All Natural Skincare Showdown: Retinol vs Bakuchiol
Over the last few years I have become more interested and intentional about skincare. Trying to support my skin barrier, prevent excessive aging, and reduce scars from my previous bouts of cystic acne.
One of the products that is frequently considered the "gold standard" in skin care is retinol products. It helps increase cell turnover while reducing dark spots, the appearance of fine lines, and evens out overall skin texture. But what if you can't use them? What is an effective and natural alternative for your skincare routine?
This post will dive into the a natural retinol alternative that may be a better choice for you and your skincare goals.
What is Retinol?
Retinol products are vitamin-a based skincare products that speed up cellular turnover and stimulate collagen synthesis (a fancy way of saying it increases the production of collagen in your skin). This can help to remove age spots, even skin tone, scarring, improve acne, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Because of all those benefits, it is one of the most common medications prescribed by dermatologists.
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So if it's so great, what’s the problem?
One of the common side effects of retinol is known as "retinol purging". As the cells begin turning over quicker, it can cause drying and flakiness as the dead skin cells . It can also temporarily increase acne as your skin gets used to the new product.
It also increases the skin's sun sensitivity. Because all the cells are turning over quicker, it means the cells are "younger" and more prone to burning and skin damage. This is why it is extremely important that you are extra diligent about safe sun practices if using one of these products!
And, for sensitive skin types like myself, it may be too harsh of a product. Even though I started at the lowest dose, and incredibly slowly at that, my skin felt awful.
whole foods, balancing my blood sugar, and reducing stress did amazing things for my cystic acne. But I was still left with some acne marks, fine lines and uneven skin texture that I was hoping to improve
I had peeling, increased acne, and irritation. And even after waiting a couple of months, there was no improvement. I ended up coming off of it all together because my husband and I were going to start trying for our second child and it is not advised to use during pregnancy. Having that experience was what prompted me to find a product with more natural ingredients that would provide the same benefits with less irritation.
That is when I first learned about bakuchiol products!
What is Bakuchiol?
Bakuchiol is a natural, plant-based alternative to prescription retinoids. It has been used for thousands of years in ayurveda and chinese medicine and has recently become more popular in modern skin care products.
It is a natural ingredient that shows to have similar benefits of retinol, without some of the adverse reactions (or a much milder reaction if any).
Bakuchiol vs Retinol: How they compare?
I’ve shared before that while I am all about natural products and limiting harsh and potentially harmful ingredients as much as possible, I also am all about balance, and finding products that actually work. So when I learned about bakuchiol, I was curious if it was actually worth the hype or just another hyped-up health and beauty product.
Here's what some of the studies on the plant extract say:
- "results showed that, after 12 weeks treatment, significant improvement in lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, elasticity, firmness and overall reduction in photo-damage was observed, without usual retinol therapy-associated undesirable effects." 1.
- "Bakuchiol and retinol both significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation, with no statistical difference between the compounds. The retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging" 2.
- Bakuchiol is a retinol alternative with anti-aging, antibacterial properties, and anti-inflammatory properties. Additional studies are warranted to better understand its applications in dermatology 3.
While the current research seems promising, it was my own personal experience that really made me a believer!
My experience with BOTH
In the fall 2022, I weaned my daughter from breastfeeding. Around that time I had my yearly dermatology appointment and spoke to my derm about wanting to minimize some of the old acne scars that I had from my days of struggling with cystic acne. He recommended a retinol cream.
I started for a few weeks and braced myself for the "retinol purge". And it came... and never went away... I made it to about two months of use and it just seemed to get worse and worse. Even though I followed all the recommendations of starting slowly, using hyaluronic acid products for extra moisture, etc.
I stopped it and my skin immediately calmed down- right in time for me to get pregnant with our second child! While I was interested in the anti-aging benefits that it offered, it was clear that it was just too harsh of a product for my skin.
So, I bought a popular bakuchiol cream and thought i'd try it out. I liked that it was a natural option that was safe for use in pregnancy (per my OB- check with yours if it's right for you :) ) I was initially drawn to this specific product was because it was a lot more affordable than other bakuchiol products on the market-- and I have used other products from their brand and been really impressed.
After the first night of use, I woke up to notably soft skin. And within a couple weeks there were visible results- specifically a more even skin tone. Throughout my pregnancy, i continued using it a few nights a week and loved that I didn't have any of the negative side effects I had with the retinol. During that time I also tried a bakuchiol serum that was designed more for daytime use-- and again, I loved the results without any skin irritation!
My Favorite Bakuchiol Products
I find that trying new skincare products can be SO hard. Often times because they can be really expensive and I hate to spend all the money and not be SURE im going to love it… These are my tried and true and LOVED bakuchiol products.
Wanting to try bakuchiol without spending tons of money?! This resurfacing mask may be a great option as it is often for sale ~$20. Since I have gotten it, I use it 2-3 nights a week. A little bit of product goes a long way, and one jar has already lasted me for months.
Cocokind is a brand that I have really grown to love. They are not only transparent about ingredients, but the skincare industry, pricing and production costs. I shared on my cystic acne post some of my other favorites from them.
I personally purchase all my CocoKind products from Thrive Market.
This cream is rich and creamy and super moisturizing! If im feeling extra dry, I love putting this on as a night cream before going to bed. I also love that I can use it in the morning and it absorbs nicely!
Their plumping serum and plumping mask also contain bakuchiol and I am so excited to try those next 👏
use code KAELYN10 for 10% off Primally Pure products
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Skincare can be overwhelming but as with everything, i’m a less is more kinda gal (except for protein- you probably need more 😉). So don’t ever feel like things I talk about on the blog are things you need to purchase. I share my experience with products because I loove a good recommendation on things that actually work and, in my opinion, are worth the money!
And even more importantly— you can use all the skin creams and fancy face products you want, but they won’t do a thing long term if your nutrition is garbage. It’s really all about holistic health.
‘til next time
Kaelyn