Bakuchiol: what the plant substance can do for fine lines

Over the years, fine lines and dark spots appear. Bakuchiol is a substance from a plant and can support your skin in looking smoother and more even. In a study, people using bakuchiol reported burning less often than with retinol.

The key points in brief

• Bakuchiol comes from the seeds and leaves of a plant and is built completely differently from retinol.
• In the laboratory, it acted on skin cells in a similar way to retinol.
• In a study over 12 weeks, it performed similarly to retinol on wrinkles and spots.
• In our shop it is mostly found together with retinol in one product, only two creams are without retinol.

What does bakuchiol do in the skin?

Bakuchiol is found in the seeds and leaves of the plant Psoralea corylifolia. Chemically, it is built differently from retinol, that is, vitamin A. Nevertheless, it is often compared with retinol.

In a laboratory study on artificial skin, bakuchiol acted on the genes in a similar way to retinol. Genes are the blueprints in your cells: they determine what a cell forms.

Collagen also increased in the laboratory. Collagen is the protein that keeps your skin firm and plump.

In a second laboratory study, bakuchiol neutralised free radicals considerably more strongly than retinol. Free radicals are small, aggressive particles. They contribute to skin ageing.

Who is it suitable for?

Bakuchiol suits you if you want to care for first lines or dark spots.

Does your skin get irritated quickly? According to the product information, the Age Element Anti-Wrinkle Cream suits sensitive skin. It contains no retinol.

Do you want retinol, but to start gently? Skinretin 0,3 % from mesoestetic has 0.3 % retinol plus bakuchiol.

Who is it less suitable for?

Are you looking for care completely without retinol? Five of our seven products with bakuchiol also contain retinol.

Are you planning a light treatment (IPL), microneedling with fine needles or a peel? Then stop using the Retinol Skin Brightener and the Retinol + Blemish Complex from ZO Skin Health 3 to 4 days beforehand.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: please consult your doctor.

How to use it

Using Skinretin 0,3 % from mesoestetic as an example:

1. Cleanse your face in the evening and let the skin dry.
2. Take a small amount for face and neck, avoid the eye area.
3. In the first 2 weeks, you use it every other evening.
4. If your skin tolerates it well, you then use it every evening, otherwise less often.
5. During the day, always apply sun protection with SPF 30 or higher.

According to the product information, redness, flaking, dryness or a slight burning sensation at the beginning are normal with retinol. For other products with retinol, the plan on the packaging applies. You need sun protection with SPF 30 or higher with each of them.

Without retinol: according to the directions for use, you use the Anti-Wrinkle Cream in the morning and/or evening, the Night Cream in the evening.

Good to combine, better not together

Good together:

• Moisturiser with the Retinol Skin Brightener, also from ZO Skin Health: according to the directions for use, your skin tolerates the retinol better this way.
• Hyaluronic acid and peptides: the Anti-Wrinkle Cream and the Night Cream already contain them.

Better not together:

• An additional product with exfoliating acids (AHA, BHA) on the same evening as Skinretin 0,3 %: according to the product information, you use the two on different evenings.

What you can expect

You will not see a difference overnight.

In a study with 44 people, one group used a cream with 0.5 % bakuchiol twice a day for 12 weeks. The other group used a cream with 0.5 % retinol once a day. The researchers measured a smaller wrinkle area and fewer dark spots in both groups. They found no measurable difference between the groups.

Those who used retinol complained more often about flaking and burning.

In a study with 60 women between 40 and 65, a cleanser and a cream with bakuchiol were applied to the skin twice a day for 4 weeks. All of them had sensitive skin. Both were well tolerated, and afterwards the researchers measured more moisture in the skin than at the start.

In humans, bakuchiol has still been studied little. A review found 15 studies, 12 of them without a comparison group. For you, this means: each result applies to the care product tested, not to every product with bakuchiol.

In our shop

You can find all products in our Bakuchiol collection. These four contain bakuchiol according to their ingredient list:

• Age Element Anti-Wrinkle Cream from mesoestetic: cream with bakuchiol, peptides and hyaluronic acid, without retinol, for skin with first wrinkles.
• Age Element Night Cream from mesoestetic: rich cream for the evening with bakuchiol and peptides, also without retinol.
• Skinretin 0,3 % from mesoestetic: 0.3 % retinol with bakuchiol, for your start with retinol.
• Retinol Skin Brightener from ZO Skin Health: retinol with bakuchiol and a form of vitamin C, for an even-looking complexion with dark spots.

Frequently asked questions

What does bakuchiol do for the skin?

Bakuchiol can support your skin in looking smoother and more even. In a study over 12 weeks, the researchers measured a smaller wrinkle area and fewer dark spots.

Is bakuchiol better than retinol?

In a comparative study with 44 people, the researchers found no statistically significant difference in wrinkles and spots. Those who used retinol reported flaking and burning more often.

What alternatives to retinol are there and how do they work?

One of them is bakuchiol. It is built differently, but in the laboratory it acted in a similar way on the genes of skin cells. If you want to care for your skin completely without retinol, check the ingredient list. In our shop, you can find bakuchiol without retinol in the Age Element Anti-Wrinkle Cream and the Age Element Night Cream from mesoestetic.

Sources

1. Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR et al. (2019): Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. British Journal of Dermatology 180(2):289-296. DOI 10.1111/bjd.16918, PMID 29947134.
2. Chaudhuri RK, Bojanowski K (2014): Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-aging effects. International Journal of Cosmetic Science 36(3):221-230. DOI 10.1111/ics.12117, PMID 24471735.
3. Bluemke A, Ring AP, Immeyer J et al. (2022): Multidirectional activity of bakuchiol against cellular mechanisms of facial ageing - Experimental evidence for a holistic treatment approach. International Journal of Cosmetic Science 44(3):377-393. DOI 10.1111/ics.12784, PMID 35514037.
4. Draelos ZD, Gunt H, Zeichner J, Levy S (2020): Clinical Evaluation of a Nature-Based Bakuchiol Anti-Aging Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology 19(12):1181-1183. DOI 10.36849/JDD.2020.5522, PMID 33346506.
5. Fanning JE, McGee SA, Ibrahim OI (2024): Human Clinical Trials Using Topical Bakuchiol Formulations for the Treatment of Skin Disorders: A Systematic Review. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology 23(4):239-243. DOI 10.36849/JDD.7763, PMID 38564402.