“Visible renewal does not have to come at the cost of irritated skin.”
Veronica, Founder of Flower & Fern Organic Skincare
A Gentler Approach to Skin Renewal
Bakuchiol has become one of the most talked-about ingredients in skincare, often described as a natural alternative to retinol. It is not actually a retinoid. Bakuchiol is a plant-derived compound found in the seeds of the babchi plant, Psoralea corylifolia. What makes it so interesting is the research showing its ability to support smoother-looking skin, more even tone, firmness, and the appearance of fine lines while generally being well tolerated.
That fits beautifully with how we think about healthy aging at Flower & Fern. We do not believe skin renewal has to come from constantly irritating the skin. We would rather support it with nourishing botanicals, thoughtful actives, and ingredients that help it remain healthy and resilient over time. Before looking at the research, though, there is one important distinction to understand: not all ingredients derived from the babchi plant are the same.
What Is Bakuchiol?
Bakuchiol is one specific compound naturally found in the babchi plant. At Flower & Fern, we use Sytenol® A, a purified form of bakuchiol that is greater than 99% pure, and we use it at 1% of the finished formula.
Using a purified ingredient gives us precision. We know exactly which compound we are working with and how much actual bakuchiol is present in the finished product. That is very different from using babchi oil or a general seed extract and assuming it will provide the same results.
Not All Bakuchiol Is the Same
This is probably the most important thing to understand when shopping for bakuchiol skincare. You may see products made with purified bakuchiol, babchi oil, babchi seed extract, or Psoralea corylifolia extract, but these ingredients are not necessarily the same.
The research most often referenced when talking about bakuchiol’s skin benefits used highly purified bakuchiol that was greater than 99% pure and depleted of psoralens. That matters because the babchi plant naturally contains other compounds, including psoralens, which can be irritating and can react with UV light. Purification allows formulators to isolate the bakuchiol they want while removing compounds they do not want in a gentle facial formula.
This is why we use purified bakuchiol at Flower & Fern. It is also why I would be cautious about assuming that a product made with babchi oil or a general babchi extract carries the same research as purified bakuchiol. The plant may be the same, but the finished ingredient is not.
A Note About Higher Bakuchiol Percentages
This is another area where skincare marketing can get confusing. At Flower & Fern, we use 1% purified bakuchiol. If you see a product advertising 2%, 3%, or even more, it is worth looking a little closer at what that number actually means.
A product may be using 3% of a diluted ingredient, babchi extract, or blend that contains only a fraction of actual bakuchiol. That is very different from using 3% highly purified bakuchiol. A bigger number on the front of a bottle does not automatically mean a better formula, which is why I care much more about what form is being used, how much actual active is present, and whether that amount is supported by research.
What Does the Research Show?
One of the best-known studies compared bakuchiol with retinol over 12 weeks. Forty-four participants used either 0.5% purified bakuchiol twice a day or 0.5% retinol once a day. Both groups saw improvements in the appearance of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation, while the people using retinol reported more scaling and stinging.
This was a relatively small study, so it does not mean bakuchiol and retinol are identical. What it does suggest is that purified bakuchiol may support many of the same visible skin concerns people often turn to retinol for, while offering another option for those who want a gentler approach. It is also important to remember that the ingredient used in this research was highly purified bakuchiol, not simply babchi oil.
What Can Bakuchiol Do for the Skin?
Research on bakuchiol has looked at several areas related to skin health and visible aging. It may help support smoother-looking skin, the appearance of fine lines, more even-looking tone, firmness, elasticity, antioxidant protection, and overall radiance.
The research on bakuchiol is still smaller than the decades of research behind retinoids, and I think that is important to say. We do not need to make an ingredient sound miraculous for it to be valuable. What we know so far makes purified bakuchiol a very interesting ingredient for supporting visible renewal and long-term skin health.
Why We Pair Whole Plants + Gentle Actives
Whole plants will always be at the heart of Flower & Fern. Our formulas begin with slow infusions and thoughtful extractions of plants such as frankincense, myrrh, rose, immortelle, calendula, and rosehip, but believing in whole plants does not mean every plant should always be used in its whole form.
Different plants require different approaches. With frankincense, we intentionally work with the resin because valuable compounds remain there. With rose and calendula, we love slow whole-plant oil infusions. With babchi, we choose purified bakuchiol because it allows us to use the specific compound we want while leaving behind compounds that may be irritating or unnecessary in the finished formula.
This is what Whole Plants + Gentle Actives means to us. It is not plants versus science. It is understanding plants deeply enough to know which form makes the most sense for the skin.
Bakuchiol at Flower & Fern
We use 1% purified bakuchiol in several Flower & Fern formulas, each built around a different whole-plant foundation.
ETERNAL All-In-One Radiance Serum pairs it with frankincense, myrrh, immortelle, astaxanthin, and 5% stable vitamin C to support radiance, tone, texture, and firmness. ROSE + A Botanical Retinol Alternative Serum combines it with rose-infused jojoba, rosehip, astaxanthin, marula, and squalane for a nourishing approach to visible skin renewal. Fountain of Renewal Overnight Restorative Serum pairs it with frankincense, myrrh, calendula, and nourishing oils for an overnight ritual designed to support dry and depleted-looking skin.
In each formula, the bakuchiol stays the same while the whole-plant foundation around it changes.
The Takeaway
Bakuchiol is a beautiful example of where traditional plant knowledge and modern skincare science can meet. It comes from a plant with a long history of use, but the bakuchiol studied in modern skincare research is a highly purified ingredient, and that distinction matters.
At Flower & Fern, we use 1% purified bakuchiol because we want to know exactly what we are putting into our formulas and because the research behind the ingredient matters to us. We believe visible skin renewal can be effective and gentle at the same time, using whole plants where the whole plant serves the skin beautifully and precision where precision matters.