Bakuchiol is often called natural retinol. But is that comparison actually accurate?
Both ingredients have been studied for their effects on fine lines, uneven pigmentation and skin texture. Yet they are chemically very different.
Retinol has decades of research behind it, but it can also cause dryness and irritation. Bakuchiol has shown promising results in smaller studies.
Does that make bakuchiol an interesting alternative, particularly for dry, mature or sensitive skin?
To answer that question, we need to look at what each ingredient actually does.
Bakuchiol vs retinol: what does retinol do to your skin?
Retinol belongs to the vitamin A family and has been studied in skincare for decades. Applied to the skin, retinol is converted in several steps into retinoic acid, the form that interacts directly with retinoic acid receptors.
There is substantial research behind retinoids and their effects on fine lines, pigmentation and skin texture. Retinol can be effective, but dryness, flaking, stinging and irritation are well-known reactions, particularly when someone first starts using it or applies more than their skin tolerates.
Retinol for sensitive skin: is bakuchiol a better option?
If you use retinol, tolerate it well and are happy with it, there is no obvious reason to switch simply because bakuchiol exists. But if retinol repeatedly leaves your skin uncomfortable, bakuchiol may be worth considering. Its chemistry is different, and a small clinical comparison found fewer reports of scaling and stinging with bakuchiol. That does not guarantee that bakuchiol, or any finished product containing it, will suit sensitive skin.
And what about provitamin A?
This is another term that often gets mixed into the retinol conversation.
Beta-carotene is known as provitamin A because the body can convert it into vitamin A. Carotenoids are found in colourful plants and in botanical ingredients such as sea buckthorn and rosehip.
That does not make a carotenoid-rich botanical oil the same as retinol. They are different ingredients with different properties.
I think that distinction is worth making because botanical ingredients are often made to sound more impressive by comparing them with something familiar. They really do not need that.
A botanical oil can be interesting for its fatty acids, carotenoids, tocopherols and other naturally occurring compounds without becoming a plant version of retinol.
What is bakuchiol?
Somewhere else entirely.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived compound associated with Psoralea corylifolia, also known as babchi.
For me as a formulator, it has another useful quality. Bakuchiol is oil-soluble, so it can be incorporated directly into an anhydrous formula such as the Six Seed Balm.
Bakuchiol is neither retinol nor provitamin A.
The reason it is compared with retinol is that research has looked at some of the same visible signs of skin ageing.
And that is where things get interesting.
What are the benefits of bakuchiol for skin?
The research is promising, although there is considerably less of it than there is for retinoids.
One of the studies most often quoted lasted 12 weeks and involved 44 people.
Participants used either a cream containing 0.5% bakuchiol twice a day or a cream containing 0.5% retinol once a day.
Both groups showed significant improvement in wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation. For those measurements, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.
The people using retinol reported more scaling and stinging.
It is an interesting result and one of the reasons bakuchiol has received so much attention.
But 44 people is still a relatively small study.
It does not mean that bakuchiol and retinol are interchangeable. And it certainly does not mean that every product containing bakuchiol will produce the same results.
The finished formula matters.
The amount used matters.
And the raw material itself matters too.
Is bakuchiol suitable for dry and mature skin?
Dry and mature skin can have different needs. A skin that feels dry or easily irritated may not tolerate every active ingredient, regardless of how well it performs in a study.
Bakuchiol can be an interesting option for someone looking to address the appearance of fine lines or uneven tone, particularly when retinol is not well tolerated. But its suitability depends on the complete product, not the ingredient name alone. Botanical origin does not guarantee that an ingredient will never irritate.
For skin that feels dry, I also look beyond a single active ingredient. The surrounding formula should help keep the skin comfortable and limit moisture loss.
Bakuchiol serum, bakuchiol oil or balm: does the format matter?
You will find bakuchiol in a bakuchiol serum, a bakuchiol oil and sometimes a cream. But the ingredient is not tied to any one format. Because bakuchiol is oil-soluble, it can also be formulated into a water-free balm.
A bakuchiol serum may be water-based or oil-based, depending on the formula. The phrase bakuchiol oil can describe a finished facial oil or a raw material containing bakuchiol, sometimes diluted in another oil. The label alone does not tell you the amount of actual bakuchiol. A balm brings other functions alongside it: oils, butters and waxes can soften skin and help limit moisture loss. None of these formats is automatically more effective simply because of its name.
Does bakuchiol purity matter?
This is something I find particularly interesting as a formulator, because it is rarely discussed outside formulation.
Pure bakuchiol is the isolated compound at a defined level of purity. The term “bakuchiol oil” is much less precise.
Depending on the raw material, it may refer to babchi oil, a botanical extract carried in oil or bakuchiol that has already been diluted in another oil.
Those materials can contain very different amounts of actual bakuchiol. That difference matters.
If a diluted bakuchiol ingredient and a highly purified bakuchiol ingredient are both used at the same percentage in a formula, the diluted material delivers less actual bakuchiol. So they cannot simply be compared as though they were the same ingredient at the same concentration.
This becomes particularly relevant when looking at research. A study carried out with a defined concentration of bakuchiol tells us about that amount of actual bakuchiol. Simply having an ingredient associated with bakuchiol somewhere in a formula is not the same thing.
The name on an ingredient list only tells you part of the story. Purity, concentration and supplier documentation matter too.
What do I use in the Six-Seed Balm?
I use bakuchiol with a purity of 99%. I chose the highly purified ingredient because I wanted to know exactly what I was formulating with.
There is a considerable price difference too.
Highly purified bakuchiol is an expensive raw material. A diluted oil or extract may cost considerably less, but it may also deliver considerably less actual bakuchiol when used at the same level.
For me, this is simply part of formulation.
I want to know what an ingredient actually contains, how well it is documented and what the research behind it is based on.
Why I included bakuchiol in the Six-Seed Balm
The research around bakuchiol, particularly its effect on the appearance of fine lines, pigmentation and skin texture, made it an interesting ingredient for the formula.
Within the Six-Seed Balm, it sits alongside the six seed oils, squalane, butters and the other supporting ingredients. Each has a different role.
Bakuchiol is there to contribute to smoother, more even-looking skin over time.
The lipid-rich part of the formula has a different function. It helps soften the skin, support the barrier and reduce moisture loss. I wanted those things together.
Something you feel immediately when the balm melts into the skin, alongside an ingredient selected for its potential longer-term effect on the appearance of the skin.
Different parts of the formula working together, each with its own purpose. I call it Skin Architecture.
Bakuchiol vs retinol: which is better for your skin?
If you use retinol, your skin tolerates it well and you are happy with it, there is no obvious reason to change simply because bakuchiol exists.
For people whose skin does not tolerate retinol particularly well, bakuchiol may be interesting. Its chemistry is different and the clinical research we have so far is encouraging.
I would still be careful with claims that make the two sound identical. They are not.
Bakuchiol is interesting enough without calling it natural retinol.
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Study mentioned in this article
Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, et al. Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. British Journal of Dermatology. 2019;180(2):289–296. DOI: 10.1111/bjd.16918.
