Bakuchiol Oil
- Ferida Oe
- Jun 11, 2022
- 1 min read
What is Bakuchiol Oil?
Bakuchiol has been a buzz-worthy “new” skincare ingredient recently. It’s been deemed the “natural retinol” since this plant-based ingredient offers many of the same benefits as a retinol alternative. Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?
It has been used for years in Ayurvedic medicine but it recently caught on in mainstream skincare products in the United States.
Bakuchiol is a plant-based ingredient that comes from the babchi plant. Bakuchiol extract is drawn from the plant’s leaves and seeds. The oil made from the extract is not a new discovery; it’s been a cosmetic product for decades in east Asian cultures for calming down irritated skin. However, it has been an exciting new skincare ingredient in western cultures over the past few years.
Bakuchiol Oil Skin Benefits
All the excitement around this ingredient comes from its wide range of benefits for aging skin. Bakuchiol promotes collagen production and cell turnover to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and even skin tone.
The kicker? It does all this without irritating your skin. Retinol can’t say the same…
Anti Aging Bakuchiol can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It helps promote collagen production for healthy, plump skin. One study showed significant improvement in lines and wrinkles, elasticity, and firmness after using bakuchiol for a 12-week period. Even Tone Bakuchiol can reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, age spots, and dark spots for a smoother, more even complexion. Speeds Up Cell Turnover Bakuchiol helps stimulate cell turnover for faster skin repair and a healthy, clear complexion. It’s almost like a magic ingredient for aging skin. Fight Acne It can help reduce breakouts and manage oily skin. Bakuchiol also can also help soothe and calm the skin which can be beneficial for acne and blemish-prone skin. The real kicker is that bakuchiol offers the benefits above without irritating the skin. Bakuchiol is safe to use twice a day (morning and night) without concern. It won’t make your skin more sensitive to the sun either.
Is It Better Than Retinol?
It’s hard to find an article about bakuchiol without seeing the comparison to retinol, or vitamin A derivatives. Even though retinol is a common ingredient in anti-aging and acne treatment products, it can irritate the skin.
That’s where bakuchiol comes in. It offers many of the same benefits to the skin, but it’s also safe for sensitive skin. In other words, you get many of the same retinol benefits but without the negative side effects.
Retinol has been a darling ingredient in anti-aging and acne products for years. It offers tested and proven benefits for aging skin and those who struggle with acne. But it has limitations. It’s not a good option if you have sensitive skin and it can’t be used with certain products. It is a synthetic derivative of vitamin A. Skincare enthusiasts and professionals claim it’s the gold-standard ingredient since it changes the behavior of skin cells so they act in a more youthful manner. It helps do all the things you want in an anti-aging product. Retinol helps boost collagen production and skin renewal, and it helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, age spots, and uneven texture. It can smooth fine lines but also prevent wrinkles from forming. Retinol can help with the following:
Prevents wrinkles
Reduces (current) wrinkles and fine lines
Reduce the appearance of age spots and hyperpigmentation
Even tone and texture
Balances skin to help with oily, blemish-prone skin
Unfortunately, this powerful ingredient isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It can have serious side effects. The most common side effects of using retinol are dry and flaky skin, redness, and a stinging or burning sensation. These effects may fade over time, as the skin adapts. Retinol also makes the skin very sensitive to sun exposure. It’s critical to wear sunscreen when using retinol-based products. There is no doubt retinol is an effective anti-aging ingredient. That is why it’s still so popular in skincare today, even with alternatives such as bakuchiol.
Bakuchiol is a trendy ingredient that shows significant benefits to the skin. Even in head-to-head comparison studies, bakuchiol has been able to hold its ground.
As noted above, bakuchiol is derived from plants. This is why it’s often referred to as the “natural retinol”. It offers many of the same skin benefits without the harsh side effects of retinol. It hasn’t been around as long but the initial studies are promising.
Bakuchiol is clearly an effective anti-aging skincare ingredient. Perhaps best of all, it’s vegan and plant-based!
Comparison Studies
One randomized, double-blind study with 44 patients had one group use 0.5% bakuchiol cream where the other group used 0.5% retinol. The results showed that both ingredients significantly reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. There wasn’t a significant difference between the effectiveness of retinol and bakuchiol either. However, facial scaling and stinging were reported from the group using the retinol cream. They are both effective ingredients but bakuchiol is gentler on the skin.
Another study focused on comparing the skincare related activities of retinol and bakuchiol. The study found that even though bakuchiol has no structural resemblance to retinoids, it can function very similarly when applied to the skin. Similar to retinol, bakuchiol showed upregulation of l and lV collagen and stimulation of type lll collagen. This study concluded that bakuchiol is an effective anti-aging ingredient through the regulation of gene expression, similar to retinol.
Bakuchiol and retinol can be used together as well. It doesn’t always have to be one or the other. When using both, bakuchiol may help retinol work longer. Since retinol isn’t a stable ingredient, this can improve its effectiveness. Bakuchiol can also help soothe and ease the side effects associated with using retinol.
The benefits of bakuchiol to stand up to the hype. There is science that supports the effectiveness of bakuchiol. However, retinol has been around longer and has much stronger science backing. There are more retinol studies and a larger number of clinically-proven products containing retinol.
How To Use Bakuchiol
It is safe to use bakuchiol twice a day, both in the morning and at night. However, experts recommend starting slow, especially if you have sensitive skin. For any new products or ingredients, you can try spot testing them first by applying to the wrist or behind the ear. Try using bakuchiol at night three days a week before working your way up to using it every day, twice a day.
Don’t forget your SPF! Bakuchiol may not make your skin more likely to burn (like retinol) but you still want to protect it out in the sun! Remember, sun damage is the number 1 culprit for premature aging.
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