THIS BREAKTHROUGH INGREDIENT IN NATURE’S ANSWER TO RETINOL

Ever since the beginnings of western consumerism took off in the 1920’s, companies have been battling to release new products as quickly as possible, in order to gain traction over opposition and therefore, financial remuneration from their efforts.

With popular lexicon shifting towards all things natural, most industries have made significant alterations into how they source, create and release their products.

Ever since the beginnings of western consumerism took off in the 1920’s, companies have been battling to release new products as quickly as possible, in order to gain traction over opposition and therefore, financial remuneration from their efforts.

However, this led to a substantial drop in the quality of the product and the ethical standards of said companies.

Thankfully, since the turn of the century, there have been significant calls for companies to have more ethical standards and practices, as well as to find the least harmful, most natural raw materials for their products.

For some product lines in certain industries, this has been hard. Finding a more ‘natural’ alternative to an already established, popular product can be extremely difficult or virtually impossible.

And for decades, this was the case for Retinol, an ingredient used in a number of body creams, balms and beauty products

Before you start panicking and thinking that Retinol is a dangerous substance, let’s put your mind at ease; it generally isn’t. In fact, Retinol, which is essentially a form of Vitamin A, does have advantageous properties when absorbed by the skin and can reduce fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage and dark spots.

However, it is important to know that Retinol also comes with some warnings. Due to its relative potency, Retinol can cause redness, irritation and dryness, especially those who have sensitive skin. It can also increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight, meaning that you may require some SPF products after use.

It is because of these issues that scientists spent years searching for a safer, more natural alternative…and in 2014, they struck gold.

It was discovered that Bakuchiol, a naturally derived plant compound has many of the same beneficial effects as Retinol.

Not only does Bakuchiol stimulate collagen production, strengthen the skin’s foundation and minimize the appearance of lines and wrinkles, it does all of this without any irritation to the skin. In fact, without any side effects at all.

Ole Henriksen, the founder of his eponymous skincare brand started using Bakuchiol in his products after a visit to India, where the compound is found in the Babchi plant, itself commonly used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.

Henriksen believes that Bakuchiol is far superior to Retinol in that, “It reduces the look of open pores, resurfaces, smooths skin, firms, and promotes elasticity”. He continues, “…but what actually makes bakuchiol superior to retinol is that it's gentle and even soothing to the skin, rather than sensitizing, and it can be used safely during pregnancy”.

While Bakuchiol has been used for a number of years by independent retailers in the skincare industry, it has only recently developed itself as a mainstream ingredient for popular product lines. The good news is that this allows more people to get their hands on this natural ingredient that can work wonders for your skin.

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