Have you ever come across this mysteriously-looking word – “bakuchiol”? Often described as botanic retinol, bakuchiol is a true revelation of this autumn. It piques many people’s curiosity just like snail slime used to do last season. Is it really true that bakuchiol is better than our good old retinol? What are the effects of bakuchiol on skin? Keep reading to learn all the benefits of plant-based retinol!
Why do we love retinol so much?
Vitamin A, commonly called retinol, is a substance known to everyone, especially to those who do everything to help their skin preserve youthful-looking appearance. By far, scientists haven’t discovered other substances that would be so good at reducing wrinkles as retinol undoubtedly is. Moreover, skin treatments enriched with vitamin A produce wonderful results in curing acne and preventing fine lines, erasing even deep wrinkles.
Without doubt, retinol is proven to help skin rebuild itself faster. Additionally, retinol prevents seborrheic keratosis, and therefore complexion regularly treated with vitamin A remains smooth and resilient. Finally, vitamin A stimulates self-healing processes and increases collagen levels in the skin.
Why do we seek retinol alternatives?
Retinol has a bad reputation. It happens to be criticized because it’s pretty troublesome to use. You have to protect the skin from UV rays (the sunlight) because retinol is photosensitive, meaning it may cause some skin irritations which later transform into discolorations and sunspots. Undoubtedly, such imperfections are far from being flattering and there is nobody who would like to have them, especially on their faces.
There is also a group of people who complain about experiencing some kind of mild skin irritations, bothering stinging sensation and excess skin exfoliation while undergoing retinol treatment. So how is it possible that retinol is both so efficacious and so deleterious? Why can’t some people imagine their beauty routine without retinol, whereas others would rather steer clear of it?
The answer is simple. The effects – whether vitamin A delivers positive or negative results – depend on the form of retinol used. Furthermore, the way retinol is applied also influences the final effects (the users often do it incorrectly). However, there are also people who can’t be bought into retinol at all. And for this group in particular scientists extracted bakuchiol – an all-natural and safe substance which is used as a replacement for retinol.
Bakuchiol: What is it? How does it work?
We’re debunking a myth now: bakuchiol isn’t a retinol derivative. It must be realized that retinol and bakuchiol are two completely different substances of two different origins. Even their structure isn’t the same, which means that they affect skin differently. Retinol is a vitamin, whereas bakuchiol is obtained from Asian plants, and has been used for skin care purposes for years. Back then, people used whole plants to extract the juice to take advantage of it as an anti-inflammatory agent that facilitated curing skin ailments.
Nowadays, bakuchiol is one of the ingredients added to face creams, eye creams and micellar cleansing waters. Moreover, bakuchiol is proven to have an anti-ageing effect. It delays ageing, reduces wrinkles and takes good care of skin in general.
Bakuchiol: Effects on skin
- prevents acne
- balances sebum production
- delays wrinkle
- increases collagen and elastin levels in skin
- has an exfoliating effect, meaning it helps skin carry out its self-repair processes
- isn’t photosensitive
- takes care of sensitive skin
- soothes skin irritations
Bakuchiol or retinol? Which one is better?
If you are well-aware of the effects that retinol has on skin, you’ve probably already noticed that bakuchiol works in a similar fashion, yet it’s additional asset is that it doesn’t cause stinging sensation or sunspots. Indeed, bakuchiol works far gentler but also… slower. Therefore, if you expect to achieve spectacular effects fast, you have to realize that this plant-based skin-lift treatment won’t satisfy your needs. A few long months must pass until you notice the positive effects produced by this retinol alternative.
Does it mean that bakuchiol is worse? It all depends on what you expect to achieve. If you want to improve skin appearance quickly, reach for original retinol and pair it with SPF creams. Your skin will repair itself faster and safely – you can take it for granted.
Leave a Reply