BAKUCHIOL: What it is + The Skin Benefits We LOVE

Bakuchiol is known to make skin look younger because it acts like retinol but without the irritation. Can Bakuchiol really make skin look young?

Read this Bakuchiol Guide: What it Is + The Skin Benefits We Love

About Bakuchiol

Bakuchiol comes from the leaves and seeds of the babchi plant. It is also called babchi. It is a plant-based phenol that decreases wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Studies show that gentle, natural bakuchiol holds its’ own against Retinol. Structurally, babchi is nothing like retinol. While it can technically cause redness and irritation, it is rare.

Unlike retinol, you can use it during the day. It is still important to use sunscreen.

Why Use Bakuchiol Not Retinol

Retinol is the gold standard of skincare ingredients. It quells acne, age spots, and wrinkles. It leaves skin dewy, refined, refreshed, and younger. But before the dewy, youthy, fabulous skin phase, there’s the dreaded irritated skin phase. And for those of us with sensitive skin that phase of retinol use is torture. In fact, many stop using retinol altogether because they cannot tolerate that phase of intense skin irritation. There are some ways how to buffer retinol for sensitive skin:

1. Applying a moisturizer first, wait 10 minutes then apply retinol.
2. Use Retinol only for a few hours then washing it off is another option.
3. A third option is using retinol only one or two nights a week.
4. Some prescription retinols, such as Atralin, contain built-in buffers that allow many sensitive skin types to finally experience retinol.
5. Some over the counter retinol products contain buffers to soothe irritation.

But some people prefer a natural alternative with less fuss.

Bakuchiol Skin Benefits We Love

• Bakuchiol is a natural retinol alternative. It is non-irritating.
• It improves photoaging, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation equally as well as retinol, but is better tolerated. ^[1]
• Stimulates collagen within the skin, as well as significant improvement in wrinkles, pigmentation, elasticity, and firmness without the retinol-associated side effects. ^[2]
• Inhibits melanin production on age spots and acne scars ^[3].
• Treats acne without skin peeling or redness.^[4]
• NEW Moms: Ask you doctor about Bakuchiol use. It may be okay during pregnancy or while you are breastfeeding (retinol is NOT considered safe for either – so plan accordingly).

Prescription Retinols such as Atralin have built-in buffering ingredients that may help some sensitive skin types tolerate retinol use. Others prefer natural ingredient alternatives. [/caption]

Bakuchiol Research Studies

“Our study demonstrates that bakuchiol is comparable with retinol in its ability to improve photoaging and is better tolerated than retinol.” ^[5]

One randomized, double-blind, clinical study compared retinol and bakuchiol. There was no statistical difference between how each decreased wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. But the retinol users reported facial skin scaling and stinging. ^[6] A second study confirmed the Retinol-like functionality of bakuchiol. It also documented the stimulation of collagen within the skin. Bakuchiol was used twice a day for 12 weeks. The result was a significant improvement in wrinkles, pigmentation, elasticity, and firmness without the retinol-associated side effects. ^[7]

Feature	Retinol	Bakuchiol
Anti-aging effectiveness	Proven to stimulate collagen, smooth wrinkles and improve texture	Comparable benefits (wrinkle reduction, elasticity, pigmentation) in clinical trials
Skin tolerance	Can cause redness, dryness, peeling, irritation, and sun sensitivity	Gentler alternative; typically low irritation, suitable for sensitive skin
Photosensitivity	Increases sun sensitivity must be used at night with SPF	Stable under sunlight, safe for morning use, no added photosensitivity
Suitability during pregnancy	Not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding (Vitamin A derivative)	Considered safe during pregnancy (no retinoid structure) though discuss with your doctor
Speed & potency	Fast-acting and potent; noticeable results in weeks but harsher	Generally milder and slower; may take longer for visible results
Research & track record	Extensively studied for decades well-established effects and risks	Promising clinical results and growing evidence, but shorter history in skincare
Daytime use & integration	Restricted to nighttime; incompatible with many other actives	Can be layered with other ingredients, including daytime routines; adaptable integration

Recommended Clean Beauty Skincare with Bakuchiol Benefits

We previously featured two Bakuchiol clean beauty skincare products:

• Caley Cosmetics Tropical Melt
• Morganna’s Alchemy 24K Carrot Glow

Both give Retinol results without retinol irritation.

24K Carrot Glow also contains Astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a clean ingredient that helps skin with premature aging and photo damage (sun damage).

Tropical Melt contains probiotics to clear acne prone skin. Both are great clean beauty skincare options depending on your specific primary skin condition.

About Tropical Melt with Bakuchiol

Caley Cosmetics Tropical Melt is an excellent multi-tasker to address wrinkles, acne, discoloration, and acne. Apply this multi-tasking balm to damp skin and use it as a cleanser, makeup remover, mask, or leave-on treatment. We love the retinol results AND how skin still feels so supple, hydrated, and smooth!

More from Caley Cosmetics

Here are some of the other Caley Cosmetics skincare and makeup we love:

Caley Cosmetics Beach Babe Natural Eyes Eyeliner

Why Caley Cosmetics Beach Babe NATURAL EYES Eyeliner is Special

Find Clean Beauty Skincare options featuring Bakuchiol like Caley Cosmetics Tropical Melt

References

1. Dhaliwal, S.; Rybak, I.; Ellis, S.R.; Notay, M.; Trivedi, M.; Burney, W.; Vaughn, A.R.; Nguyen, M.; Reiter, P. (February 2019). “Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing”
2. British Journal of Dermatology. 180 (2): 289=296. doi:10.1111/bjd.16918. ISSN 0007-0963. PMID 29947134.
3. Chaudhuri RK, Bojanowski K. Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-aging effects. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2014 Jun;36(3):221-30. doi: 10.1111/ics.12117. Epub 2014 Mar 6. PMID: 24471735.
4. Ohno O, Watabe T, Nakamura K, Kawagoshi M, Uotsu N, Chiba T, Yamada M, Yamaguchi K, Yamada K, Miyamoto K, Uemura D. Inhibitory effects of bakuchiol, bavachin, and isobavachalcone isolated from Piper longum on melanin production in B16 mouse melanoma cells. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2010;74(7):1504-6. doi: 10.1271/bbb.100221. Epub 2010 Jul 7. PMID: 20622433.
5. Dhaliwal, S.; Prospective, British Journal of Dermatology, 2019
6. Ibid
7. Chaudhuri, Bakuchiol, Int J Cosmet Sci. 2014

ABOUT THIS POST

These Caley Cosmetics and Morganna’s Alchemy products were both originally submitted to Style Chicks for consideration purposes. All opinions and experiences are 100% our own. See details in the original product reviews. All Ingredient Guide research is our own. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for this Ingredient Guide, please contact us. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Find Clean Beauty Skincare options featuring Bakuchiol like Caley Cosmetics Tropical Melt[/caption]