Bakuchiol and Retinol: What are the skin benefits of Bakuchiol & Is Bakuchiol the same as retinol?
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived ingredient which provides visible skin benefits, such as improving the look of wrinkles, firmness, and dark spots (Chaudhuri and Bojanowski 2014 publication).
Improvement in the look of wrinkles and dark spots was found to be similar between bakuchiol and retinol (Dhaliwal et al 2019).
While Bakuchiol has comparable anti-aging effects to retinol, it is not retinol nor a Vitamin A derivative and it has no structural resemblance to retinoids.
Bakuchiol is in a different chemical family than retinoids. (Fisher etal 1998).
Bakuchiol has demonstrated in ex vivo and in vivo studies to have antioxidant properties to help support collagen, and to promote surface skin renewal which contributes to the visible skin benefits of Bakuchiol. (Bluemke et al 2022)
Bakuchiol and pregnancy: Is Bakuchiol Safe to Use During Pregnancy?
Bakuchiol has not been studied for use during pregnancy. If you are pregnant or considering pregnancy, consult your physician before using the bakuchiol-containing products.
References
Alam, F, Khan, GN, Asad, MHHB. Psoralea corylifolia L: Ethnobotanical, biological, and chemical aspects: A review. Phytotherapy Research. 2018; 32: 597– 615.
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.
Draelos ZD, Gunt H, Zeichner J, Levy S. Clinical Evaluation of a Nature-Based Bakuchiol Anti-Aging Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. J Drugs Dermatol. 2020 Dec 1;19(12):1181-1183.
Dhaliwal, S et al. “Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing.” The British journal of dermatology vol. 180,2 (2019): 289-296. doi:10.1111/bjd.16918
Bluemke A, Ring AP, Immeyer J, Hoff A, Eisenberg T, Gerwat W, Meyer F, Breitkreutz S, Klinger LM, Brandner JM, Sandig G, Seifert M, Segger D, Rippke F, Schweiger D. Multidirectional activity of bakuchiol against cellular mechanisms of facial ageing - Experimental evidence for a holistic treatment approach. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2022 Jun;44(3):377-393. doi: 10.1111/ics.12784. Epub 2022 Jun 9. PMID: 35514037; PMCID: PMC9328396.
Fisher GJ, Datta SC, Voorhees JJ. Retinoic acid receptor-gamma in human epidermis preferentially traps all-trans retinoic acid as its ligand rather than 9-cis retinoic acid. J Invest Dermatol. 1998 Mar;110(3):297-300. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.1998.00112.x. PMID: 9506453.