Bakuchiol

Bakuchiol is a new and up-and-coming prospective plant-based ingredient that is thought to be able to treat wrinkles and hyperpigmentation, as well as other age-related skin ailments.

Bakuchiol is chemically a terpenoid that occurs naturally in the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia (also called Babchi), a plant used in Chinese and Indian traditional medicine.

Bakuchiol emerged in 2014 following a study that tested its potential effects on aging skin in a test-tube experiment involving gene expression. They compared its activity to retinol – a well-known skin agent that works by regulating which genes in skin cells are active and which are not (very simply put). Bakuchiol was able to increase the creation of collagen, among other things, in the test-tube skin model.

Using retinol and retinoids as therapeutic skincare ingredients is famously difficult due to their many side effects, notably sensitivity, flaking, and a stinging or burning sensation on the skin (when used in high doses).

A clinical study from 2019, however, showed that bakuchiol was able to achieve the same results as retinol in a skincare cream, but with fewer side effects. These effects included decreased wrinkle surface area and decreased hyperpigmentation. Bakuchiol has come into the focus of dermatologists and skincare experts due to this study.

More studies are currently being conducted, as well as studies testing it for possible skin-related issues. It is still necessary to have studies on more volunteers in order to discover possible side effects and confirm whether bakuchiol is truly better and safer than retinol. But for now, the results definitely look promising!

Bakuchiol also has good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

As a side fact, unrelated to bakuchiol: the name of the plant, Psoralea corylifolia, is similar to the word ‘psoriasis’ and there is indeed a connection. Another compound isolated from Psoralea – psoralen – was the starting point for many different treatments of this unpleasant skin disease.