Bakuchiol with antibacterial, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties useful in psoriasis and vitiligo

The plant Psoralea corylfolia contains compounds such as psoralens that are useful for treating psoriasis and vitiligo. The plant is used in Chinese and Indian traditional medicine for diseases such as psoriasis and leprosy. Bakuchiol (BAK), a meroterpene phenol in Psoralea corylfolia, has similar functional properties to topical retinoids, commonly used to treat acne, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and wrinkles. BAK is an emerging cosmeceutical agent with promising properties.

The trend for “clean” skincare products and increasing demands for anti-ageing retinoid alternatives have poised BAK as a “must-have” ingredient.

Considering this, a review was done by researchers from the Department of Dermatology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The lead researcher was Carolina Puyana, MD, MSPH.

The researchers reviewed BAK applications in dermatology.

The study points are:

• This is a systematic review of PubMed.
• The search terms used were [“Bakuchiol” and “Dermatology”] or [“Bakuchiol” and “Skin”].
• There were 16 pre-clinical studies, seven clinical studies, three commentaries, two narrative reviews, and one adverse event report.

The researchers said that BAK:

• Has been studied for its effects on photoaging, acne, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).
• It has beneficial results comparable to those achieved by topical retinoids.
• It has no structural resemblance to retinoids but can function as a retinol analog, through retinol-like regulation of gene expression.
• In vivo studies mentioned that when BAK was used alone or in combination with other products, it significantly reduced photodamage, hyperpigmentation, wrinkle scores, and acne severity.
• It has anti-cancer properties.
• It inhibits epidermal growth factor-induced neoplastic cell transformation.
• It has applications in psoriasis because it normalizes keratinocyte activity and in pigmentary disorders. This is due to the inhibition of melanogenesis.
• One adverse event case report of contact dermatitis is mentioned in the literature.

To conclude, Bakuchiol is a retinol alternative with antibacterial, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, further studies are required to understand its applications in dermatology.

Further reading

Puyana, Carolina, et al. “Applications of Bakuchiol in Dermatology: Systematic Review of the Literature.” Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, vol. 21, no. 12, Wiley, Oct. 2022, pp. 6636–43. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.15420.