Retinol is one of the first things to remove from your skincare routine when you fall pregnant and it tends to be the one women miss most.
You've probably heard of the plant-based alternative, Bakuchiol. Here is what bakuchiol during pregnancy does for your skin, and why retinol should be avoided.
Why retinol is off the table during pregnancy
Retinol and every other form of vitamin A come out of your routine from the moment you start trying to conceive. Prescription tretinoin, the strongest topical form, is in the Pregnancy Category D in Australia. Its approved product information lists pregnancy and planning a pregnancy as contraindications.¹
MotherSafe, the pregnancy medicines service at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, advises the same.²
The caution traces back to vitamin A taken by mouth. The pattern of birth defects known as retinoid embryopathy was first described in women on oral retinoid medication.³
Researchers who have looked at topical use land in the same place. The largest prospective study and a review of skin care safety in pregnancy both conclude that topical retinoids cannot be advised while you are pregnant.³˒⁴
If you used your retinol before you knew, here's something to put your mind at ease: in that study of 235 women exposed during the first trimester, no baby showed features of retinoid embryopathy.³ Mention it at your next appointment and then let it go.
What is bakuchiol and why is it good for your pregnant skin?
Bakuchiol is a plant compound from the seeds of babchi, Psoralea corylifolia and it speaks to your skin in almost the same language retinol does.
It is pronounced bah-koo-chee-ol.
When researchers profiled which genes each ingredient switches on, bakuchiol and retinol produced strikingly similar results, including the genes that build type I, III and IV collagen.⁵
The clever part is that bakuchiol shares nothing structurally with vitamin A. It reaches the same destination through its own door, so none of the retinoid caution follows it.
Pregnancy skin is what makes this such a good fit. Most women find their face flushes more easily by the second trimester, tolerates less, and holds onto pigment it would once have shrugged off.
A renewal ingredient that works without stripping or stinging suits that skin much better. There is more on how skin changes during pregnancy if you want the full picture.
What does bakuchiol do for your skin during pregnancy?
Bakuchiol holds its own against retinol for fine lines, texture and pigment and there is a head-to-head trial to show it.
Over 12 weeks, 44 people used either bakuchiol 0.5% cream twice daily or retinol 0.5% cream once daily, with high-resolution photographs analysed at four, eight and 12 weeks.⁶
Both significantly reduced wrinkle surface area and there was no statistical difference between the two.⁶
Bakuchiol lifts the skin’s own collagen production and it mutes the enzymes that break existing collagen apart.⁵
Basically, your skin builds a little more of its own scaffolding and loses a little less of it. That's what smoother texture and softer lines are made of.
Give it the full 12 weeks before you judge it (this is how long the trial ran for).⁶
Can bakuchiol help with pregnancy pigmentation?
Bakuchiol works on pigment as well as texture, which earns it a lot of goodwill in pregnancy.
If patchy brown pigment has appeared across your upper lip, nose and cheekbones, that is melasma, often called the mask of pregnancy. You are in very good company.
In the same 12-week trial, bakuchiol significantly reduced hyperpigmentation, again with no statistical difference from retinol.⁶
Laboratory work shows how it manages that. Bakuchiol turns down tyrosinase, the enzyme that makes pigment, and it reduces the small arms melanocytes extend to pass pigment to the skin cells around them.⁷
A clinical study of 0.5% bakuchiol cream over 12 weeks also found improvement in the dark marks left behind by breakouts, in women with mid to deep skin tones.⁸
We go deeper into hyperpigmentation vs melasma separately.
Will bakuchiol irritate skin that has turned sensitive?
Bakuchiol is gentle enough that most women start it at full strength and keep going, with no building-up period.
In the trial, the retinol group reported more skin scaling and stinging. The bakuchiol group did not.⁶
Dermatology reviews of bakuchiol note that it avoids the burning and scaling that come with topical retinoids, which is exactly why it gets all the hype for sensitive skin.⁹
Retinol asks you to earn it. Two nights a week, then alternate nights, working through weeks of flaking while your skin adjusts.
Bakuchiol asks for none of that, which is a relief when your skin is already less predictable than usual.
It also sits happily alongside vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and ceramides, so you are not rebuilding your whole routine around one ingredient.
Patch test behind your ear first if your skin has been reactive.
Bakuchiol vs retinol during pregnancy: side by side
| What you want to know | Retinol | Bakuchiol | nātelle Evening Renewal Serum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine lines and renewal | Builds collagen and smooths texture, with a long track record outside pregnancy | Matched retinol on wrinkle surface area over 12 weeks, with no statistical difference⁶ | Built on bakuchiol, with acetyl hexapeptide-8 for added smoothing support |
| Pigmentation | Fades dark spots and evens tone over time | Matched retinol on pigmentation in the same trial, and turns down the dial on the enzyme that makes pigment⁶˒⁷ | Pairs with our brightening and vitamin C serums for pregnancy melasma |
| How it works with your skin | Needs a gradual build-up, with scaling and stinging commonly reported⁶ | Start at full strength, no building-up period and no scaling or stinging in the trial⁶˒⁹ | Synethetic fragrance-free, with centella asiatica, sodium hyaluronate and aloe for overnight comfort |
| Suitable for pregnancy? | Contraindicated, including for anyone planning a pregnancy¹˒² | The renewal ingredient you can keep using throughout, dermatologist approved and widely recommended | Formulated without retinoids, for use from conception to postpartum |
What this means for your routine
The bakuchiol serum during pregnancy in our range is the Evening Renewal Serum, and it sits in the Trimester 3 and Postpartum Kits, when your skin needs it the most.
In the Evening Renewal Serum, we've paired it with centella asiatica and peptides, so the formula looks after your barrier while the bakuchiol gets on with the work.
Have a look at how our formulas are built, or find your pregnancy skincare routine by due date.
References
- iNova Pharmaceuticals (Australia). Australian Product Information: ReTrieve (tretinoin) Cream 0.05% w/w. Sections 4.3 and 4.6.
- MotherSafe. Skin Care, Hair Care and Cosmetic Treatments in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. Royal Hospital for Women, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District; April 2021.
- Panchaud A, Csajka C, Merlob P, et al. Pregnancy outcome following exposure to topical retinoids: a multicenter prospective study. J Clin Pharmacol. 2012 Dec;52(12):1844–51.
- Bozzo P, Chua-Gocheco A, Einarson A. Safety of skin care products during pregnancy. Can Fam Physician. 2011 Jun;57(6):665–7.
- 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 Jun;36(3):221–30.
- 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 Feb;180(2):289–96.
- Kang MC, Lee JW, Lee TH, et al. UP256 inhibits hyperpigmentation by tyrosinase expression/dendrite formation via Rho-dependent signaling and by primary cilium formation in melanocytes. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 28;21(15):5341.
- Brownell L, Geen S, E Y, et al. A clinical study evaluating the efficacy of topical bakuchiol (UP256) cream on facial acne. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021 Mar 1;20(3):307–10.
- Greenzaid J, Friedman A, Sodha P. The use of bakuchiol in dermatology: a review of in vitro and in vivo evidence. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022 Jun 1;21(6):624–9.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, speak with your GP, obstetrician or dermatologist about your own skin and any products you are using.
