The main difference between niacinamide vs salicylic acid is that salicylic acid exfoliates your skin while niacinamide doesn't. They also reduce oil production in slightly different ways with niacinamide controlling surface oiliness and salicylic acid reducing the amount of oil your skin produces.
Salicylic acid is the better option for treating acne, while niacinamide is great for fading scarring and hyperpigmentation. They can both be used together and create a brightening, acne-fighting duo.
Can I use salicylic acid and niacinamide together? Believe it or not, you can! Both of these ingredients deliver some similar and complimentary skin benefits and when used correctly can work really well in your daily skincare routine.
Luckily for us, yes, niacinamide is perfectly safe to use with salicylic acid due to the fact it contains humectant properties. This allows the ingredient to absorb moisture from the surrounding atmosphere and other product formulas and locking them into the different layers of the skin.
But overall, stick to using water-based products and serums together. AHAs and BHAs, such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
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.
Using products that contain both ingredients ensures a pH-balanced formulation and reduces some of the guesswork of layering products to achieve desired results. While it's safe to use salicylic acid and niacinamide together, Leung advises that it's best not to combine BHAs with other exfoliants or retinol.
Topical salicylic acid is also used to treat skin conditions that involve scaling or overgrowth of skin cells such as psoriasis (a skin disease in which red, scaly patches form on some areas of the body), ichthyoses (inborn conditions that cause skin dryness and scaling), dandruff, corns, calluses, and warts on the ...
Salicylic acid works best on blackheads and whiteheads.
"Salicylic acid helps with the first cause by dissolving the type of skin debris that clogs pores and causes acne," he says. Therefore, salicylic acid is ideal for treating blackheads and whiteheads.
“You can use a salicylic acid–based cleanser in the morning to unclog pores and avoid acne and a glycolic acid–based cleanser at night to exfoliate your skin and get rid of dead skin cells,” notes Jailman.
It's well-known for reducing acne by exfoliating the skin and keeping pores clear. You can find salicylic acid in a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) products. It's also available in prescription-strength formulas. Salicylic acid works best for mild acne (blackheads and whiteheads).
"If salicylic acid is an ingredient in your cleanser, it is fine to use it every day." However, if you are using an exfoliant that salicylic acid in the formula, Dr. Hu advises only using the product three times per week, to avoid over-exfoliating the skin and drying it out.
Can I use salicylic acid, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid together? You can indeed! The main benefit of using niacinamide and hyaluronic acid together is their ability to provide hydration and protection for the skin.
Can I apply moisturizer after using salicylic acid? Yes. Moisturizers can help hydrate and repair skin, making it a good step to do after using an exfoliating treatment with salicylic acid.
By using a salicylic acid enriched wash after cleansing the skin of any remaining makeup, you are helping to rid the skin of any dead skin cell build-up allowing any nourishing products applied afterwards to absorb quicker into the lower layers of the skin and show results quicker.
A salicylic acid cleanser can be combined with a serum for oily skin and acne-prone skin, but people with dry skin should not go overboard. Salicylic acid lotion and serum should not be used together for any skin type as too much of anything can be destructive.