Adding niacinamide to your daily regimen may also assist with enhancing clarity, making it a must-have for anyone with oily or blemish-prone skin types. By balancing your skin's oil production and inflammatory responses, niacinamide can help keep your complexion looking clearer, smoother, and more even-toned.
"Niacinamide has been shown to regulate oil secretion making it very useful for oily and combination skin types," explains Shabir. “The diverse ingredient even has antibacterial effects,” adds clinical facialist, Kate Kerr.
Niacinamide helps build cells in the skin while also protecting them from environmental stresses, such as sunlight, pollution, and toxins. Treats acne. Niacinamide may be helpful for severe acne, especially inflammatory forms like papules and pustules. Over time, you may see fewer lesions and improved skin texture.
Research suggests that niacinamide can start to improve acne and hyperpigmentation within two to three months, while your oil production and skin barrier can start to see changes within a month.
Salicylic acid helps clear pores, reduce inflammation, and is good for gentle exfoliation. It's a great ingredient for acne-prone skin, especially if you have oily skin type. Salicylic acid works more effectively when layered with niacinamide. Niacinamide is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and helps with acne.
Can you use niacinamide and BHA together? Yes, you can use niacinamide and BHA together within the same routine, but for optimal results, layer them as separate steps, rather than mixing the formulas together.
It's an ingredient found in a number of moisturizing skin-care products, as well as certain foods and supplements like multivitamins. Can you use niacinamide every day? Yes. In fact, you can use niacinamide-containing topical products in the morning and night because it's generally a gentle ingredient.
Though some people do report experiencing irritation and breakouts after using the ingredient, niacinamide is unlikely to cause purging.
Niacinamide is an anti-inflammatory that works to reduce the swelling and redness associated with acne. It also works to regulate the amount of acne-causing oil being produced by the glands in your skin.
Niacinamide is an important nutrient that has numerous skincare abilities and can assist with helping to reduce signs of acne-scarring. Those who experience acne-prone skin will understand the frustrations of unwanted blemishes that tend to appear at the most inconvenient times.
What goes first salicylic acid or niacinamide? It is considered the best idea to apply niacinamide before salicylic acid. This is because the humectant traits of niacinamide ensure the natural skin barrier contains the correct levels of water.
Niacinamide tends to work best in an environment with a neutral pH and because salicylic acid is, well, an acid it does not have a netural pH – it has an acidic one. If you want to use them both one after the other, the best thing to do is apply your salicylic acid, wait 10-30 minutes then apply your niacinamide.
Niacinamide and salicylic acid are both great ingredients for treating acne and have a variety of other benefits as well. Salicylic acid is the better option for treating acne, while niacinamide is great for fading scarring and hyperpigmentation.
It seems that niacinamide has a normalising ability on the pore lining, and this influence plays a role in keeping debris from getting backed up, which leads to clogs and rough, bumpy skin. As the clog forms and worsens, the pores stretch to compensate, and what you'll see is enlarged pores.
How does it help to shrink large pores? Niacinamide has been found to help balance sebum (oil) excretion rate and also improve elasticity to tighten up the skin around pores, making them look smaller. And it's gentle so even extra-sensitive skin types can reap its benefits without the risk of irritation!
Niacinamide can be used morning and night. Because it plays well with other skincare ingredients (even potentially tricky actives such as exfoliating acids and vitamin C) it will sit happily alongside anything else you're using.
Using a product with, say, 10% niacinamide won't cause any major issues, but you may experience some irritation and redness, especially because niacinamide is quite easily absorbed into skin.
Children should avoid taking niacinamide doses above the daily upper limits, which are 10 mg for children 1-3 years of age, 15 mg for children 4-8 years of age, 20 mg for children 9-13 years of age, and 30 mg for children 14-18 years of age. Diabetes: Niacinamide might increase blood sugar.
Don't Mix: Niacinamide and vitamin C. Although they're both antioxidants, vitamin C is one ingredient that's not compatible with niacinamide. "Both are very common antioxidants used in a variety of skincare products, but they should not be used one right after the other," says Dr. Marchbein.
4 tips for when niacinamide fails
Signs it's not working: You're not seeing results and you notice the product is pilling on your skin. Also, if you experience redness, itching, or burning, you might want to skip this ingredient.
The Ordinary niacinamide products are an excellent choice to help reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, blemishes, and acne. These niacinamide skin care products are especially helpful for aging, oily, and acne-prone skin.
Niacinamide Serum – As most niacinamide serums are water-based, it's best to apply them after cleansing and toning and before oil-based serums or moisturizers. This way, you ensure the highest possible absorption and effectiveness.
Both vitamin C and niacinamide increase the natural production of ceramides in your skin which helps to strengthen your skin barrier, keep your skin hydrated, and reduce irritation. However, niacinamide is probably the better option for sensitive skin as it's usually gentler than vitamin C.
Can niacinamide and salicylic acid be used together? The simple answer is yes. They complement each other well. Being oil soluble, salicylic acid can penetrate deeper into the skin layers, but it can also dehydrate and irritate skin.
Here's what dermatologists want you to know about the trendy ingredient. Niacinamide helps the skin naturally produce more ceramides, or fat molecules, which helps keep the skin moist and plump, says Dr. Gonzalez. Since the skin becomes drier and less plump as we get older, niacinamide can be a boon to aging skin.