Bakuchiol for Skin: Benefits, Uses & More

In this article:
What is bakuchiol?
Bakuchiol benefits
What does bakuchiol do?
How to use bakuchiol
How to add bakuchiol to your skin care routine
Bakuchiol vs. retinol
Can I use bakuchiol and retinol together?
Retinol and bakuchiol benefits
Bakuchiol and retinol combined with other products
Should you use a bakuchiol serum or bakuchiol oil?
Is bakuchiol pregnancy safe?

While it’s no secret that retinol is one of the best-known, most effective and highly researched skin care ingredients for fighting signs of ageing (among other concerns), it’s not an ingredient everyone can use. In recent years, bakuchiol has gained traction as a plant-derived retinol alternative, thanks to its similar benefits without the risk of irritation (1).

Keep reading to dive into bakuchiol’s background, how it works with skin and how you can easily incorporate the ingredient into your skin care routine.

What is bakuchiol?

Bakuchiol (pronounced “buh-KOO-chee-all”) is a vegan, plant-derived skin care ingredient found in the leaves and seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant (AKA babchi), known for its antioxidant and anti-ageing properties.

This herb is native to India and has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic practices. It also has roots in natural Chinese medicine. As it turns out, original users of bakuchiol were ahead of their time. In recent years, research has shed light on how topical application of bakuchiol offers unique and significant benefits for skin (2). Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman notes, “While bakuchiol doesn’t resemble the molecular structure of retinol at all, it offers some of the same clinical benefits.”

Bakuchiol benefits

So, what specifically can bakuchiol do to help you reach your skin care goals? Here are some of the ways it can improve skin’s overall health (3):

• Visibly reduces photo-damage (discolourations from environmental exposure) and helps even out skin tone.
• Assists in increasing the appearance of skin’s firmness.
• Helps support healthy collagen levels.
• Reduces visible signs of fine lines and wrinkles and helps forestall signs of ageing.
• Produces a soothing effect for skin.
• Defends against damaging external agents, like pollution.

What does bakuchiol do?

First, bakuchiol is a potent antioxidant, meaning it can neutralise environmental attacks (think pollution and damaging molecules generated from sun exposure) that take their toll on skin over time. These attacks, if not curbed, can go on to prematurely age skin and promote uneven skin tone as well as a loss of firmness.

As if that wasn’t enough, bakuchiol also interacts with various pathways in skin associated with helping prevent signs of ageing (4). By fighting current environmental damage - while also repairing the look of past damage - bakuchiol works on the skin issues you see now and helps stave off future signs of ageing that would have otherwise shown up later in life.

How to use bakuchiol

Research has shown that bakuchiol works effectively in concentrations starting at 0.5%, so ideally you want a product that contains at least that much to reap the benefits (5).

You can find bakuchiol in many different formats including serums, oils, moisturisers and other specialised skin care treatments. Whichever treatment route you go, make sure your bakuchiol product comes in air-restrictive packaging (something like a pump bottle instead of a jar). This is because routine exposure to air causes bakuchiol’s antioxidant properties to break down, eventually rendering it ineffective.

How to add bakuchiol to your skin care routine

Adding a bakuchiol product to your skin care routine is easy because this ingredient “plays well” with others—simply apply once or twice daily after your cleansing, toning, and exfoliating steps.

Here are some bakuchiol application tips:

• If you’re using a bakuchiol serum, apply before your moisturiser.
• If it’s a moisturiser with bakuchiol, apply after your serum.
• If using a heavier bakuchiol oil formula, it should generally be applied at night, as the last step in your routine. Alternate: add a few drops to your nighttime moisturiser, mix, and apply to face and neck.

During the day, finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Bakuchiol is stable in sunlight and isn’t known to make skin more sun-sensitive but, as with any anti-ageing ingredient, daily UV protection is essential for getting (and keeping) the best results.

Bakuchiol vs. retinol

Bakuchiol is often touted as a natural alternative to retinol anti-ageing products, but it’s important to point out that the two are not identical. The comparison stems from the fact that research has revealed bakuchiol and retinol target many of the same areas in skin, and they share many of the same visible benefits.

A major difference: skin cells have specific receptor sites for retinol and various retinoids. This is not true for bakuchiol. Despite this, these ingredients can follow the same pathway in skin, but their “communication” methods differ. Ultimately, you’ll see many of the same benefits using bakuchiol, such as wrinkle reduction, improved elasticity and more even tone.

Can I use bakuchiol and retinol together?

Yes, bakuchiol and retinol can be used together. In fact, research shows these two ingredients work well together, and here’s why: bakuchiol’s potent calming and stabilising properties let retinol work better and increase skin’s tolerance to this well-studied ingredient. This duo can make an impressive difference for visible skin concerns like wrinkles, dark spots, and loss of firmness.

The common advice is to use bakuchiol if your skin is sensitive to retinol. But if your skin isn’t sensitive to this vitamin A ingredient, you really should try using them together. Using retinol and bakuchiol together builds on the overlapping and unique benefits each has to offer. Bakuchiol also has a natural stabilising effect on vitamin A (retinol), not to mention its soothing properties can improve skin’s tolerability to retinol.

The similar and unique benefits of both can truly help your skin in unique ways. Let’s explore those benefits…

Retinol and bakuchiol benefits

Bakuchiol is a natural partner for retinol because both ingredients have similar and distinct benefits, with the similarities building on the results (6). Using bakuchiol and retinol at the same time leads to a healthier, fresher-looking complexion that just might have people asking what you’re doing to make your skin look so good!

Here are the top reasons why we recommend using these two ingredients together:

• Bakuchiol is also an antioxidant that complements the antioxidant ability of vitamin A, giving your skin improved protection from visible signs of environmental stressors and boosting its ability to repair signs of past damage (7).
• Bakuchiol is proven to stabilise retinol and the skin-replenishing ingredients (like linoleic acid and caprylic triglyceride) that are often used in retinol products.
• Bakuchiol helps retinol work longer before breaking down in the presence of air and light, so you’re likely to see better results (8). This is very exciting since keeping this vitamin A ingredient stable over time is notoriously difficult.
• Bakuchiol’s soothing benefit enhances skin’s ability to tolerate retinol. If you’ve had a sensitised reaction to a retinol product, you may find that combining them lets you get similar benefits without signs of sensitivity or flaking (9).

Bakuchiol and retinol combined with other products

Now that you know you can use bakuchiol and retinol together you might be wondering if it’s also OK to use these ingredients with other skin care ingredients. The answer is yes!

We’re happy to tell you there isn’t a shred of research showing any problems combining them with other; actually, these two ingredients can improve the results from other treatment products you may use, including those that further help visibly firm skin, reduce wrinkles, brighten a dull skin tone and repair signs of environmental damage (10).

However, when incorporating new ingredients in your skin care routine, especially those that are active, begin slowly and note skin’s response. After assessing, increase usage if you love the results and aren’t experiencing any adverse effects.

Always remember daily use of broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect the results from these impressive ingredients.

Should you use a bakuchiol serum or bakuchiol oil?

Ultimately, you should select a bakuchiol product that aligns with your skin type and concerns—the product texture itself doesn’t impact efficacy. Choose a bakuchiol serum or lotion-like treatment if you want a lightweight formula that layers easily with other leave-on products in your routine. A bakuchiol oil can be great for dry, dehydrated skin.

Is bakuchiol pregnancy safe?

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, we advise checking with your health care provider before using bakuchiol products. Some online sources indicate that using bakuchiol as an alternative to retinol during pregnancy is fine, but we currently don’t have safety data supporting this recommendation.

A 2022 review in the Journal of Integrative Dermatology found that, “While concrete clinical evidence is insufficient to make definitive claims on pregnancy safety, bakuchiol can be considered a safer option for those who are pregnant, nursing and trying to conceive based on mechanism of action.” (11)

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References for this information:
1. British Journal of Dermatology, February 2019, pages 289-296
2. F1000 Research, November 2023, pages 1–24
3. International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work, July 2020, pages 15-18
4. Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics, 2015, Raja K Sivamani, Jared R. Jagdeo, Peter Elsner, Howard I. Maibach, CRC Press, pages 1-18
5. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, June 2022, pages 377-393
6. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, June 2014, pages 221-230
7. Chemical Research in Toxicology, September 2003, pages 1,062-1,069
8. Cosmetics & Toiletries, April 2015, ePublication
9. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, July 2019, pages 1–11
10. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, December 2022, pages 6636-6643
11. Journal of Integrative Dermatology, September 2022, ePublication