Retinol or bakuchiol for body skin: which should you choose?
Short answer: retinol is vitamin A itself. Bakuchiol is a plant ingredient used as a gentler stand-in for it. Choose retinol if you want the ingredient with the longer research record. Choose bakuchiol if you are pregnant, nursing, or find retinol irritating.
The difference in one table
| Retinol | Bakuchiol | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A form of vitamin A | A compound from the babchi plant |
| Research record | Decades of study on skin | Much shorter, and mostly on facial skin |
| Pregnancy and nursing | Not recommended | Generally considered suitable, but ask your doctor |
| Sun sensitivity | Can increase it - use sunscreen on exposed skin | Not associated with it |
| Time of day | Evening | Either |
| Irritation risk | Higher, especially at the start | Lower |
Check the ingredient list before you check the label
This matters more on the body than on the face. A number of products marketed as a retinol body oil list no vitamin A anywhere on their ingredients, and a number described as a natural retinol alternative are naming bakuchiol without saying so plainly. Neither is dishonest, but the two are not the same ingredient and the front of the bottle will not always tell you which you are buying.
Look for Retinol or Retinyl Palmitate for vitamin A, and Bakuchiol for the alternative. If neither appears, the product is neither.
Body skin is not face skin
Skin on the arms and legs is thicker and has fewer oil glands than facial skin, and it is also the area people have moisturised least consistently for the longest. Vitamin A works there the same way it works on the face, but it is worth starting slowly - two or three nights a week for the first fortnight, then nightly if skin is comfortable.
Choose bakuchiol if
- You are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding.
- Retinol has irritated your skin before.
- You want to apply it in the morning without adding a sunscreen step.
Choose retinol if
- You want the ingredient with the longest evidence base.
- You are happy to keep it to an evening routine.
- You already use sunscreen on exposed skin during the day.
What neither one does
Neither ingredient tightens skin, removes cellulite or erases wrinkles, and no body oil does. On the body, what you can reasonably expect from a well-made oil is that dry, rough, ashy-looking skin looks smoother and stays comfortable - and that crepey-looking areas look better because they are no longer dehydrated. Judge it by touch over about six weeks rather than by the mirror on day three.
Where Saltysleep Crystal Body Oil fits
Saltysleep Crystal Body Oil lists retinol itself, alongside niacinamide, ceramide NP, panthenol and kojic acid, in a jojoba-and-squalane dry oil base. Apply it at night on slightly damp skin, use sunscreen on exposed skin during the day, and skip it during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. 100 ml / 3.38 fl oz, made in Korea.