New to Bakuchiol? Here are it's Wonderful Benefits!
It's not a typo! It is really spelled ending in "iol" and is pronounced in a couple of ways, commonly "ba-coo-chee-ool", although I've heard other pronunciations. So, what is this wonderful, exciting natural ingredient that is backed by serious science? Let's dig in!
Bakuchiol is a meroterpene derived from the seed pods of the plant Psoralea Corylifolia. It's used extensively in some Asian countries in particular Ayurvedic medicine in India.
It possesses antimicrobial effects, is a powerful antioxidant, stimulates collagen synthesis, and is found by many dermatologists, cosmetic chemists, and recent clinical studies as a natural plant-based alternative to Retinol in skin care. Truly exciting!
How Does Retinol Differ from Bakuchiol?
Retinol (and we're referring to all topically applied derivatives of Vitamin A) has been held as THE gold standard for fighting lines and wrinkles, stimulating collagen, and fighting acne for many years. The most effective form, Tretinoin (aka Retin A), must be prescribed.
The downside to Retinols is they can be difficult to tolerate, having many persistent side effects such as redness, irritation, photosensitivity, and flaking. Many with sensitive skin find it impossible to tolerate the side effects. Retinoids and its many variations are difficult to incorporate into skincare in effective forms and are unstable if exposed to oxygen and light. Retinol--Finicky and hard to tolerate!
Retinol has a few other drawbacks besides irritating skin. Many with rosacea, eczema, and other skin conditions cannot tolerate it, even in weaker forms or lower concentrations.
There are also some ongoing clinical studies suggesting Retinol may be a contributing factor to a condition known as "dry eye." Additionally, women who are pregnant or lactating are advised to avoid the use of Retinol.
In Comes Bakuchiol!
It has the anti-aging and acne-fighting attributes of Retinol-without the headaches:
- Powerful Antioxidant, Stimulates Collagen Synthesis, Helps with Hyperpigmentation
- Benefits Dry, Maturing skin, significantly slows the skin's aging process.
- Also Benefits Acne, Problem break-out prone skin and Adult Acne
- Very easy to tolerate and is especially kind to sensitive skin
- Unlike Retinol, Bakuchiol is not fussy about layering compatibilities with other skincare preparations (such as Vitamin C and AHA's).
- Feels good on the skin--no itching, flaking, or irritation.
- Is a vegan natural choice for those who want to avoid synthetic Retinol.
- Relatively NO side effects
- Can be used both evening and day (no photosensitivity issues)
- And it works!
Bakuchiol Works Differently than Retinol but has Virtually the Same Results
While Bakuchiol uses different channels, the effects and results of boosting collagen production are virtually identical to Retinol. Another wonderful reason to use Bakuchiol over Retinol is that it does not cause photosensitivity and can be used in evening and day skincare rituals.
Bakuchiol, like Retinol, is effective for both anti-aging and acne-fighting applications. Fighting both battles is great news for those with "adult acne". The best news? Most of the same results, but none of the Retinol "nasties" (flaking, irritation, redness). "Gentle on the skin" does not mean sacrificing effective results. That's a win-win!
Several clinical studies conducted within the last 5 years have exciting findings. As Dr. Leslie S Baumann concludes (Article published in MDEdge on July 8, 2019):
"A compound that acts like a retinoid--yielding antiacne and antiaging effects--without provoking irritation? Most dermatologists and their patients would say, sign me up. Bakuchiol... seems to present that kind of profile...traditional medicine and an increasing body of research, including clinical results, provides optimism that this ingredient may have a versatile role to play in topical skin care, particularly in its retinoid-like functions."
The conclusion of a double-blind study conducted by researchers from universities in CA, MA, PA and FL was published in the British Journal of Dermatology on June 27, 2018 (https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.16918) and found:
"Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that bakuchiol is comparable with retinol in its ability to improve photoaging and is better tolerated than retinol. Bakuchiol is promising as a more tolerable alternative to retinol."
We're not suggesting eliminating the use of Retinol if you are well-acclimated to it. Bakuchiol can also work very well in conjunction with Retinol products too. In fact, incorporating Bakuchiol can make Retinols more tolerable! Some will use Retinol 2-3 times a week and Bakuchiol on a daily/nightly basis. And for those who simply cannot tolerate Retinol, Bakuchiol is here for them!
How to use Bakuchiol in Your Skin Ritual
Using Bakuchiol is easy! Choosing the right Bakuchiol products for your skin type is the key.
Retinols are rigid in their formulating requirements. It's difficult to formulate Retinols with other beneficial ingredients and they are primarily used as "stand-alone" products.
The beauty of Bakuchiol is that it is easily combined with other skincare's high-functioning ingredients such as peptides, Vitamin C, and other antioxidants. This makes Bakuchiol skincare products more multi-functional to target different skincare issues! So, you can choose Bakuchiol skincare products targeting breakouts, acne, dry skin, wrinkles, fine lines, etc. because they can be combined with other important supporting skincare ingredients. Again, Truly exciting!
You may wish to use Bakuchiol facial oil serums and more emollient creams for the evening and use a lightweight creamy serum for daytime use. An extra bonus is that using Bakuchiol does not cause photosensitivity, and is actually recommended to use for both your daytime and evening skin rituals!
Also, Bakuchiol is compatible with most other skincare, meaning you can easily layer it with Vitamin C and other ingredients-- something that you cannot do with a Retinol product.
And, of course, we can't leave you without ways to benefit from this wonderful ingredient! Our Bakuchiol Collection is Unparalleled. Seven choices! Most of our Bakuchiol products contain an industry-high concentration of 3%. And the Bakuchiol we use is the authentic pure active source (Sytenol® A). This is critically important!
Enjoy Bakuchiol in facial oil serums, light milky serums, or in a more emollient cream moisturizer. We also offer Bakuchiol combined with a low level of Retinol in our Together Serum! We even have the Clarifying Bakuchiol Serum specifically formulated for oily skin.
Your choice--or choices! Select one or two best suited for your needs and skin type. Using one option for daytime and another for evening use can be especially effective.
We hope you enjoy the benefits of Mother Earth's skincare gift-- Bakuchiol! Your healthy skin will thank you!
PS: Please hop onto our informative Blog describing the importance of "Knowing the Quality of Your Bakuchiol Source" --because not all Bakuchiol is created equal.
References
Greenzaid, Jonathan, Adam Friedman, and Pooja Sodha. “The Use of Bakuchiol in Dermatology: A Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence.” Journal of drugs in dermatology: JDD 21, no. 6 (2022): 624-629.
Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, Notay M, Trivedi M, Burney W, Vaughn AR, Nguyen M, Reiter P, Bosanac S, Yan H, Foolad N, Sivamani RK. Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoaging. Br J Dermatol. 2019 Feb;180(2):289-296. doi: 10.1111/bjd.16918. Epub 2018 Sep 21. PMID: 29947134.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259958456_Bakuchiol_A_Retinol-Like_Functional_Compound_Revealed_by_Gene_Expression_Profiling_Clinically_Proven_to_have_Anti-Aging_Effects
Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-aging effects R. K. Chaudhuri,K. Bojanowski. First published: 29 January 2014