Anyone who knows anything about skincare would have probably heard about retinol. The vitamin A derivative has been one of the most popular ingredients in the beauty industry for decades, and is still one of the best in the market when it comes to tackling fine lines, wrinkles and stimulating collagen production.
However, it’s not without its downsides. Retinol can cause irritation and dryness, making it unsuitable for people with sensitive skin or for use in the day.
Enter bakuchiol. Plant-based, natural and vegan, it’s gentle both on your skin and your conscience. Derived from the psoralea corylifolia plant, it was previously used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine and was found to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
But the reason why bakuchiol has been rocking the skincare industry lately is that it works exactly like retinol – boosting cell turnover and collagen production, repairing sun damage, softening fine lines and tightening skin – but with none of the side effects. No wonder beauty brands are taking notice.
While the ingredient is currently nowhere near as popular as retinol, we believe it’s only a matter of time before it becomes mainstream. BYBI Beauty has a Bakuchiol Booster ($23) that can be added into your regular night regime to soften skin texture and fine lines, and lighten pigmentation.
Biossance’s Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum ($43) is infused with bakuchiol, squalane and vitamin B3 to treat crepey skin, improve skin firmness and elasticity, even out skin tone and reduce the appearance of enlarged pores.
The Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum ($138) uses bakuchiol to help treat multiple signs of ageing, reduce roughness and improve skin tone, elasticity, firmness and radiance. It is also made with peptides, like Acetyl Tetrapeptide-40 and Nonapeptide-1, to combat redness caused by inflammation and inhibit the production of melanin, to give you a brighter, glowing complexion.
Herbivore Botanicals has also recently launched their Bakuchiol Smoothing Serum (pictured above), which is slated to hit our shores in September 2019. It not only works on fine lines and wrinkles, but also has exfoliating Polyhydroxy Acids (PHAs) to refine skin.
If you’re not sure how to weave in your bakuchiol skincare into your regime, one easy tip is to use it like how you would use a retinol product. While it might not cause sensitivity or react to UV rays, because the ingredient helps to repair skin damage, it would be most effective in the evenings.
