We built HALENE on published, peer-reviewed research into bakuchiol as a retinol alternative. This page holds the studies we rely on: what each one tested, what it found, and what it does not show. They are independent studies of the ingredient, not clinical trials of our finished products.
Dhaliwal et al., British Journal of Dermatology, 2019
What was tested. 44 people with facial photoaging, randomized and double-blind, over 12 weeks. One group used 0.5% bakuchiol twice a day. The other used 0.5% retinol once a day.
What it found. Both groups had significant reductions in wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation, with no statistically significant difference between them. The retinol group reported more scaling and stinging.
What it does not mean. The study used a 0.5% bakuchiol cream, not HALENE. No. 01 uses 1%. The result belongs to the ingredient.
Chaudhuri and Bojanowski, International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2014
What was tested. Gene-expression profiling of bakuchiol and retinol in a full-thickness skin model, with collagen measurements in human dermal fibroblasts, followed by a 12-week clinical evaluation with twice-daily use.
What it found. Bakuchiol, with no structural resemblance to retinoids, regulated many of the same genes as retinol and increased collagen types I, III and IV in the lab. After 12 weeks the researchers recorded improvement in lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, elasticity and firmness.
What it does not mean. Lab results describe how an ingredient works, not what a product will do on a face. We cite this paper for mechanism, not as a promise.
Draelos et al., Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2020
What was tested. 60 women aged 40 to 65 with sensitive skin used a bakuchiol cleanser and moisturizer for 4 weeks. A third had eczema, a third rosacea, a third cosmetic intolerance.
What it found. The products were well tolerated. Measured skin moisture rose 16%, and dermatologist grading recorded improvement in smoothness, clarity and overall appearance.
What it does not mean. Four weeks, one moisturizer, one panel. It speaks to tolerance on reactive skin, not to long-term results.
| Scroll left to right | Bakuchiol 0.5% | Retinol 0.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced wrinkle surface area at 12 weeks | ||
| Reduced hyperpigmentation at 12 weeks | ||
| Difference between the two |
Not statistically significant
|
Not statistically significant
|
| Scaling and stinging reported |
Less
|
More
|
| Application in the study |
Twice a day
|
Once a day
|
| Is a retinoid |
That HALENE products were clinically tested. They were not. The studies are of the ingredient.
That there is no adjustment period. Bakuchiol is not a retinoid, so there is no retinoid adjustment period. That is a definition, not a study result.
That it layers with acids or vitamin C. Nothing we cite tested that.
That it is stable in light. It is often described that way. We will cite it when we have the paper in hand.
That you will see a change in two weeks. The head-to-head measured at 12.
Vitamin B3, in the form skin can use. Included to support the skin barrier and the look of even tone.
A sugar chain from oats and yeast. Included to hold water at the surface and keep the serum comfortable on reactive skin.
Our Why tells the rest of the story: what we went looking for, what we refused, and how the formula was made. Read Our Why.
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