Bakuchiol vs retinol: what one trial found

What did the bakuchiol vs retinol trial test?

Bakuchiol vs retinol has one real head-to-head trial. 🧪 For 12 weeks, 44 people used either a 0.5% bakuchiol cream twice a day or a 0.5% retinol cream once a day.

Each person used only one of the two creams.

So it was two groups, not one face with two sides.

Same printed strength, different schedule: twice a day vs once a day. That detail matters when someone says the two are "the same".

The study was double-blind. The people rating the photos didn't know who used which cream. 👀

Did bakuchiol and retinol both help wrinkles and spots?

Yes, in this study. 🙌 Both groups ended up with less wrinkle area and less extra pigment on the photos.

The researchers found no clear difference between the two groups. That's a good sign for the tested bakuchiol cream, used twice a day.

Reference: Dhaliwal et al., 2019

"No clear difference" in a small study is not proof that they're equal. 44 people is a small group, so a real difference could still hide in there.

And "spots" here means the pigment the study measured. It isn't a promise for every kind of dark patch. 🤏

Was bakuchiol gentler than retinol?

In this trial, the retinol group reported more flaking and stinging than the bakuchiol group. 🌿 That's about these two creams, used the way the study used them.

It doesn't mean a bakuchiol product can never sting, or that every retinol product feels like the one tested.

Reference: Dhaliwal et al., 2019

Less stinging in one study is not "never stings". Skin is personal, so a new product still deserves a slow start.

Is bakuchiol safe in pregnancy because it is gentler?

This trial can't answer that. 🤰 It looked at wrinkles, skin color and how well skin put up with the creams.

It did not study pregnancy at all. So "less flaking" can't be turned into "safe in pregnancy", and the trial doesn't make bakuchiol a pregnancy swap for retinol.

Reference: Dhaliwal et al., 2019

A comfort result is not a pregnancy result. Pregnant or breastfeeding? Bring the full ingredient list to a doctor or care team before starting.

Is bakuchiol a kind of retinol?

No. They are two different ingredients with two different names. 🏷️ The trial compared them side by side because they are different.

A bottle that says bakuchiol is not a retinol bottle. Each one has its own page: bakuchiol and retinol.

Two names, two ingredients, two sets of evidence. Want the retinol family sorted out? The retinol vs retinal guide does that.

How do you compare two bottles after reading this trial?

Write down three things from each bottle: the exact ingredient name, any printed percent, and the directions. 📝

Then put the trial's numbers next to them: 0.5% cream, twice a day for bakuchiol. If a bottle prints no percent, the amount stays unknown.

Reference: Dhaliwal et al., 2019

A US ingredient list goes from the biggest amount down, and ingredients at 1% or less can follow in any order.

So the spot on the list can't fill in a missing percent.

Reference: US Food and Drug Administration, 2016

No printed percent means the amount is unknown. The label's own directions still win over a study's schedule.

Lines and wrinkles in general? See the wrinkles page. For a routine built from your own skin answers, take the free skin quiz. ✨