This isn't a pregnancy or medical-safety article. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a diagnosed condition, that conversation belongs with your doctor first, regardless of life stage. This is about something narrower: whether retinol still makes sense for skin that's changing the way perimenopausal skin does, and what the trade-offs are right now.
Retinol is one of the most recommended ingredients for skin in your 40s and 50s, including, directly, by the American Academy of Dermatology, whose menopause skin-care guidance suggests considering "a skin care product that contains retinol or peptides." So if you've read that retinol is a good idea for this life stage, and also that perimenopausal skin has become harder to manage, both things are true at once. This article is about reconciling them rather than picking a side.
What hasn't changed about retinol
Retinol remains one of the most-studied ingredients in skincare, including for the look of fine lines, texture, and tone. None of that changes because you're in perimenopause. Our bakuchiol vs retinol comparison covers the full picture of what retinol does and doesn't do, with sources.
What's different about introducing it now
Retinoids commonly cause dryness, scaling and irritation, especially when first introduced. What's genuinely different in perimenopause is the starting point: our sensitivity guide covers why skin's barrier and reactivity can shift during this transition, including the American Academy of Dermatology's observation that skin's pH changes and "women are more likely to develop rashes and easily irritated skin" as this life stage progresses. Layering retinol's normal adjustment period on top of skin that's already more reactive than it used to be can make that adjustment harder than it would have been ten years ago. It's not impossible, just worth going into with realistic expectations rather than assuming skin will respond the way it always has.
A gentler way to introduce it, if you're starting now
If you already use retinol and want to keep going, easing off the pace (a lower frequency to start, increasing only once skin has clearly adjusted) gives a more reactive barrier time to build tolerance gradually instead of all at once. There's no fixed timeline that works for everyone, so let your own skin's response be the guide rather than a pace you feel you should be further along by now. Whatever you use, apply sunscreen as directed in daylight: retinoids may irritate skin, and irritated skin needs careful sun protection.
So, is it still right for you?
There's no single right answer, and we're not going to pretend there is:
- If retinol already works for your skin and you're not seeing new irritation, there's no reason to stop. Perimenopause alone isn't a reason to abandon something that's genuinely working.
- If you're introducing retinol for the first time during this transition, go in slower than you might have a decade ago: fewer nights a week to start, a lower concentration if you can, and a genuine pause if irritation shows up rather than pushing through it.
- If retinol has started causing more irritation than it used to, or you'd rather not manage an adjustment period on top of everything else perimenopause is already asking of your skin, that's a reasonable point to consider bakuchiol instead.
Where bakuchiol fits
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived compound that isn't chemically related to retinol, and it has been studied as an alternative. The most-cited direct comparison, a 2019 study in the British Journal of Dermatology (Dhaliwal et al.), found comparable improvement in fine lines and pigmentation between bakuchiol and retinol over 12 weeks, with the retinol group reporting more scaling and stinging. Bakuchiol was better tolerated than retinol in that 12-week study of specific 0.5% creams, but it can still irritate some people, and one study doesn't tell us how any other product will behave. It remains a much smaller body of evidence than retinol's decades of research, and we're not going to overstate it. Introduce a new product cautiously and follow its directions.
Our Bakuchiol Refining Oil Serum is a lightweight dry oil with bakuchiol, jojoba, rosehip, evening primrose and berry seed oils. It's made as a nightly alternative to retinol. If your skin is sensitive, we'd always suggest a patch test first. Worth knowing upfront: we don't currently carry a retinol product ourselves, so if retinol specifically is what you want to continue or start using, that's a product we can't point you to today. We'd rather say that plainly than stretch bakuchiol into being something it isn't.
If you're looking for somewhere to start and retinol hasn't been agreeing with your skin lately, the Bakuchiol Refining Oil Serum is an option in our range. Introduce it gradually, as with any new product, while skin is already managing enough change this year.
Our bakuchiol vs retinol comparison has the full ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown if you want it, and our Skincare in Your 40s and 50s guide covers retinol and bakuchiol alongside the rest of a routine at this life stage. For the wider hormonal picture, see our perimenopause guide.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology. "Caring for your skin in menopause." aad.org (accessed August 2026).
- Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, et al. "Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing." British Journal of Dermatology, 2019; 180(2): 289–296.
This isn't medical advice. Check with your doctor before introducing or continuing a retinoid if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a diagnosed skin condition.
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