Retinol is the go-to skincare product for eliminating fine lines and wrinkles, evening out uneven skin tone, and diminishing dark spots. But for some individuals it may cause redness and peeling of their skin.
Natural alternatives to retinol may offer equally effective results without irritation – one such ingredient is Bakuchiol. Bakuchiol has gained momentum as an eco-friendly and gentler solution.
1. Bakuchiol
Bakuchiol is an emerging skincare ingredient that’s becoming a strong contender to retinol. Made from seeds from Psoralea corylifolia plant (also known as “babchi”), bakuchiol works through similar receptors to stimulate collagen, but with less discomfort such as redness or peeling side effects. Furthermore, it can help fade dark spots, fight discoloration and improve firmness as well as fade dark spots and fade discolorations altogether.
Gentler yet vegan- and clean-friendly than its predecessor, it may also be suitable for sensitive skin types. As with any new ingredient, start slowly adding it into your routine, listening carefully to what your skin tells you so as to tailor its usage according to its needs.
Research has demonstrated that bakuchiol can significantly diminish fine lines and wrinkles, brighten skin tone, fade dark spots, boost elasticity, refine texture, combat photoaging, ease irritations and help calm inflammations. When combined with other anti-ageing products such as Squalane it enhances anti-age benefits further; furthermore it’s said to soothe acne conditions while strengthening immunity against oxidative stress.
2. Hypskin
Bakuchiol is a COSMOS-approved plant-based alternative to retinol that comes from Halobacterium salinarum (commonly referred to as Bacillus Salinarum). Similar to conventional retinol products, bakuchiol works by stimulating collagen production and cell turnover while simultaneously helping reduce fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, clogged pores, rough skin texture as well as fine lines, wrinkles. You can use bakuchiol morning or night without irritation or redness caused by conventional retinol products.
Swiss company Hypnea Musciformis and Sargassum Filipendula developed this water-soluble ingredient made up of the algae Hypnea musciformis and Sargassum Filipendula to produce this water-soluble ingredient that claims retinol-like effects by stimulating natural production of retinoic acid through an enzymatic conversion process. According to reports, it helps reduce hyperpigmentation, pore size and acne as well as increasing skin density, elasticity and firmness – according to independent studies yet. And what’s even better – its suitable for all skin types including sensitive or even those suffering rosacea!
3. Cacay Oil
Cacay Oil has quickly become one of the most sought-after natural oils for high-end facial skincare, joining Bakuchiol and Prickly Pear Oil as one of the top three natural oils available. Found throughout Orinoco and Amazon regions, this cold-pressed seed oil boasts essential vitamins, antioxidants and fatty acids that nourish skin while offering protection against free radical damage.
Like retinol, cacay oil helps stimulate cell renewal, improve skin laxity and decrease fine lines and wrinkles. Furthermore, its abundant supply of linoleic acid contributes to bettering skin tone while simultaneously stimulating collagen production.
Cacay oil offers an alternative to glycolic acid for exfoliation products to fade dark spots caused by melasma or sun damage; its gentler application allows it to be used daily without reddening or peeling of skin, and all skin types. We combine cacay oil with bakuchiol in our Eve Bio-Retinol Line Reduction Serum in order to foster younger-looking skin while creating an evener complexion.
4. Rambutan Extract
Rambutan, a tropical treat resembling a lychee with flexible spines encasing soft fruit, contains polyphenolic compounds which have powerful antioxidant effects to reduce redness, blemishes and wrinkles while evening out skin tone.
In vitro assays demonstrated that rambutan extract contains an array of phenolic compounds. Ellagitannins such as ferulic acid and galagic acid showed strong radical-scavenging activities, while further fractionation yielded an ellagitannin-rich and geraniin-rich fraction with comparable antiradical activity to Trolox.
To isolate rambutan phenolic compounds, dried rambutan peel was placed into a woven bag and put into a Soxhlet extraction device with solvent. After 8 hours of continuous boiling and reflux in 95% ethanol solution, the solvent was removed before filtering off any rich fractions with phenolic compounds for further characterization using methods such as LC-ESI-QTOF/MS. Polarity identification helped identify an appropriate extraction solvent for each Ellagitannin extractor.
