Niacinamide 101: Everything you Need to Know About the Star Ingredient
It is trending, and all for good reasons.
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you must have pretty much heard about Niacinamide aka Vitamin B3, at least once via the Tiktok Reels or your Dermat, for that matter. Used in the treatment of various medical health conditions like oral cancer, diabetes, and hyperphosphatemia, Niacinamide is actually very famous for its massive benefits to the skin. It is one such ingredient that you will find in almost every skincare product these days.
Read on to find out more about Niacinamide and its uses.
What Exactly is Niacinamide (and why is it so popular in the skincare world)?
Niacinamide, also known as Nicotinamide, is a form of vitamin B-3 that is highly beneficial for the skin. It is a crucial ingredient that helps soothe and settle the skin barrier. At the same time, it works as a protectant and barrier to transepidermal water loss that causes dehydration and aging of the skin.
According to Dr. Sumita Butani, SVP, Innovation at Rodan + Fields, “Niacinamide is a key ingredient that helps solve the most problematic concern of most skin issues i.e skin inflammation. Inflammation triggers most skin issues and ultimately leads to skin aging. Niacinamide helps solve that.”
She continues, “It’s helpful for acne, it’s helpful for rosacea, and it’s helpful for inflammation, making it helpful for anti-aging overall”.
Are niacin and niacinamide the same?
Despite people often confusing and taking Niacin and Niacinamide as the same, that is not the case. They might be having similar names, but medically, both are different forms of vitamin B3.
What benefits does Niacinamide offer?
Often found to be in the spotlight and a highly-favored active skincare ingredient of dermatologists, let’s have a look at the benefits Niacinamide brings to you when applied to the skin.
1. Reduces the appearance of your pores and textures on the face: This powerful ingredient is most famous for its ability to help reduce the overall appearance of pores and textures. Though there is no scientific backing as to why this happens, studies and reviews have thus stated the same. It may be due to the factor that it helps regulate the sebum production in the skin and helps smoothen the skin over time.
2. Treats acne vulgaris: Niacinamide’s anti-inflammatory properties make it an excellent treatment choice for acne issues. Known to prevent acne due to its oil and sebum regulating feature, it prevents severe acne and pimples from forming on the surface layer of the skin. It also aids in improving the texture of the skin over time.
3. Prevents sun damage and skin cancer: In a 2015 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, results showed that during the study year, there were 23% fewer new cases of skin cancer in the group that received niacinamide (336 cancers) compared to those who got the placebo (463 cancers). Niacinamide works in protecting and repairing the skin cells damaged by the harmful UV rays that could cause skin cancer. At the same time, it also prevents sun spots and hyperpigmentation.
4. Helps build keratin: A powerful active agent, Niacinamide helps develop keratin in the skin. Keratin is a powerful protein found on the surface of the skin, nails, and hair. It aids the skin in being smooth, firm, and healthy.
5. Regulates oil production: Known for being an all-rounder skincare ingredient, this active ingredient does its job well to regulate the oil production underneath your skin. It works on retaining the moisture content and prevents excess sebaceous glands from forming on the surface of the skin.
6. Reduces hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles: Research shows that topical application of niacinamide typically reduces the appearance of pigmentation on the face, particularly hyperpigmentation. At the same time, it also decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face. For the best effective treatment, dermatologists recommend using a product containing 5% Niacinamide.
For hyperpigmentation, you will usually see the results after four weeks of regular usage of the product while reduction for fine lines and wrinkles in the face are mostly seen between 8 to 12 weeks of treatment.
7. Protects the natural barrier of your skin: From the plethora of benefits it provides, Niacinamide helps protect the natural barrier of the skin. Know that if the natural barrier is not protected well, it won’t be long before a whole long of skin conditions harass your skin. And Niacinamide prevents that from happening. It helps retain the moisture content and reduce transepidermal water loss of the skin which in turn protects the natural barrier of the skin.
Isn’t it such an excellent and all-in-one kind of ingredient?
How long before you start seeing results?
To start seeing the results of Niacinamide on the skin, you need to choose the correct percentage and formulation and use it consistently. After regular usage, people see visible results in just a matter of 4 weeks. More impact can be seen after a period of 8 weeks, though results could differ depending on various factors like age, condition, skin type, and gender.
What are the potential side effects you could suffer from?
1. Mild burning: Though very safe to use, new users, do report feeling burning sensations when they first start using the product. The mild burns are said to go away over time since the skin gets accustomed to it.
2. Redness, Itching, Skin rashes: Niacinamide is already known as an overall safe-to-use product, but it could trigger sensitive skin types and cause redness, skin rashes, and itching. People with sensitive skin should do a patch test for 24 hours for safe use.
Overall, it is considered a star ingredient by skincare and dermatologist experts. But dermatologists advise people to follow the instructions given on the package to ensure safe use of the product.
How to fit this wonderful ingredient into your skincare routine?
Niacinamide usually comes in a serum or cream formulation. Dermatologists advise people to buy a 5% formulation since that is more than enough in treating most skin conditions. If you use it in the serum form, use it after toner and just before a moisturizer. Follow the instructions given in the package for safety.
As Niacinamide is an active ingredient, you need to put on a sunscreen of 40 SPF and above. For any skincare product, follow the thinnest to thickest formulation rule. You can use Niacinamide both in the day and night time skincare routine. Also, though, Niacinamide works well with most of the other active ingredients, it is better you first research thoroughly.
Bottom line
If used correctly and as directed, Niacinamide is an overall great and effective skincare ingredient to treat hyperpigmentation and skin inflammation. For noticeable results, dermatologists advise that you use Niacinamide consistently for 3–4 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions about Niacinamide(FAQs)
Does niacinamide lighten skin?
Yes, it does. Researchers have found out that Niacinamide does play an important role in skin lightening. When used consistently, it decreases hyperpigmentation and lightens skin gradually.
Can I use niacinamide every day?
Yes, you can. Though if you are using it for the first time and just starting, it is better to go slow. Apply alternate days and then gradually go to applying each day.
Can Niacinamide be used with vitamin C?
You can. But if you have sensitive skin, you may face issues like niacin flushing. Also, when used together, their potency is reduced significantly. To avoid such complications, you should use Niacinamide in the morning and vitamin C at night. You can also use it on alternate days for better effect.
Is niacinamide good for oily skin?
Yes. Niacinamide is extremely good for people with oily skin conditions due to its oil regulating feature. It reduces excess sebum production which is often a problem found in oily skin types.
Can niacinamide cause purging?
No, Niacinamide alone can not cause purging. Purging can happen if you use a product containing many active ingredients in a single skincare product.
Can you use niacinamide when pregnant?
Yes, it is safe to use Niacinamide while you are pregnant. It is actually found to be effective for anti-acne and anti-inflammatory care during pregnancy.
References
Niacinamide — side effects, dosage, precautions, uses. Yashoda Hospitals. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2021, from https://www.yashodahospitals.com/medicine-faqs/niacinamide/.
Gehring, W. (2004, April 1). Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00115.x
Bissett, D. L. (2004, October 1). Topical niacinamide reduces yellowing, wrinkling, red blotchiness, and hyperpigmented spots in aging facial skin1. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-2494.2004.00228.x
The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production. (2009, July 12). Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14764170600717704
Saraçoğlu, Z. N., Aksu, A. E. K., Köksüz, T., Sabuncu, L., & Arıkan, N. (2011). Efficacy and Safety of Topical Niacinamide for Acne Vulgaris. Turkderm, 45(2), 93–96. https://doi.org/10.4274/turkderm.45.21
Topical niacinamide provides skin aging appearance benefits while enhancing barrier function. (2005). Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics, 441–460.
A Review of the Range of Effects of Niacinamide in Human Skin. (2002). Paul J. Matts, John E. Oblong, and Donald L. Bissett. https://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:6Dbt9g1eCy4J:scholar.google.com/+niacinamide+acne&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5
Chen, A. C., Martin, A. J., Choy, B., Fernández-Peñas, P., Dalziell, R. A., McKenzie, C. A., Scolyer, R. A., Dhillon, H. M., Vardy, J. L., Kricker, A., St. George, G., Chinniah, N., Halliday, G. M., & Damian, D. L. (2015). A Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Nicotinamide for Skin-Cancer Chemoprevention. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(17), 1618–1626. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1506197
