What is bakuchiol? You may have heard of it recently. It’s being touted as a gentle alternative to retinol. It comes from a plant known as Psoralea corylifolia, or commonly known as Babchi. It is grown in India and has played a role in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for many, many years. Retinoids are the reigning queens of the skincare industry. They are vitamin A based molecules that have proven positive effects on collagen production and they just make the skin look better. Retinoids include retinol, retinoic acid and others. But they are not perfect either. Many cannot use them due to their negative effects. Some of these side effects include: excessive dryness, burning, peeling, stinging and sun sensitivity. These effects can preclude many from using these products. That’s where the skincare hero bakuchiol comes in. In case you’re asking, “how do I know that bakuchiol works just as well as retinoids?” The short answer is that we do and we don’t. There have been small clinical studies performed where the results came out equal in the retinol/bakuchiol groups, ie, they had equal effects. There are other studies that showed significant benefits for postinflammatory hyperpigmentation resulting from acne. Those who applied bakuchiol had significant improvement scores when compared to control subjects. Another scientific reference concluded that it is a good retinol alternative with anti-aging, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Another study found that bakuchiol actually functioned like a retinol analog in vitro, in that it caused similar genetic changes as well as the upregulation of type I & IV collagen as well as type III collagen in fibroblasts. This same study also created a skincare formulation with the test bakuchiol material and applied it to volunteers and found that after 12 weeks their skin had less lines, wrinkles pigmentation, was firmer and showed an overall improvement in photo-damage. There are plenty of personal testimonials of its benefits too. So overall, I say it’s worth the time and effort. We have already purchased Babchi oil (the whole plant version) that contains roughly 5% bakuchiol that we are going to start incorporating into some of our future anti-aging products. The bottom-line is, if you are sensitive to retinoids and looking to improve your skin’s appearance, bakuchiol may be the way to go. It’s a natural product with a much lower incidence of irritation when compared to retinol. In rare cases, some do get irritation when beginning treatment. Just as when starting retinol, it is recommended to start slowly to give your skin a chance to get used to it. Apply two to three times per week and go up from there, and enjoy the natural, younger you!
