education

Plant-Based Retinol Alternatives: Bakuchiol and Bidens Pilosa, Tested Against Retinol

By Opuliss Skin·28 August 2026

Bakuchiol and Bidens pilosa extract are the two plant-based retinol alternatives with published trials against retinol itself. What each study measured, where the evidence stops, and which Opuliss products carry them.

What is the best plant-based retinol alternative? Bakuchiol has the strongest evidence: in a twelve week double-blind trial it showed no statistical difference from retinol on wrinkle surface area and the look of uneven pigmentation, with less scaling and stinging. Bidens pilosa extract is the newer option, studied against retinol over four weeks, and the one in most Opuliss formulas.

Opuliss uses no retinol. That is a choice with a reason behind it, and the reason is in the studies below, including the places where the plant alternatives have not yet been tested as hard as retinol has.

What a plant-based retinol alternative actually is

Retinol is a form of vitamin A and the reference ingredient for the look of fine lines. In a placebo-controlled trial, topical retinol applied over twenty-four weeks improved the fine wrinkles of naturally aged skin.¹ Its problems are just as well documented: it commonly irritates, with visible scaling and stinging, and it breaks down in light, which is why it is sold as a night product.

A plant-based retinol alternative is a botanical ingredient with no vitamin A in it that has been tested for a similar visible outcome. Two have real published evidence. Bakuchiol is a meroterpene phenol from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, the babchi plant. Bidens pilosa extract comes from a member of the daisy family. Neither is a retinol, and calling either one a retinol would be wrong. The honest phrase is the one in the heading: an alternative, tested against the original.

How it works

Bakuchiol first. Despite having no structural resemblance to retinol, it switched on and off a similar set of skin genes in a laboratory skin model, which is what made it a candidate worth trialling.² Then the trial itself: in a twelve week prospective, randomised, double-blind study, 0.5 percent bakuchiol applied twice daily was compared with 0.5 percent retinol applied once daily. Both reduced wrinkle surface area and the look of uneven pigmentation, with no statistical difference between them. The bakuchiol group reported less facial scaling and stinging.³ That study was run by an independent university group, which matters, and the next section says why.

Bidens pilosa next. In the laboratory, a standardised extract of the plant modulated the RXR and RAR receptors, the same receptor family retinol acts through, in human skin cells and in skin fragments.⁴ In people, a cream carrying 0.35 percent Bidens pilosa extract with 0.035 percent andrographolide was tested split-face against 0.1 percent retinol for four weeks. The plant cream improved the look of wrinkles, elasticity and hydration without the irritation seen with the retinol comparator.⁵

Both alternatives sit in daytime Opuliss formulas, which retinol cannot, because it degrades in daylight. That difference is the whole practical case: a step you can use morning and night, with a lower chance of the scaling that makes people give up on retinol in the first fortnight.

What the evidence shows and does not

What it shows: one independent, double-blind, head to head trial for bakuchiol at 0.5 percent over twelve weeks, and a four week split-face trial for a Bidens pilosa combination cream against retinol. Both point the same way on the look of wrinkles, and both report better tolerance than retinol.

What it does not show: the Bidens pilosa trial was run by the ingredient's developer, lasted four weeks, used a fixed combination with a second plant compound, and had no placebo arm, so its result belongs to that cream and not to Bidens pilosa on its own. Neither alternative has a trial past three months. Neither study ranks the plant ingredient above retinol, and this page will not either. The results were measured at the concentrations named above, and a formula at a different concentration is a different question. The sample sizes are in the papers, one footnote away.

Our standard for every ingredient page is the one in how to tell if a luxury skincare brand is actually science-backed: can you open the citation, and does it test the thing in the bottle.

The Opuliss products that use it

Three Opuliss products are built around Bidens pilosa extract. The CELLULAR ANTI-AGING BIORETINOL SERUM discloses 0.35 percent Bidens pilosa extract, the same concentration the four week trial used, alongside rose myrtle fruit extract, sea buckthorn fruit extract, rosehip fruit oil and multi-weight hyaluronic acid. The CELLULAR ANTI-AGING BIORETINOL DAILY CREAM carries it in a daytime cream with a collagen amino acid ester and a deep-sea marine ferment. The CELLULAR ANTI-AGING BIORETINOL EYE SERUM carries it in a lighter formula for the eye area with horse chestnut seed extract and borage seed oil.

The bakuchiol product is the CELLULAR ANTI-AGING BAKUCHIOL RENEWAL OIL, a dry-finish facial oil built on bakuchiol in a base of organic jojoba with evening primrose, rosehip and berry seed oils. All four are 99 percent natural origin and vegan eligible.

The Bidens pilosa glossary entry and the bakuchiol glossary entry carry each ingredient's listing, and the skin intelligence finder will tell you which of the four fits your skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is bakuchiol as good as retinol? +

In the one head to head trial, 0.5 percent bakuchiol twice daily and 0.5 percent retinol once daily reduced wrinkle surface area and the look of uneven pigmentation with no statistical difference over twelve weeks, and bakuchiol caused less scaling and stinging. That is a twelve week answer, not a lifetime one.

Is Bidens pilosa the same as bakuchiol? +

No. Bakuchiol is a single molecule from babchi seeds with an independent twelve week trial behind it. Bidens pilosa extract is a whole plant extract from the daisy family with a four week developer-run trial. They are tested separately and used in different Opuliss products.

Can I use a plant-based retinol alternative in the morning? +

Yes. Unlike retinol, neither bakuchiol nor Bidens pilosa extract degrades in daylight, so the Opuliss formulas are made for morning and night use. Daily sunscreen still matters, for every routine.

Which should I choose? +

If you want the ingredient with the longest independent trial, bakuchiol, in the renewal oil. If you want a water-based serum, a daytime cream or an eye product, the Bidens pilosa formulas. The finder asks about your skin and answers the same question with more detail.

References

Kafi R, Kwak HS, Schumacher WE, et al. Improvement of naturally aged skin with vitamin A (retinol). Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(5):606-612. DOI 10.1001/archderm.143.5.606. PubMed PMID 17515510 (Kafi 2007).
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;36(3):221-230. DOI 10.1111/ics.12117. PubMed PMID 24471735 (Chaudhuri 2014).
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;180(2):289-296. DOI 10.1111/bjd.16918. PubMed PMID 29947134 (Dhaliwal 2019).
Dieamant G, Pereda MDCV, Nogueira C, et al. Antiageing Mechanisms of a Standardized Supercritical CO2 Preparation of Black Jack (Bidens pilosa L.) in Human Fibroblasts and Skin Fragments. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:280529. DOI 10.1155/2015/280529. PubMed PMID 25883669 (Dieamant 2015).
Ye S, Lee S, Kang S, Jun SH, Kang NG. Improvement of Skin Condition Through RXR Alpha-Activating Materials. Biomolecules. 2025;15(2):296. DOI 10.3390/biom15020296. PubMed PMID 40001599 (Ye 2025).

SignatureOpuliss Skin

Date28 August 2026