Bakuchiol is a meroterpene phenol extracted from the seeds and leaves of Psoralea corylifolia, a plant used in both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine. It is widely marketed as a natural alternative to retinol, and the reality is more interesting than that framing suggests.
How it works
Bakuchiol is not structurally related to vitamin A and does not bind retinoid receptors. Despite that, gene expression studies have found it influences several of the same pathways retinoids act on, including those associated with collagen production and cell turnover.
So the effect appears to be functionally similar by a different route, rather than the same mechanism in a different molecule. That distinction matters: bakuchiol is not a retinoid, and describing it as one is inaccurate.
The evidence
A 2019 randomised trial published in the British Journal of Dermatology compared bakuchiol against retinol over twelve weeks and reported comparable improvement in the appearance of photoageing, with bakuchiol producing less scaling and stinging.
That study is the foundation of almost every bakuchiol claim in the category, and it is worth knowing that it is a single trial with a small sample. The finding is genuine and encouraging. The body of evidence behind retinol is decades deeper.
Why it appears alongside retinol rather than instead of it
Because the two act through different routes, using both is complementary rather than redundant. Bakuchiol is also more stable than retinol against light and oxidation, and has antioxidant activity of its own, which may help protect the retinol in the same formula.
Pregnancy
This is where the marketing gets ahead of the evidence. Bakuchiol is frequently promoted as the pregnancy-safe alternative to retinol, on the reasoning that it is not a vitamin A derivative.
There is no substantial safety data for topical bakuchiol in pregnancy. Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety, and Psoralea corylifolia has traditional uses that warrant caution. This is a question for your doctor rather than a claim a product should make.
Photosensitivity
Bakuchiol itself is not considered photosensitising, unlike retinoids. However, Psoralea corylifolia also contains psoralens, which are strongly photosensitising compounds. Purified bakuchiol should be free of them, but purity depends on the supplier, and extracts are not standardised.
