Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec;21(12):6636-6643.
doi: 10.1111/jocd.15420. Epub 2022 Oct 31.

Applications of bakuchiol in dermatology: Systematic review of the literature

Carolina Puyana  1 , Neha Chandan  1 , Maria Tsoukas  1
Affiliations

Applications of bakuchiol in dermatology: Systematic review of the literature

Carolina Puyana et al. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Bakuchiol (BAK), a meroterpene phenol abundant in the plant Psoralea corylifolia, is an emerging cosmeceutical agent with promising anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. The trend for "clean" skincare products and search for anti-aging retinoid alternatives have poised BAK as a "must-have" ingredient in skincare.

Aims: Our aim was to review the data for the applications of BAK in dermatology.

Methods: This is a systematic review of PubMed.

Results: Thirty articles matched our search terms ["Bakuchiol" and "Dermatology"] or ["Bakuchiol" and "Skin"] of which one did not meet inclusion criteria, 16 were pre-clinical studies, seven clinical studies, three commentaries, two narrative reviews, and one report on adverse events. BAK has been mostly studied for its effects on photoaging, acne, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), showing beneficial results comparable to those achieved by topical retinoids. While having no structural resemblance to retinoids, BAK can function as a retinol analog, through retinol-like regulation of gene expression. In in vivo studies, BAK was used alone or in combination with other products resulting in a significant reduction in photodamage, hyperpigmentation, wrinkle scores, and acne severity. Additionally, in vitro studies hinted at its anti-cancer properties by inhibiting epidermal growth factor induced neoplastic cell transformation. Also, demonstrated potential applications in psoriasis by normalizing keratinocyte activity and in pigmentary disorders through inhibition of melanogenesis. There was one adverse event case reported of contact dermatitis in the literature.

Conclusions: Bakuchiol is a retinol alternative with anti-aging, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Additional studies are warranted to better understand its applications in dermatology.

Keywords: anti-aging; bakuchiol; cosmeceutical; natural skincare; retinol.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Fuhrmann T, Smith N, Tausk F. Use of complementary and alternative medicine among adults with skin disease: updated results from a national survey. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010;63(6):1000-1005.
    1. Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, et al. Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. Br J Dermatol. 2019;180(2):289-296.
    1. Chaudhuri RK, Bojanowski K. Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-aging effects. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2014;36(3):221-230.
    1. Narda M, Brown A, Pérez-Cremades D, García-Giménez JL, Granger C. Melatonin, bakuchiol and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate synergize to modulate gene expression and restore hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signaling in UV-exposed skin. Cell Mol Biol. 2018;65(8):39-47.
    1. Narda M, Brown A, Muscatelli-Groux B, Grimaud JA, Granger C. Epidermal and dermal hallmarks of photoaging are prevented by treatment with night serum containing melatonin, bakuchiol, and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate: in vitro and ex vivo studies. Dermatol Ther. 2020;10(1):191-202.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources