The Magic Retinol Alternative

You’ve probably heard a lot about retinol. It’s earned its reputation as an all-time favorite ingredient in skincare products.

You can find it in just about everything, including eye creams, moisturizers, hand lotions, even toners.

Topical retinol is also one of the best-studied ingredients on the market.

Retinol helps stimulate collagen production, evens out skin tone, lightens scars, brightens your complexion, and minimizes the appearance of lines and wrinkles. It also does a great job at clearing up acne.

What’s not to love about it?

The Downside of Retinol

Retinol is pretty amazing, which is why it’s used in a lot of products. The downside to retinol is that it can irritate the skin.

Redness, burning or itching, dryness, flaking or peeling skin, and increased sensitivity in the sun… These are some of the side effects of retinol.

Nobody wants that!

If you cannot tolerate it well, or if you have sensitive skin, retinol is not for you.
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…Ohhh, but those benefits, right?

The Magic of Bakuchiol

Retinol comes from animals and animal byproducts like fish, liver, and egg yolks.

Bakuchiol (pronounced back-you-kol) is extracted from the seeds and leaves of the Psorles Corylifolia plant, a native plant to India known by its nickname, babchi.

Bakuchiol is a natural, vegan retinol alternative.

It has an impressive skincare resume, starting with its use in traditional Ayurvedic medicines. In india it was often used as, among other things, a remedy to vitiligo, which causes the skin to lose pigmentation in large, blotchy patches. Bakuchiol actually helps the cells that shut off (causing the condition) to turn back on, restoring a normal, even skin coloring.

Modern science loves bakuchiol, too, because it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.

Studies show that bakuchiol is just as powerful as retinol in significantly decreasing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and discoloration. It’s been shown to visibly firm skin and increase the appearance of bounce and elasticity, improve skin texture, and hydrate dull, dry skin—all without irritation.

It works like Magic!

Bakuchiol users also reported less skin peeling and stinging than those who used retinol.

Bakuchiol’s ability to increase cell turnover combined with its antibacterial properties means that it can help control acne. Keeping your acne under control and keeping your skin hydrated makes your skin better able to control oil production overall, leaving you with a clear, healthy complexion.

Maybe best of all, bakuchiol is not affected by the sun like retinol. When used in direct sunlight, retinol becomes inactive and increases your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. Bakuchiol does none of that and it actually acts as an antioxidant—making it safe to use both morning and evening.

This is why you may see more products ditching retinol for this plant-based alternative. We’ve never used retinol in our products. We like bakuchiol because it’s super effective without being harsh, which is why we include it in our Kakadu Skin Brightening Serum.

Plus, let’s not forget that it’s vegan! Good for you, and good for the creatures on our planet.

Bakuchiol helps…