The question is usually put the wrong way round. We are not asking which ingredient is stronger — that has an answer, and the answer is retinol. We are asking which one you will stay with, because in skincare the outcome is decided by time, not by peak performance.
What retinol is, and why it is talked about most
Retinol belongs to the retinoids, the derivatives of vitamin A. It is the best-researched cosmetic ingredient for the look of ageing skin, and in that respect it has no rival — there is more literature on it than on all the others combined. When people say something works, retinol is where that word means the most.
It has a price, though. The first weeks or months tend to be unpleasant: tightness, dryness, flaking, redness. The term for it is retinisation, and it is an expected phase rather than a failure. Retinol also increases sensitivity to sun, so it is inseparable from UV protection, and retinoids are to be avoided in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
No4. Midnight Mineral Pressed Serum
Explore productWhat bakuchiol is, and how it differs
Bakuchiol is obtained from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia. It shares nothing chemically with the retinoids — it is not a vitamin A derivative — yet in caring for the look of fine lines and evenness it behaves much the same way.
The decisive difference is tolerance. Bakuchiol usually has no introductory phase, asks for no gradual acclimatisation, does not increase sun sensitivity and can be used morning and night. Next to stronger actives it seems unassuming, and that is precisely its advantage.
The only comparison worth making
Behavioural surveys and the experience of estheticians say the same thing: a large share of people who start retinol put it down within three months. Not because it fails to work, but because they never get past retinisation. And an ingredient in a closed bottle has no effect at all.
So comparing retinol-used-perfectly with bakuchiol-used-perfectly is an academic exercise. The useful comparison is: what will you have after a year, counting the weeks when the routine lapsed.
So where to begin
- Sensitive skin, a tendency to redness or dryness — begin with bakuchiol. Retinol makes that situation worse at first.
- You have tried retinoids and did not last — begin with bakuchiol, and do not treat it as a concession.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding — avoid retinoids and speak to your doctor.
- Resilient skin, patience, and more pronounced concerns — retinol makes sense, under a dermatologist's guidance and with consistent sun protection.
- Not sure — begin with bakuchiol. It is the choice you can continue with, and retinol remains available later.
Why we chose bakuchiol
The No4. Midnight Mineral Pressed Serum contains bakuchiol, not retinol. Not because a sharper product is beyond us. It follows a decision that runs through the whole range: a four-step ritual rather than twelve, the more tolerable route wherever there is one, and high concentrations of actives in a form you can stay with for years.
A sharper product lasts a shorter time in the bathroom than on the shelf. Care you put down after a month does nothing — and that holds even for the best-researched ingredient in the world.
Read about bakuchiol in detail
