Most "best bakuchiol serum" lists in the UK quietly include products that aren't serums, aren't bakuchiol, or both. The Ordinary does not make a bakuchiol. Their Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion (around £10–£14) is still a retinoid. If you wanted to avoid vitamin A, that bottle is still vitamin A.
What you can actually buy is a mix of creams, oil boosters and a few true serums. Here is the honest UK shelf, with prices as a guide (they move).
First: decide if you even need a serum
Bakuchiol is the ingredient. The vehicle is a separate choice. Dry or impatient skin often does better with a moisturiser that already contains it. Oily skin, or anyone who already loves their cream, may want drops they can dose.
If you came from retinol and you're shopping for a substitute, read bakuchiol vs retinol before spending £55 to discover you still miss the retinoid.
The Inkey List Bakuchiol Moisturiser: budget, not a serum
Around £10–£13 for 30ml. This is the product UK shoppers usually mean. It is a lightweight moisturiser with bakuchiol, squalane, glycerin and sacha inchi oil, not a dropper serum. Stock comes and goes as Inkey refreshes the range, but it has been widely sold at Boots, Lookfantastic and similar.
Who it's for: dry-to-normal skin, short routines, a first try. Who it isn't: anyone who wanted a watery serum, or someone who needs 50ml of cream for the money. Full texture notes in the Inkey List review.
30ml is a small moisturiser. Factor that into the "cheap" headline.
Bybi Bakuchiol Booster: the actual drops
Around £9–£13 for 15ml, 1% bakuchiol in olive-derived squalane. UK brand, fragrance-free, mix-a-few-drops format. This is closer to what people picture when they say serum, even though it is an oil.
Who it's for: you already have a moisturiser you like; you want to add bakuchiol without replacing the cream. Oily skin can use 2 drops and stop. Watch-out: it is still an oil. If squalane sits on you or congests you, this is the wrong texture, not a failed ingredient.
Use AM, PM or both. How to use bakuchiol covers where oils go in the stack (last, or mixed in).
Medik8 Bakuchiol Peptides: the proper serum, proper price
About £55 for 30ml, 1.25% bakuchiol plus peptide precursors. Lightweight, water-based, the one that actually behaves like a serum. Medik8 also sells retinal; this bottle is the retinoid-avoiding option in that universe.
Who it's for: you want a daytime-friendly serum texture and you'll pay for packaging and a peptide extra. Who it isn't: bargain hunters. You are not getting five times the bakuchiol of Bybi. You are getting a nicer fluid and a peptide extra in a brand that already sells retinal.
Peptides in the same bottle are a bonus, not a reason to skip sunscreen.
Paula's Choice 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol: not a bakuchiol-only serum
About £61 for 30ml (travel size around £15). Clinical 0.3% retinol, 2% bakuchiol, peptides. This is a retinol treatment with bakuchiol as support. If you cannot use retinoids, do not buy this as your "gentle bakuchiol".
Who it is for is spelled out in the Paula's Choice review: people already comfortable with retinol who want one night product. Introduce it like retinol, not like a moisturiser.
Superdrug and high-street dupes
Superdrug's own-brand picture changes. The old Me+ Bakuchiol 1% Booster (around £8–£10 for 30ml when it was on shelves) was the obvious dupe for Bybi: a budget booster, not a miracle. If you still see it, it's a sensible try. Don't hunt eBay leftovers past their date.
What you'll more often find now:
- Nature Spell 1% Bakuchiol face cream (large tub, often under £15): a moisturiser with 1% bakuchiol plus hyaluronic acid and squalane. Fine as a body-of-the-face cream. Fragrance and a "vegan retinol" label are the usual caveats. Not elegant. Cheap per ml.
- Other Superdrug-stocked names vary. If bakuchiol sits after perfume and ten oils, you bought a scented cream with a marketing word. A dupe is useful when bakuchiol is listed high enough and the formula isn't also a retinoid.
What about The Ordinary?
The Ordinary does not make bakuchiol. That search is how a lot of people land here. Granactive Retinoid is what they sell as a "retinol alternative". That alternative is still a retinoid. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and "I cannot use vitamin A" are reasons to skip Granactive, not reasons to buy it.
If you can use retinoids and you were only bakuchiol-curious because it was cheap, Ordinary retinol in squalane (from about £6) is the more evidence-backed spend. Bakuchiol vs retinol is the comparison, including where retinal sits (still a retinoid, still not bakuchiol).
How to choose in one minute
- Under £15, one step: Inkey List moisturiser, if you can find it, or a simple 1% cream like Nature Spell if you accept a basic formula.
- Under £15, add to an existing cream: Bybi booster.
- Serum texture, higher spend: Medik8 Bakuchiol Peptides.
- Already use retinol and want a combined night treatment: Paula's Choice 0.3% + 2%.
- Want The Ordinary bakuchiol: it doesn't exist. Buy bakuchiol elsewhere or buy their retinoid on purpose.
Patch test. Give it months. Wear SPF. If your skin is reactive, start with sensitive-skin notes rather than jumping to the £55 serum.
References
Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, et al. Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. Br J Dermatol. 2019;180(2):289-296. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29947134/)
Chaudhuri RK, Bojanowski K. Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-aging effects. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2014;36(3):221-230. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24471735/)
FAQs
Does The Ordinary have a bakuchiol serum?
No. They sell Granactive Retinoid and retinol. Those are retinoids, not bakuchiol.
What is the best cheap bakuchiol in the UK?
The Inkey List Bakuchiol Moisturiser and Bybi Bakuchiol Booster are the two I'd try first. Superdrug's Me+ booster was the high-street version when it was in stock.
Is Medik8 Bakuchiol Peptides worth £55?
Only if you want that serum texture and you'll actually finish the bottle. The bakuchiol itself is not exclusive to Medik8.
Is Paula's Choice retinol + bakuchiol a good bakuchiol serum?
It's a good mid-strength retinol with bakuchiol added. It is the wrong product if you are buying bakuchiol to avoid retinol.