This is probably where things get a little confusing.
Bakuchiol is often called a “bio-retinol”, a “natural retinol alternative” or simply a “retinol alternative” in skincare. These terms can be useful when talking to consumers, but they do not mean that bakuchiol is actually a form of retinol.
It is not.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived meroterpene phenol found in several plant species, but it is most commonly extracted from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, where it occurs in relatively high concentrations. It has no structural resemblance to retinoids. What makes it interesting is its retinol-like activity: research has found overlap between bakuchiol and retinol in biological processes related to skin ageing, including extracellular matrix remodelling, epidermal differentiation and barrier function. At the same time, bakuchiol appears to work through mechanisms that are not identical to those of retinoids. [1,4]
So when you see the term bio-retinol, it is better to think of it as a description of its function in skincare, rather than its chemical identity.
If you are exploring how bakuchiol fits into a skincare routine, you can find more about our Bakuchiol Night Serum on its product page.
Retinol itself belongs to the vitamin A family.
And, interestingly, there is not just one cosmetic form of vitamin A.
Retinol and retinal are two closely related but chemically different compounds. Retinol is the alcohol form of vitamin A, while retinal, also called retinaldehyde, is the aldehyde form. Both belong to the retinoid family, but they occupy different positions in the vitamin A metabolic pathway.
Retinol can be oxidised to retinal, and retinal can then be converted into retinoic acid. Retinal is therefore one metabolic step closer to retinoic acid than retinol is. [2]
And this small chemical difference is actually quite important.
Retinoic acid is the major physiologically active metabolite of retinol and directly activates retinoic acid receptors. Retinol and retinal are precursors that undergo metabolic conversion before reaching retinoic acid. [2]
Bakuchiol takes a completely different route.
It does not enter the retinol → retinal → retinoic acid metabolic pathway.
Instead, research suggests that bakuchiol can influence some of the same biological processes through different mechanisms. A 2026 review describes this as functional convergence: some of the biological outcomes overlap with retinol, while the underlying mechanisms can be different. Current evidence does not support bakuchiol as a direct activator of the classical retinoid receptors in the same way as retinoic acid. [3,4]
That is why “retinol-like” is such a useful expression.
It does not mean “chemically similar to retinol”.
It means that some of the biological effects observed with bakuchiol resemble those associated with retinoids.
And this distinction is worth keeping in mind when we hear the expression bio-retinol.
A simple way to keep them straight
Bakuchiol
A plant-derived meroterpene phenol. Not a retinoid and not a vitamin A derivative.
Retinol
A vitamin A alcohol and a retinoid precursor.
Retinal / retinaldehyde
A vitamin A aldehyde and an intermediate between retinol and retinoic acid.
Retinoic acid
The major physiologically active metabolite of retinol and a retinoid that directly activates retinoic acid receptors.
So although these ingredients often appear next to each other on skincare shelves, they are not interchangeable.
And perhaps that is the most interesting thing about bakuchiol.
Its story is not really about finding another version of retinol, but finding a molecule that can produce some retinol-like biological effects without actually being a retinoid.
References
1. Chaudhuri, R. K., & Bojanowski, K. Bakuchiol: A Retinol-Like Functional Compound Revealed by Gene Expression Profiling and Clinically Proven to Have Anti-Aging Effects. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 36(3), 221–230, 2014. DOI: 10.1111/ics.12117. Intern J of Cosmetic Sci – 2026.
2. Mukherjee, S., Date, A., Patravale, V., Korting, H. C., Roeder, A., & Weindl, G. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 1(4), 327–348, 2006. DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S1255.
3. Dhaliwal, S., Rybak, I., Ellis, S. R., Notay, M., Trivedi, M., Burney, W., Vaughn, A. R., Nguyen, M., Reiter, P., Bosanac, S., Yan, H., Foolad, N., & Sivamani, R. K. Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. British Journal of Dermatology, 180(2), 289–296, 2019. DOI: 10.1111/bjd.16918. Br J Dermatol - 2018 – Dhaliwal.
4. Bluemke, A., Ring, A. P., Immeyer, J., Hoff, A., Eisenberg, T., Gerwat, W., et al. Multidirectional activity of bakuchiol against cellular mechanisms of facial ageing: Experimental evidence for a holistic treatment approach. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 44, 377–393, 2022. DOI: 10.1111/ics.12784. Intern J of Cosmetic Sci - 2022
5. Chaudhuri, R. K. Bakuchiol: From structural mimicry to systems-level skin biology. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026. DOI: 10.1111/ics.70116.
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