Is Bakuchiol Safe to Use in Pregnancy?
What is Bakuchiol?
Is Bakuchiol safer to use in pregnancy than conventional retinol or retinoids?
Red flags in skincare during pregnancy
Bakuchiol alternatives that are safe to use during pregnancy
Formulas that contain Bakuchiol for post-pregnancy
1. What is Bakuchiol?
We are going to preface this post by declaring our love for Bakuchiol. We’re big fans and have even named our product, Bakuchiol Building Blocks after it. Bakuchiol is a plant-based, naturally derived active that contains a high concentration of Vitamin A. It would be considered an alternative to other Vitamin A derivatives like retinol, retinoic acid (including Hydroyxpinacolone Retinoate). Within the skin, it has been show to activate the same retinoid receptors within the skin without the same level of irritation. In terms of efficacy, it has similar potency to other Vitamin A analogs like retinol esters or retinyl palmitate and most people can use it frequently with minimal to no side effects.
2. Is Bakuchiol safer to use in pregnancy than conventional retinol or retinoids?
Since Bakuchiol is plant-based and extracted from the Babchi plant- many brands and skincare experts assumed that this meant it would be safe to use during pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Some brands even went as far to say “100% safe for pregnant women”. For such a bold claim, you would assume that there must be significant clinical data to back it up. Perhaps, the main supplier of the ingredient Sytheon would have produced clinical data to support this or have endorsed this claim… The truth is- there is no clinical data to support this type of claim and the supplier Sytheon, does not endorse it in any capacity.
What does that mean? This lack of clinical data does not mean that Bakuchiol is not safe to use during pregnancy. Topical retinoids like adapalene and tretinoin are considered Class C types of ingredients as in some animal studies have shown a possible adverse effect and there is no adequate studies to show safety for a fetus. Tazarotene, another form of a prescription retinoid, is considered a Class X substance- meaning there is evidence of possible fetal abnormalities in human studies and therefore contraindicated. In all cases, these substances are assessed for safety against their potential benefits. Does this type of risk assessment mean regulatory bodies like the FDA are being overly cautious? Probably. If you ask anyone at the FDA though, the thalidomide crisis where an anti-nausea medication caused severe fetal abnormalities still looms large over the agency even though it happened over forty years ago. Bakuchiol does not have the same prohibition against its use in pregnancy as there simply is no data to show that it’s safe or harmful in pregnancy. However, in pregnancy, there is a higher threshold for risk benefit analysis. Therefore something is not presumed to be safe simply because it has not shown to be harmful.
3. Red flags in skincare during pregnancy
Here are some red flags for Bakuchiol as to why we should hold off on the “100% safe for pregnant women” claim. These red flags can be used for any skincare active as a basic test for what should be used during pregnancy.
Does it get absorbed into the body?
Our first screening criteria for what to use during pregnancy should be to gauge the chances that something gets absorbed into the body. The general rule of thumb of whether something gets absorbed into the body is anything below 500 g/ mol or Daltons gets absorbed, anything higher doesn’t. Bakuchiol has a molecular weight of about 256 g/mol Daltons so it’s definitely likely to be absorbed. If it didn’t get absorbed into the body then you could claim 100% safety for pregnancy because it would have no chance of crossing the placenta to the fetus.
Does it hit similar receptors in skin as prohibited ingredients? The Similar Key, Similar Lock Theory
I’ve seen it written that Bakuchiol has a different chemical structure than retinol. I’m not sure where that comes from. It has a different derivation than synthetic forms of Vitamin A like retinols and retinoic acids. However, the few studies that have been done on Bakuchiol confirm that it does have similar chemical structure to retinol. It’s not bioidentical but its similar enough that it’s able to target many of the same receptors in the skin as retinol. Think of it like a skeleton key- it’s close enough in shape that it can open many of the same ‘locks’ as retinol.
There is some promising data to suggest that Bakuchiol down-regulates the genes that are implicated in the toxicity involved in retinol. This would definitely be one avenue to further explore- until then, you should be wary of an ingredient that is hitting the same receptors as ingredients that are restricted for use in pregnancy.
What are the risks versus the benefits if used in pregnancy?
It’s worth considering that although something may not pose a visible threat of fetal abnormalities there may be less obvious but still noteworthy types of negative effects on the fetus. We talk a lot about the potential of endocrine disrupting effects of materials like oxybenzone on unborn children, infants and kids through adolescence. Many of the brands that are touting the safety of Bakuchiol for pregnancy are the first to criticize other ‘toxic’ chemicals. The benefits of bakuchiol for the 40 week span of pregnancy are arguably limited- it’s a nice to have ingredient but not a need to have. While the risks might also be minimal, in the absence of proof of safety and with the other potential red flags, the risk benefit ratio does not make sense.
4. Bakuchiol alternatives that are safe to use during pregnancy
Let’s face it, skincare in pregnancy is a tough question and very often, the answer is to consult with your physician and the list for what you can’t use is typically longer than what you can use. For an in depth look at what we skincare we recommend for pregnancy related acne and pigmentation, click here.
When it comes to Bakuchiol and pregnancy, we did ask a physician, our co-founder Dr. Denis Dudley a retired fetal maternal specialist and OB/GYN. His short answer is it is better to avoid using Bakuchiol in pregnancy to be on the safe side. As a physician founded brand, we probably are a little more conservative than other skincare brands. I, myself, have been trained to be a bit more reserved in how far we let marketing and trends lead us (it’s why we don’t have a product with CBD or a collagen powder in sight). We take our credibility and trustworthiness as our number #1 core value. If we do see something that definitively proves safety of Bakuchiol in pregnancy, we will shout it from the mountain tops. Until then, for any of our pregnant readers, this review has some guidance as to what you can use. I personally used glycolic acid products like our Exfoliant Reveal to help pregnancy based break-outs, our Emblica Be Light to help with Post-Inflammatory Pigmentation from said-breakouts and for light hydration, and religious use of our Simply Zinc Ultra SPF 50 as my daily sunscreen since it has the highest UVA Protection Factor (UVA PF 20). I also used a prescription form of azelaic acid but you can find lots of non-prescription ones, you can try one in serum form to complement the above routine. Pregnancy is a special time in life and I wish you all of the joy that you can get out of it, although it certainly comes with its ups and downs.
We created this Pregnancy-Safe skincare category on our Shop page to help narrow down skincare products that can be used during pregnancy.
5. Formulas that contain Bakuchiol for post-pregnancy
We do formulate with Bakuchiol at a 2% concentration as supplied by Sytheon in our Natrèceutique Bakuchiol Building Blocks. We also rounded out the formula with other actives since Bakuchiol can be more gentle and slightly less potent than something like the Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate that we use in our Cyberderm Retin Erase. Our formula includes Tetrahexydecl Ascorbate and Phytosphingosphines (the pre-cursors to ceramides, coupled with salicylic acid) to help the formula really refine skin texture and provide gentle exfoliation and skin brightening over time. Due to its gentle nature, most people are able to use it as often as once daily, meaning you can get a regular dose of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and ceramides daily.
Most physicians agree that pregnancy related restrictions for skincare ease up post-pregnancy if you are still breastfeeding. You can incorporate most of your previous skincare options but if unsure then check with your physician.
Hit us up with any questions and we’ll do our best to help you out with your safety as our utmost concern! You can email us at info@thesunscreencompany.com for any questions.
Natrèceutique Bakuchiol Building Blocks