Niacinamide: Benefits, Application, and Product Recommendations

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 (niacin) — one of the eight B vitamins your body needs for good health. Niacinamide has been used by cosmetics brands for years now, however, it only gained hype in the last two years.

Approximately two years ago I decided to try the freshly launched cosmetics line – The Ordinary. As their prices were low and I was desperate to fight my acne, I ordered Niacinamide along with other bottles. The serum that I purchased consisted of 10% Niacinamide and 1% Zinc. Back then I knew very little about this substance, even though the results that I got were very positive.

I have also tried other products from this brand, if you want to know more about, take a read here.

Now, 2 years later, I ordered my second bottle of Niacinamide, to give it a second and more consistent try. This time I decided to thoroughly research it in order to properly use it and understand the results better. This knowledge is valuable, and the amount of information is huge. Therefore, with this post, I want to share my recently gathered knowledge in a compact format.

What is Niacinamide?

Niacinamide, which is also called nicotinamide, is one of two major forms of vitamin B3 – niacin, the second one is nicotinic acid. Niacin can be found in different foods, mostly meat and fish. It plays a vital role in converting the food you eat into usable energy and helps your body’s cells carry out important chemical reactions. Talking about skin care, which is our primary direction today, niacin helps with rosacea, acne, pigmentation, and even wrinkles.

How does it work?

Niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin and can be used with most skincare products. It is compatible with all the skin types – from oily to acne or sensitive rosacea-affected skin. Niacinamide has natural anti-inflammatory properties, therefore it is great for acne and other skin conditions. In my case, it noticeably soothes my skin and makes my pores visibly smaller.

Other helpful benefits of niacinamide are that it helps renew and restore the surface of the skin against moisture loss and dehydration by helping skin improve its natural production of skin-strengthening ceramides. If you apply niacinamide before your moisturizer, it will boost its hydrating properties, creating a more hydrated, better-looking skin. In short, Niacinamide helps your skin cells to repair the damage, propagate, and function normally.

To summarize, here are the benefits I found:

○ It helps with acne, rosacea, and other skin conditions;

By offering anti-inflammatory properties, it’s been proven that Niacinamide helps to treat mild to moderate acne (Self). As well, as it does not dry your skin out and otherwise keeps it moisturized, it is a favorable option compared to topical antibiotics and other acne gels.

○ It keeps your skin hydrated;

○ It helps with fine lines and wrinkles;

○ It can prevent skin cancer. Read more here;

○ It repairs your skin;

○ It is compatible with most skincare products and skin types;

Niacinamide has cumulative properties. The more you use it, the better the results are.

How to use it?

Using Niacinamide turned out to be an easy and pleasant experience. I use it as a serum (The Ordinary).

AM

I apply it after washing my face with a foam cleanser and a toner. After applying it, I follow up with a moisturizer (or a primer) and an SPF cream. Due to its properties, it soothes my skin, leaving it soft and hydrated. This was a completely unexpected, yet very positive outcome.

PM

I apply it after I took my makeup off, washed my face, and applied a toner. Twice a week I apply bio-peeling, in these days I apply Niacinamide 10 minutes after I’ve washed off the peeling. I end my routine with either applying an overnight mask or a heavy moisturizer.

My Product Recommendations

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Also, if you want to try different tips that help me a lot with the acne, take a read here.

Love,

Juls