Meet Niacinamide…
By contributor Allie White.
If you’ll indulge me for a moment, close your eyes and picture your bathroom cabinet, the skincare products specifically. Now imagine them wearing backpacks, heading into the first day of school. You’ve got overachieving teacher’s pet vitamin C; dramatic results, packs-a-big-punch theater kid, hyaluronic acid; hall monitor and protector, zinc oxide; athletic salicylic acid that plows through buildup the way a linebacker plows through opponents.
And of course, class president. She’s everywhere all at once, friends with all, beloved by students and staff alike. She’s an all-around favorite with a heart of gold, always looking out for the best interests of the class (while also definitely trying to get into an Ivy League school). The one you want to take home to your parents, winner of all yearbook superlatives but not in an annoying way because she’s just that good. That’s right, our class president is niacinamide.
Let’s crack that textbook and dive in.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, an essential nutrient. When we’re talking about skin care, it’s almost guaranteed that the featured vitamin is a form of B3 (an amide) called nicotinamide (aka niacinamide). And while this stuff is an essential water-soluble vitamin, the body does not make it naturally: you’ve got to eat — or apply — it to reap the rewards.
Why is niacinamide a skincare ingredient I should care about?
Put simply: you just should. If you want to get into it a bit: niacinamide is often considered a “holy grail" solution for some of our most common skin issues. While it’s typically marketed as a brilliant brightener, its benefits go way, way beyond that. In addition to brightening and smoothing skin, niacinamide can calm inflammation and redness, reduce hyperpigmentation, decrease the appearance of pores, reverse and prevent signs of aging, all while hydrating skin and supporting the ever-important skin barrier. It’s full of antioxidants and, miraculously, it’s great for pretty much any skin type: Since one of niacinamide’s benefits is that it helps balance sebum production, it’s great for acne-prone and oily skin. It’s also a wonder for dry, sensitive skin since it promotes ceramide production, which in turn protects your skin’s lipid barrier and prevents water loss. Something for everyone!
How should I use niacinamide?
Honestly, there’s no bad way to use niacinamide. That said, there are some ways and products that boost the vitamin’s benefits to your skin.
In a moisturizer: Because one of niacinamide’s superpowers is its ability to prevent water loss across the skin barrier, it actually boosts the ability of other moisturizing ingredients to do the same. (We see you, class president! Lifting up others around you!) So if you’re after juicy, hydrated, glowing skin, you’ll want to look for a product billed as moisturizer that features niacinamide as one of its main ingredients. As the name implies, the main goal of The Nue Co Barrier Culture Moisturizer is to hydrate and protect. Thanks to the niacinamide in the formula, the moisturizer’s other ingredients — ceramides, peptides, squalene — are lifted to near superhero-status in their quest to do both. The name gives it away in Sunday Riley’s 5 Stars Retinol + Niacinamide Eye Serum, too. Not only does niacinamide brighten and soften the skin around the eyes, it also works beautifully to boost the efficacy of collagen-producing retinoid and retinol.
With an exfoliant: Exfoliants are wonderful, but while they’re doing the work of removing dull skin and unclogging pores, there’s always potential for a little irritation and dryness. Which is precisely why reaching for an exfoliant that also features the healing powers of niacinamide is a wonderful choice. Whether you’re into chemical, acid-based exfoliants like the Acid Potion Toner from Moon Juice or physical versions like Youth To The People’s Yerba Mate Resurfacing Energy Facial, throwing niacinamide into the mix will do wonders. While those acids, enzymes, and micro-exfoliants get to work resurfacing your skin’s texture, niacinamide will bring up the rear, serving as protector, laying a calming, soothing blanket over everything after the work is done.
In your SPF: A less obvious choice, but hear me out… As we all know by now, SPF should be a non-negotiable part of your skincare routine, the thing that even if you’ve overslept because you were having that dream again where you show up for the math test late and realize you’re naked, you slap on as you’re flying out the door because it’s JUST. THAT.
IMPORTANT. Well, the thing about niacinamide is that it’s most beneficial for your skin when applied topically and in contact with your skin for a long, long time. It penetrates deep into the skin really well, and can be even better at it when your skin is given ample time to take it all in and let it get to work. So if SPF is the thing you put on first thing in the morning (and maybe even reapply throughout the day), a formula that contains niacinamide puts the ingredient in close personal contact from sun-up to sun-down. That’s a lot of time to work its magic. Two favorite formulas include Koa’s Mineral Sunscreen and Supergoop!’s Daily Dose Vitamin C+ SPF 40 Serum, both of which also feature a slew of excellent-for-you ingredients that niacinamide can help boost as they work together side-by-side all day long setting the gym up for the homecoming dance aka protecting and replenishing your skin.
If you’ll indulge me for a moment, close your eyes and picture your bathroom cabinet, the skincare products specifically. Now imagine them wearing backpacks, heading into the first day of school. You’ve got overachieving teacher’s pet vitamin C; dramatic results, packs-a-big-punch theater kid, hyaluronic acid; hall monitor and protector, zinc oxide; athletic salicylic acid that plows through buildup the way a linebacker plows through opponents.
And of course, class president. She’s everywhere all at once, friends with all, beloved by students and staff alike. She’s an all-around favorite with a heart of gold, always looking out for the best interests of the class (while also definitely trying to get into an Ivy League school). The one you want to take home to your parents, winner of all yearbook superlatives but not in an annoying way because she’s just that good. That’s right, our class president is niacinamide.
Let’s crack that textbook and dive in.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, an essential nutrient. When we’re talking about skin care, it’s almost guaranteed that the featured vitamin is a form of B3 (an amide) called nicotinamide (aka niacinamide). And while this stuff is an essential water-soluble vitamin, the body does not make it naturally: you’ve got to eat — or apply — it to reap the rewards.
Why is niacinamide a skincare ingredient I should care about?
Put simply: you just should. If you want to get into it a bit: niacinamide is often considered a “holy grail" solution for some of our most common skin issues. While it’s typically marketed as a brilliant brightener, its benefits go way, way beyond that. In addition to brightening and smoothing skin, niacinamide can calm inflammation and redness, reduce hyperpigmentation, decrease the appearance of pores, reverse and prevent signs of aging, all while hydrating skin and supporting the ever-important skin barrier. It’s full of antioxidants and, miraculously, it’s great for pretty much any skin type: Since one of niacinamide’s benefits is that it helps balance sebum production, it’s great for acne-prone and oily skin. It’s also a wonder for dry, sensitive skin since it promotes ceramide production, which in turn protects your skin’s lipid barrier and prevents water loss. Something for everyone!
How should I use niacinamide?
Honestly, there’s no bad way to use niacinamide. That said, there are some ways and products that boost the vitamin’s benefits to your skin.
In a moisturizer: Because one of niacinamide’s superpowers is its ability to prevent water loss across the skin barrier, it actually boosts the ability of other moisturizing ingredients to do the same. (We see you, class president! Lifting up others around you!) So if you’re after juicy, hydrated, glowing skin, you’ll want to look for a product billed as moisturizer that features niacinamide as one of its main ingredients. As the name implies, the main goal of The Nue Co Barrier Culture Moisturizer is to hydrate and protect. Thanks to the niacinamide in the formula, the moisturizer’s other ingredients — ceramides, peptides, squalene — are lifted to near superhero-status in their quest to do both. The name gives it away in Sunday Riley’s 5 Stars Retinol + Niacinamide Eye Serum, too. Not only does niacinamide brighten and soften the skin around the eyes, it also works beautifully to boost the efficacy of collagen-producing retinoid and retinol.
With an exfoliant: Exfoliants are wonderful, but while they’re doing the work of removing dull skin and unclogging pores, there’s always potential for a little irritation and dryness. Which is precisely why reaching for an exfoliant that also features the healing powers of niacinamide is a wonderful choice. Whether you’re into chemical, acid-based exfoliants like the Acid Potion Toner from Moon Juice or physical versions like Youth To The People’s Yerba Mate Resurfacing Energy Facial, throwing niacinamide into the mix will do wonders. While those acids, enzymes, and micro-exfoliants get to work resurfacing your skin’s texture, niacinamide will bring up the rear, serving as protector, laying a calming, soothing blanket over everything after the work is done.
In your SPF: A less obvious choice, but hear me out… As we all know by now, SPF should be a non-negotiable part of your skincare routine, the thing that even if you’ve overslept because you were having that dream again where you show up for the math test late and realize you’re naked, you slap on as you’re flying out the door because it’s JUST. THAT.
IMPORTANT. Well, the thing about niacinamide is that it’s most beneficial for your skin when applied topically and in contact with your skin for a long, long time. It penetrates deep into the skin really well, and can be even better at it when your skin is given ample time to take it all in and let it get to work. So if SPF is the thing you put on first thing in the morning (and maybe even reapply throughout the day), a formula that contains niacinamide puts the ingredient in close personal contact from sun-up to sun-down. That’s a lot of time to work its magic. Two favorite formulas include Koa’s Mineral Sunscreen and Supergoop!’s Daily Dose Vitamin C+ SPF 40 Serum, both of which also feature a slew of excellent-for-you ingredients that niacinamide can help boost as they work together side-by-side all day long setting the gym up for the homecoming dance aka protecting and replenishing your skin.
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