakuchiol, She’s Coming For Your Retinol (Kind of)
Image description: Close-up of a clear skincare serum being dispensed from a glass dropper onto a soft pink background.
Retinol is a holy grail in the skincare world however, it can be quite harsh on the skin and you do usually need to keep increasing the strength of the products you're using.
I am a huge fan of this ingredient but even I have to admit that it is quite an intense skin commitment.
That's why bakuchiol excites me. Bakuchiol is a plant-based ingredient extracted from the seeds and leaves of the babchi plant.
Image description: A detailed shot of the babchi plant, featuring its broad green leaves and small purple flower.
Babchi is a herb that has been used in Ayurvedic, Chinese and traditional Indian practices to help heal, calm and soothe the skin due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
"In a 2019 study, no difference was found between retinol and bakuchiol in treating wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. The retinol users, though, did experience more skin dryness and stinging."
Similarly to retinol, bakuchiol catalyses the pathways that trigger the creation of several types of collagen making it useful for increasing skin health and promoting well-aging.
It may also be potentially safe in pregnancy and breastfeeding unlike retinol which would be a gamechanger, however, many more studies need to be conducted to confirm that.
Image description: A close-up of a purple-tinted bakuchiol cream in a jar, surrounded by scattered babchi seeds.
However, if you [like me] love retinol for its action on acne and breakouts, bakuchiol may not be as direct an alternative.
Its soothing properties may come in handy for minimising breakouts but it doesn't have an as direct action on skin cell turnover and so may not reduce the frequency/ severity of your acne.
This may be the ingredient for you if you just love to try new things, cannot use retinol due to sensitivity or if you're a beginner at playing with skincare.
If your skin can take it and has acclimatised to both ingredients alone, you may not have to choose between retinol and bakuchiol.
Get into it, yuh:
Incase you want to Geek out:
Healthline | Try Bakuchiol, Retinol’s Gentle, Plant-Based Sister for Fresh, Healthy Skin
Paula’s Choice | Bakuchiol, what is it?
This post was originally written for the all who wonder blog by Praise and has been shared with permission. Post links may contain commission codes which go towards fair pay for writers.