The Benefits Of Bakuchiol + Bakuchiol Serums To Shop

The benefits of bakuchiol vs retinol for skin have been picking up steam lately in the skin care community, and with good reason.

Touted as a great alternative to retinol for all skin types, bakuchiol has been found to improve skin brightness and uneven skin tone, increase skin plumpness, minimize enlarged pores, boost firmness, smooth bumpy texture and lessen fine lines.

But is bakuchiol better than retinol? Should you try it? And how do you use bakuchiol in your skin care routine?

In this post, I will attempt to answer all your burning questions about bakuchiol vs retinol and share a ton of bakuchiol-infused products for you to browse at the end too.

*this post contains affiliate links*

The topics in this post include:

What Is Bakuchiol?

Bakuchiol is a powerful plant extract derived from the babchi plant and is totally vegan. The properties of bakuchiol are anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, making it a natural vegan skin care powerhouse ingredient for many skin care concerns.

Native to India, this herb has long been used in Ayurvedic practices. Bakuchiol also has roots in natural Chinese medicine

What Are The Benefits of Bakuchiol vs Retinol

Bakuchiol works similarly to retinol in that it has cell-communicating and gene-modifying abilities that help improve skin and is effective when used topically in a serum, lotion, moisturizer or oil, so feel free to choose the texture that works best for your skin.

The concentration of bakuchiol is what is important; research has shown that amounts between 0.5-2% are ideal to get noticeable skin benefits.

Bakuchiol in skin care has been found to:

-Even skin tone: Bakuchiol deeply penetrates the skin to help lessen the appearance of dark spots or areas of hyperpigmentation.

-Reduce the appearance of fine lines: Like retinol, bakuchiol has cell-communicating properties that tell your cells to make skin-plumping collagen, which also works to reduce the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles.

-Doesn’t cause dryness or irritation: Bakuchiol is more gentle than retinol and doesn’t cause the same irritating side effects as retinol.

-Safe to use twice a day: Because it is less irritating than retinol, you can use bakuchiol both during your morning and nighttime skincare routines.

-Suitable for all skin types: Being gentle on skin, most anyone can use bakuchiol, even sensitive skin types.

-Helps soothe and heal skin: It promotes soothing and skin healing through increased cell turnover.

-Fights Free Radicals: Its anti-oxidant properties fight free radicals that can damage skin if left unchecked.

-Not Photo-Sensitive: It can be used during the day and not make your skin more sensitive to the sun, unlike retinol. It’s effectiveness is also not reduced by the sun, since it is UV stable.

–Safe For Use During Pregnancy/Breastfeeding: Unlike retinol, you can use bakuchiol with a baby on board or latched onto you! But always discuss your skin care ingredients with your doctor first to be safe.

-Fights Acne and Blemishes: Bakuchiol has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, so it kills acne bacteria and reduces swelling, while reducing acne scarring.

How To Use Bakuchiol In Your Skin Care Routine

Bakuchiol should be treated as a treatment product, similar to how retinol would be used and inserted into your skin care routine and according to the texture and thickness of the formula it comes in.

In a basic skin care routine, you would cleanse, exfoliate and tone skin and then apply your bakuchiol serum, cream or oil as you would your usual serums, creams or oils..

As a general rule, always apply lighter, more runny products before heavier, oily products in your skin care routine.

Does Bakuchiol Conflict With Other Skin Care Ingredients? Can I Use It With Retinol?

Bakuchiol does not negatively interact with any other skin care ingredients, making it quite easy to slip into your current skin care routine.

You can also safely use bakuchiol alongside retinol in your routine. As an added bonus, bakuchiol has a natural stabilizing effect on vitamin A (retinol), and can improve the skin’s tolerance to various strengths of retinol because of its soothing abilities.

Are There Any Side Effects of Using Bakuchiol vs Retinol?

Being a natural ingredient, there is the potential for allergic reactions for some people. However, this is a potential side effect of all skin care ingredients, which is why patch testing new products is always recommended.

Is Bakuchiol Better Than Retinol?

Whether bakuchiol is better than retinol is a difficult question to answer, since the effects of bakuchiol are still being studied, while retinol has been around a long time and with proven results.

Ultimately, I think the answer really lies in what your skin can handle while experiencing little to no irritation to achieve the results you desire. If you can handle retinol without irritation, as I can, I would still recommend retinol as your go-to anti-aging, skin-transforming product based on its proven effectiveness.

Again, there are various strengths of retinol that you can try, from 0.2% strength up to 1% strength pure retinols, so start with a low dose and see how your skin reacts to it. Increase retinol use over time as your skin’s becomes accustomed to it.

However, if you know you cannot tolerate retinol at any strength, are banned from retinol use for medical reasons or want to ease yourself into retinol use with another similar, more gentle skin active, then bakuchiol is the way to go.

Below I share a list of bakuchiol skin care products for you to browse through!

Shop Bakuchiol Serums

If you’re looking to try out a bakuchiol-infused product, below are a few you can consider. Always check the ingredients list before purchasing any skin care product so there are no surprises! Some of these products also contain retinol in addition to bakuchiol.