Reported to act as a photostabilizer and barrier-supportive booster for retinoids, per formulation convention.
바쿠치올 · 전성분
Bakuchiol
A plant-derived compound reported to function as a retinol-like active without the chemical structure of a retinoid, associated in its cited studies with reduced signs of photoaging and reported to be better tolerated than retinol.
- INCI
- BAKUCHIOL
Also called Babchi Extract Compound
Early-stage page
This ingredient page is still early. We're actively researching before it's ready to stand fully on its own — check back as more sections are verified.
The short answer
Four lines, each compressed from the section it links to. Every line carries the sources of the claim it compresses.
- What it does
Comparable Anti-Photoaging Effect to Retinol, Better Tolerated
See the evidence - Where it goes
serum or moisturizer step · day and night
See how to use it - What shows, and when
12 weeks: Reduced wrinkle appearance and hyperpigmentation, comparable to retinol with better reported tolerability, per the cited head-to-head trial.
Source1
See the timeline
How to use it
Where it sits in the seven-step ladder, and the record's own fields for the habit.
아침DayDay: used
저녁NightNight: used
day and night
Cleanser클렌저
Toner토너
Essence에센스
Serum세럼 sits here
Eye cream아이크림
Moisturizer크림 sits here
Sunscreen자외선차단제
Filled steps are where Bakuchiol commonly appears. No product is recommended.
Everything here comes from the sources below. None of it is a product recommendation.
- Time of day
- day and night
- Where it sits
- serum or moisturizer step
- Starting frequency
- once or twice daily
- Amount
- a few drops or a pea-sized amount
- Application
- Apply to clean skin. Reported compatible for layering with other actives, including retinoids, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.
- Storage
- Store in a cool, dark place in opaque or UV-protected packaging to preserve stability.
Plays well with / keep apart
One card per pair. Where the partner has its own passport, the name links to it.
Do layer it with
Reported to combine barrier support with collagen-supportive signaling, per formulation convention.
Read the passportReported to combine water-channel upregulation with moisture binding, per formulation convention.
Read the passportWhat to expect, and when
The record's own timeline. Each step keeps the source of the study it came from.
Is this safe for me
Everything the record says about suitability, consolidated. Pause-first comes first.
Before you start
Light-sensitive; best stored and formulated in opaque or UV-protected packaging to preserve stability.
Best match
signs of aging
photodamaged skin · sensitive skin seeking a retinol alternative
Routine
serum or moisturizer step
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Not medical advice · ask your own clinician
Pregnancy. A 2011 dermatology review of skin-care product safety in pregnancy names hydroquinone (high systemic absorption) and tretinoin (evidence controversial) as the actives of concern, and states that most other topical skin-care products act locally and produce minimal systemic absorption; bakuchiol is not named among the flagged concerns 5. This is general topical-product reasoning rather than an ingredient-specific safety trial. Unlike tretinoin, bakuchiol is not a retinoid and is not established to carry the same teratogenicity concerns, but no dedicated pregnancy-safety trial for bakuchiol was found this cycle. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor before use.
Breastfeeding. Topical application is applied locally with minimal expected systemic absorption; no ingredient-specific breastfeeding safety trial was located. As a general precaution common to topical actives, avoid applying directly to the breast or nipple area, since incidental transfer to a nursing infant has not been studied for this ingredient. If you are breastfeeding, ask your doctor before use.
| Common, and it usually settles |
|---|
| reported well tolerated across its cited trials, including in sensitive, eczema-prone, and rosacea-prone skin, with less scaling and stinging than retinol in a head-to-head comparison |
Allergen history
Not yet researched
Research in progress — check back soon. How we verify
Who should not use it
Not yet researched
Research in progress — check back soon. How we verify
What it will not do
- Bakuchiol is chemically distinct from retinoids and does not undergo the same retinoic acid receptor binding pathway as retinol or tretinoin -- its retinol-like effects are on gene expression outcomes, observed and reported as comparable, not on an identical mechanism.
- The finished-product trials cited above test bakuchiol within multi-ingredient formulations in some cases; bakuchiol's own isolated contribution is not always separated from the full formula.
- No admissible source in this cycle establishes a specific combined 'tri-retinoid' bakuchiol-plus-retinal claim -- the packet's own citation for that claim could not be found under any matching title, author, or subject (see gaps), so no such claim is made here.
The evidence
One card per claim. Concentration, form, population and limitation sit with it, always visible.
Grade legend
- Indicative
- Limited
- Moderate
- Strong
Comparable Anti-Photoaging Effect to Retinol, Better Tolerated
IndicativeIn a randomized, double-blind trial, bakuchiol 0.5% cream (twice daily) and retinol 0.5% cream (once daily) both significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation over 12 weeks, with no statistically significant difference between the two. Retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.1
- Tested concentration
- 0.5%
- Which form
- Bakuchiol
- Population and duration
- 44 patients over 12 weeks
- Limitation
- The packet's own claimed specific percentage improvements (e.g. wrinkle area or pigmentation reduced by a stated amount) are not stated in the trial's own abstract and are not asserted here -- only the qualitative, confirmed comparative finding is used.
Retinol-Like Gene Expression Without Retinoid Structure
IndicativeGene expression profiling in a full-thickness skin model found bakuchiol induces retinol-like gene expression patterns, including upregulation of type I and IV collagen and aquaporin-3, despite having no structural resemblance to retinoids. A follow-up 12-week clinical case study of a bakuchiol skin-care product reported improvement in lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, elasticity, and firmness without retinol-associated side effects.2
- Tested concentration
- 0.5%
- Which form
- Bakuchiol
- Population and duration
- A gene-expression model study, plus a 12-week clinical case study
- Limitation
- The clinical portion is described in its own abstract as a case study, a less rigorous design than a controlled trial.
Well Tolerated and Hydrating for Sensitive Skin
IndicativeIn a 4-week clinical study of 60 female subjects with sensitive skin (a panel of eczema/atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and cosmetic intolerance syndrome), a bakuchiol-containing moisturizer was well tolerated and produced a statistically significant 16% increase in skin moisture content by corneometry, alongside improvements in smoothness, clarity, and overall appearance.3
- Which form
- Bakuchiol
- Population and duration
- 60 female subjects, ages 40-65, over 4 weeks
- Limitation
- Tests a finished multi-ingredient cleanser/moisturizer system; bakuchiol's own isolated contribution is not separated from the full formula.
Antioxidant and Extracellular-Matrix-Supporting Activity
IndicativeIn a combined in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo split-face study, bakuchiol showed antioxidant capacity that retinol did not, reduced pro-inflammatory PGE2 and MIF alongside retinol, and increased fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) protein levels, which retinol did not. Bakuchiol and retinol both increased collagen and fibronectin protein levels, and a formulation containing bakuchiol significantly increased fibronectin levels after 4 weeks of application compared to vehicle.4
- Which form
- Bakuchiol
- Population and duration
- In-vitro/ex-vivo models plus an in-vivo split-face clinical comparison
- Limitation
- The packet's own claim named 'COL4A1' (type IV collagen) as an outcome measured in this study; the real study measured COL1A1 and COL7A1 (types I and VII), corrected here.
Open
A source cited for a combined bakuchiol-plus-retinal 'tri-retinoid complex' claim (with specific wrinkle-reduction and elasticity figures) could not be found under its claimed title, author, journal, or year -- no matching real publication was located this cycle.
Open
Several specific percentage figures and p-values in the source packet's own claim descriptions (for the head-to-head bakuchiol-vs-retinol trial) are not stated in that trial's own published abstract.
Open
How we verify No resolved MFDS/CosIng/FDA regulatory document id was found or confirmed this cycle for bakuchiol's cosmetic-ingredient status in any jurisdiction, despite the packet's own confident regulatory claims.
The clinical recordHow it works · Forms · Manufacturing · Regulations · Study ledger · Gaps · Sources
How it works
- Retinol-Like Gene Expression
Reported to upregulate genes associated with types I and IV collagen and aquaporin-3 synthesis, similarly to retinol, without a retinoid chemical structure.
What that rests on: gene expression profiling
Source2
- Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity
Demonstrates antioxidant capacity retinol does not share, and reduces PGE2 and MIF inflammatory mediators alongside retinol.
What that rests on: in-vitro and ex-vivo assay
Source4
Reading the label
| Attribute | Bakuchiol |
|---|---|
| What it is | A single plant-derived compound, not a blended extract -- reported to share retinol-like gene-expression effects without a retinoid chemical structure. |
| Official INCI | BAKUCHIOL |
| Where it comes from | Seeds and leaves of Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi plant) |
| How it is made | Extracted and purified from plant seed/leaf material. |
How it is actually made
- Extracted and purified from the seeds and leaves of Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi plant).
Where the ceiling is set
South Korea
- The rule
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) Cosmetics Safety Standards
- What it allows
- Unsourced -- no resolved MFDS document id confirmed this cycle.
European Union
- The rule
- EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 / CosIng database
- What it allows
- Unsourced -- no resolved CosIng entry id confirmed this cycle.
What the evidence rests on
Study records
Randomized, double-blind, 12-week comparative clinical trial2019
Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing
Bakuchiol and retinol both significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation, with no statistical difference between the compounds. Retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging; bakuchiol was better tolerated.
Where it falls shortDoes not report the specific percentage magnitude of improvement in its own abstract.
Source1
Gene expression profiling study followed by a clinical case study2014
Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-aging effects
Bakuchiol showed retinol-like gene expression, upregulating type I and IV collagen and aquaporin-3. The clinical case study reported improved lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, elasticity, and firmness after 12 weeks without retinol-associated effects.
Where it falls shortThe clinical portion is a case study, not a controlled trial.
Source2
4-week clinical trial2020
Clinical Evaluation of a Nature-Based Bakuchiol Anti-Aging Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin
The products were well tolerated and efficacious (P<0.001) for smoothness, clarity, radiance, and overall anti-aging appearance; corneometry showed a statistically significant 16% increase in skin moisture (P<0.001).
Where it falls shortTests a finished multi-ingredient cleanser/moisturizer system, not isolated bakuchiol.
Source3
Combined in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo comparative study2022
Multidirectional activity of bakuchiol against cellular mechanisms of facial ageing - Experimental evidence for a holistic treatment approach
Bakuchiol showed antioxidant activity retinol did not, reduced PGE2 and MIF alongside retinol, increased FGF7 (which retinol did not), and increased collagen types I and VII and fibronectin alongside retinol; a bakuchiol formulation significantly increased fibronectin after 4 weeks in a split-face trial.
Where it falls shortSponsored by a personal-care manufacturer.
Source4
Claimed clinical trial2023
Natural Retinol Analogs Potentiate the Effects of Retinal on Aged and Photodamaged Skin
No matching publication found under this title, these authors (Bacqueville, Jacques, Bojanowski), this journal, or this year -- the named authors' real 2023 publications are about sunscreen/DNA-photodamage topics unrelated to bakuchiol or retinal.
Where it falls shortNot used on this page. The claimed 43.2% wrinkle reduction, 13.9% elasticity increase, and 100% responder rate are not asserted anywhere in this record.
What is still missing
A source cited for a combined bakuchiol-plus-retinal 'tri-retinoid complex' claim (with specific wrinkle-reduction and elasticity figures) could not be found under its claimed title, author, journal, or year -- no matching real publication was located this cycle.
No combined bakuchiol-plus-retinal claim is made on this page.
NeedsA genuine, independently verifiable study of a bakuchiol-and-retinal combination formulation, if one exists.
Several specific percentage figures and p-values in the source packet's own claim descriptions (for the head-to-head bakuchiol-vs-retinol trial) are not stated in that trial's own published abstract.
Only the qualitative, confirmed finding is used; unconfirmed specific figures are not asserted.
NeedsThe trial's full published results tables, if a more granular figure is needed.
No resolved MFDS/CosIng/FDA regulatory document id was found or confirmed this cycle for bakuchiol's cosmetic-ingredient status in any jurisdiction, despite the packet's own confident regulatory claims.
Both regulatory rows render with an explicit 'unsourced' disclosure rather than a resolved citation.
NeedsThe specific MFDS Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary and EU CosIng database entry ids for bakuchiol.
Sources on file
- Dhaliwal et al. Br J Dermatol (2019)(opens in a new tab)
- Chaudhuri & Bojanowski. Int J Cosmet Sci (2014)(opens in a new tab)
- Draelos et al. J Drugs Dermatol (2020)(opens in a new tab)
- Bluemke et al. Int J Cosmet Sci (2022)(opens in a new tab)
- Bozzo, Chua-Gocheco & Einarson. Can Fam Physician (2011)(opens in a new tab)