Bakuchiol Smoothing Essence

Soo'AE

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Soo'AE Bakuchiol Smoothing Essence is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 38 ingredients (31 low-risk) rates it Excellent (97/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin. Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Serums, Essence, Ampoules
Ingredients
38
Low-risk
31
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
United States

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 11/11
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Caprylate Camellia Japonica Flower Extract Prunus Mume Fruit Extract Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Sodium Hyaluronate Glycerin Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract Lecithin
Caution for dry skin
Glyceryl Caprylate Centella Asiatica Extract Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside Glycerin Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract Polysorbate 80 Lecithin
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 2/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract Retinol
Sensitive Skin 5/7
Good for sensitive skin
Malt Extract Centella Asiatica Extract Glycerin Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract Hydroxyacetophenone
Caution for sensitive skin
Dipropylene Glycol Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Glycerin Tartaric Acid Tromethamine Retinol

Ingredients list

38 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All38 Skin Conditioning27 Surfactant8 Solvent7 Emulsifying7 Fragrance6 Viscosity Controlling6 Emollient6 Humectant6
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Dipropylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
1,2-Hexanediol
(Solvent)
1
Hydroxyacetophenone
(Antioxidant)
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
2
A
Tromethamine
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
1
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
(Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
(Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Malt Extract
(Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Tonic)
1
A
Sodium Hyaluronate
(Skin Conditioning, Humectant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
Glyceryl Caprylate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
Tartaric Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
CARICA PAPAYA FRUIT EXTRACT
(Skin Conditioning)
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Prunus Mume Fruit Extract
(Humectant)
1
B
Centella Asiatica Extract
(Cleansing, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing, Soothing, Tonic)
1
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
Bakuchiol
(Cosmetic Biocide, Antimicrobial)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
3
B
Polysorbate 80
(Denaturant, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
2
3
Lecithin
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Antistatic Agent, Emollient)
1
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
(Astringent, Humectant, Soothing)
1
Lactobacillus Ferment
(Skin Conditioning)
Cordyceps Militaris Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Butylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning, Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — higher EWG
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Dipropylene Glycol
Fragrance, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSolventViscosity decreasing agentMaskingViscosity controlling
1,2-Hexanediol
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Solvent
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentGel formingViscosity controlling
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmollientEmulsifyingSurfactant
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmollientEmulsifyingSurfactant
Tromethamine
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A FragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
Cleansing, Foaming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CleansingFoamingSurfactant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Viscosity controlling
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin conditioning, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmulsifyingSurfactant
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin conditioning, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningEmulsifyingSurfactant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Deodorant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A DeodorantSkin conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Chelating agent, Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agentViscosity controlling
Malt Extract
Skin conditioning, Skin protecting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningSkin protectingTonic
+ 16 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Panthenol
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioning Good for Dry Skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningHumectant Good for Dry Skin
Tartaric Acid
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 1 FragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Polysorbate 80
Denaturant, Emulsifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B DenaturantEmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Apply after toner and before moisturiser — thinnest to thickest.
  • 2 Evening: Use at night — start 2–3× a week and build up as your skin tolerates it.
  • 3 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Often avoided
Retinoids (Vitamin A) (Retinol)

Topical retinoids (retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters) are widely advised against in pregnancy as a precaution. The strongest evidence is for ORAL retinoids; topical absorption is low, but most clinicians err on the side of caution.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Retinoids (Vitamin A) 0.01–1%

Most studied between 0.1% and 1%. Higher is not automatically better — irritation climbs with dose, so a well-formulated lower strength is often the sweet spot.

Retinol

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Tartaric Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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