How and when to use niacinamide, a natural skin overachiever
Niacinamide's myths abound but it's still skincare to smile about.
Niacinamide is a natural overachiever. Also known as Vitamin B3, it strengthens the skin’s moisture barrier and improves wrinkles, misshapen pores and discolouration, all while fighting the UV damage that causes them.
It can calm acne, reduce redness and brighten skin. Niacinamide is as least as popular as Vitamin C and retinol these days but often less expensive to purchase in effective amounts and far easier for sensitive types to tolerate. The more research we have on it, the better it seems but there are still plenty of myths surrounding its use.
Niacinamide is beneficial in concentrations as low as 0.02%, according to the International Journal of Toxicology, and while treatments with up to 20% niacinamide exist you can be confident you’re getting plenty of help without investing in them.
According to Houston-based dermatologist, Andrea Suarez (who makes informational videos about this ingredient and relevant products), studies that show us niacinamide’s many benefits are never based on concentrations of more than 5%. She also points out that there are no studies showing that higher concentrations to be more beneficial and that using very high concentrations may risk irritation.
In skincare, the term 'active ingredient' refers to anything that’s been shown to change skin at a cellular level. I cannot use the active ingredients Vitamin C and retinol at the same time without irritating my skin (I recommend using them during the day and at night, respectively), but niacinamide both works well with these potent ingredients and enhances their effects.
Niacinamide is very stable and does not interact poorly or cancel the benefits of any other ingredients. It even compliments prescription retinoids, helping skin to tolerate these sometimes aggressive products better. It makes you less blotchy after using exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acid. Its moisture-protective powers also support ingredients like hyaluronic acid beautifully.
Unlike retinol, niacinamide does not accelerate skin-cell turnover and therefore does not cause skin to shed. Peeling may be a sign of irritation caused either by products with niacinamide in very high concentrations, as mentioned above, or by other ingredients. You may need to use your retinol less often or try a milder concentration.
You do not need to buy a special serum to get niacinamide in your skin’s ‘diet'. There are many wonderful niacinamide serums. Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, €35.75, cultbeauty.com, create a pretty finish, and if you have another you love you shouldn’t leave it.
However, this ingredient is so popular and so easy to stabilise in skincare that you may be using a moisturiser, mask, SPF, or even a body lotion that also contains plenty of the stuff but does not have niacinamide in its product name. Always check ingredients lists.
While leave-on products maximise the ingredient’s benefits, niacinamide-rich cleansers and body washes are very soothing for those suffering with eczema, psoriasis or rosacea.
Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask, €26.45 at lookfantastic.ie, is one of my favourite niacinamide products. It works more like a rich night cream than a mask and contains soothing rice extract and sunflower and olive oils.
Niacinamide is both affordable and very effective in a wide variety of products. Not all of these have the ingredient in their product names. Again, it is worth checking ingredients lists.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Moisturiser, €15.49 at boots.ie, for example, is a soothing cream for skin sensitised by acne treatments and medication that includes niacinamide among its major ingredients.
I’m also a fan of Alpha-H Vitamin B Serum with Copper Tripeptide, from €36.75 at cultbeauty.com, which is also rich in chia seed and hyaluronic acid.
This one is almost true but I want to note that purely powdered forms of any ingredient are not ideal. Most of us are not cosmetic chemists and may improperly mix an incorrect amount of such powders with water-based products before application.
Our skin is not designed to process ingredients as unblended granules. A smooth, well-formulated cream, serum, or lotion with niacinamide is the best way to get a boost from this stellar ingredient.
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