The research behind our Natural Retinol Alternative Oil Serum

Bakuchiol is the plant retinol alternative with a human trial against retinol behind it. Here is that trial in full, the oils around it, and what none of the research can tell you.

Every ingredient discussed here is in the oil serum. The studies tested ingredients at stated strengths, usually in other products, and we say so each time.

Of all the ingredients sold as retinol alternatives, bakuchiol is the one that has been put on real faces next to retinol in a controlled trial. That single fact explains most of its popularity. It also gets stretched: one small study turns into "works just like retinol" on a lot of labels.

This guide sets out what that trial found and what it didn't, what the plant oils in our formula contribute, and where the evidence is strong, early or missing. It's long because the details matter. If you only want the product, the oil serum page has everything in one place.

01What is a bakuchiol oil serum?

A bakuchiol oil serum is a face oil that carries bakuchiol, a compound from the seeds of the babchi plant (Psoralea corylifolia). Bakuchiol is not vitamin A and doesn't share retinol's chemical structure. It became interesting to skincare researchers because it produces retinol-like effects in skin cells by a different route, and then because a clinical trial compared it with retinol directly.

Bakuchiol dissolves in oil, not water. That makes a face oil the obvious home for it: the oils carry the bakuchiol into the skin's outer layers and add their own benefits for dry or tired-looking skin. The format also suits the way many people like to use a retinol alternative, as a last step in the evening that seals the routine in.

Our Natural Retinol Alternative Oil Serum puts bakuchiol into a blend of six organic plant oils: jojoba, evening primrose, rosehip, strawberry seed, raspberry seed and blueberry seed. It is 99% natural origin, 61% organic origin and certified COSMOS Organic by Ecocert Greenlife.

02Bakuchiol vs retinol at a glance

Retinol still has far more evidence, and if your skin gets on with it, it remains a strong option. Our full retinol guide explains when it's worth the adjustment period. Bakuchiol is for the people who want something built on the same idea without that adjustment, and who want an alternative with human data behind it.

03How we rate the evidence

None of these studies tested our oil serum. They tested ingredients, usually in other products. This formula doesn't have its own consumer testing yet, so we don't show any results for it.

04Bakuchiol: the human trial

05How bakuchiol works

This is why bakuchiol is called a functional retinol analogue: a different molecule reaching a similar result inside skin cells. It also has antioxidant and calming activity of its own, which may be part of why it's easier to live with.

06Tolerance, purity and sun

In the 2019 trial, the retinol group reported more scaling and stinging than the bakuchiol group, and a later clinical evaluation looked specifically at a bakuchiol moisturiser in people with sensitive skin. That's reassuring. It isn't a promise that no one will react: any ingredient, plant or not, can disagree with reactive skin, and our formula is scented.

Purity matters with this plant. Babchi seeds also contain psoralens, compounds that make skin more sensitive to sunlight. Cosmetic bakuchiol is a purified ingredient made to leave them behind, which is one reason to buy it from a brand that publishes its full ingredient list. We've asked our production partner to confirm the purity specification of the bakuchiol we use, and we'll publish that too.

Bakuchiol itself isn't known to make skin more sensitive to the sun the way retinoids are often said to. Daily SPF still matters more than any serum you'll ever buy.

07Rosehip oil

Rosehip oil is pressed from the fruit of the dog rose. It's rich in linoleic acid, a fatty acid the skin uses to build its barrier, and it has a long history as an oil for dry, dull or uneven-looking skin.

08Jojoba oil

Jojoba is first on our ingredient list, so it's the largest single part of the formula. Technically it isn't an oil but a liquid wax, and its structure is close to the oils your own skin makes. That's why it spreads easily and sinks in without a heavy film.

Jojoba is also in our Retinol Alternative Moisturiser and Retinol Alternative Serum, so the three layer comfortably.

09Evening primrose oil

Evening primrose oil is one of the richest plant sources of gamma-linolenic acid, alongside plenty of linoleic acid. Both are fatty acids that play a part in the skin's barrier.

10The berry seed oils

Strawberry, raspberry and blueberry seed oils are cold-pressed from the tiny seeds of each fruit. Analyses of these oils show they are rich in linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid, the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and in vitamin E compounds.

Here we'll be plain: we found no human trials of these oils applied to skin. They're in the formula because they're light, they feel good, and their fatty acids suit dry skin. We make no claim beyond that.

11Why an oil, and what else is in it

The formula contains no water. That has three consequences. Bakuchiol, which dissolves in oil, has a ready carrier. There's no emulsifier needed to hold oil and water together. And there are no preservatives in the ingredient list, because oil blends without water don't need them; vitamin E (tocopherol) is there instead to stop the plant oils from going off.

The remaining ingredients are light emollients made from plants: decyl cocoate, dicaprylyl carbonate, coco-caprylate/caprate, undecane and tridecane. They make the oil spread thinly and absorb fast, so it feels silky rather than greasy. They carry no skin claims of their own.

All 19 ingredients are printed in order on the product page.

12Scent and allergens

The oil is scented with Parfum and rose geranium flower oil: an elegant rose with deep, spicy and woody warmth. Three fragrance allergens are declared on the label: Geraniol, Citronellol and Linalool, all from natural essential oils. The label also lists Geranyl Acetate, another part of the essential oil.

It isn't a fragrance-free product, and if you need one, it isn't right for you. If your skin is reactive, patch test on your inner forearm once a day for five days before using it on your face.

13How to choose a bakuchiol serum

"Bakuchiol" on a label tells you very little on its own. These checks work on any brand, ours included.

If you want to compare bakuchiol with the other plant alternative we use, bakuchiol vs Bidens Pilosa puts them side by side.

14How to use it

Warm the drops between your fingertips and press them over face and neck rather than rubbing. Used this way each evening, a 30 ml bottle lasts around three months. If you use our Retinol Alternative Moisturiser, apply it first and let it settle for a minute before the oil.

Give it twelve weeks before judging it on fine lines. Skin usually feels softer and more comfortable far sooner.

15Who it suits

It suits you if your skin is dry, dull or mature and enjoys a face oil; retinol left your skin flaky, tight or stinging; you want the plant alternative with human evidence behind it; or you want to see every ingredient and allergen before you buy.

Skip it, or check first, if you need a fragrance-free product; you dislike the feel of oils, in which case our water-based Retinol Alternative Serum may suit you better; you're pregnant or breastfeeding and haven't asked your doctor; or you want the most proven option regardless of comfort, which is retinol.

16What it adds up to

Bakuchiol is the best-evidenced plant alternative to retinol we know of. One blinded trial on faces found it performed about as well as 0.5% retinol over twelve weeks, with less irritation. That is a genuinely strong reason to choose it. It is also one small trial, and we won't dress it up as more.

Around it, our formula uses organic oils with supporting research for dry, uncomfortable skin, and a few that are simply there to feel good. The one gap is the bakuchiol percentage, which we're working to publish. If you want a gentle, evidence-led last step for your evening routine, this is the product we'd point you to.

17Your questions, answered

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