And the winner for “Most Versatile Skincare Ingredient Is….. Niacinamide!”
“Thank you, thank you,” Niacinamide says as it receives the award, “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Olay, which believed in me from the start and gave me my first gig. I’d also like to thank Paula’s Choice, The Ordinary and all the other brands that have given me a place of honour in their formulations. It’s a pleasure to work with you and help your customers reduce their wrinkles, fade their dark spots and soothe their irritations. Let’s keep up the good work! Thank you, everyone.”
Awww, it’s so sweet to see Niacinamide get the recognition it deserves. But,
What Does Niacinamide Do For The Skin Exactly?
Plenty of things:
- It hydrates skin: it’s more effective than petrolatum at preventing water loss
- It soothes skin: it alleviates the symptoms of rosacea and irritations
- It lightens skin: it reduces dark spots, blotchiness (redness) and sallowness (yellowing)
- It helps treat wrinkles: preliminary research shows it can boost the production of skin-firming collagen
- It treats acne: its effects are similar to those of 1% clindamycin gel
Awesome, isn’t it? So, where do you get your niacinamide fix? Take a look below for the best skincare products with niacinamide:
Related: Spotlight On Niacinamide
1. Best For Dry Skin: Nia24 Skin Strengthening Complex ($93.00)
This doesn’t have “normal” niacinamide. It has Pro-Niacin, ie niacinamide married to a fatty acid. On the label, it’s called myristyl nicotinate. It does the same thing, including fading dark spots. But where this cream excels is fixing your skin’s protective barrier. It has ceramides and squalane to strenghten it against environmental damage, hyaluronic acid to replenish moisture and plenty of antioxidants to fight premature wrinkles. Available at Skinstore.
2. Best For Oily Skin: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (£5.00)
Let’s be clear: niacinamide isn’t a miracle cure for oily skin or acne. But, it can soothe the redness, help pimples heal faster and fade away those little dark spots they sometimes leave behind as an unwanted parting gift. Zinc is another anti-inflammatory, so it helps reduce the signs of acne, too. Available at Asos.
3. Best For The Eye Area: CeraVe Eye Repair Cream ($15.49)
I don’t believe in using a separate cream for the eye area but I know a lot of you do. This one contains ceramides to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier, hyaluronic acid to add moisture and a few antioxidants to prevent wrinkles. The texture’s on the thick side but that’s the norm with most eye creams. Available at Walmart.
4. Best For Dark Spots: Olay Pro-X Even Skin Tone Spot Fading Treatment ($44.99)
Looking for a gentler alternative to hydroquinone? Niacinamide’s it. Plus, this treatment also has undecylenoyl phenylalanine, a new skin lightener discovered by Proctor & Gamble. It treats skin discolorations and brown spots by inhibiting melanotropin, which controls tyrosinase activity, melanin synthesis and melanosome. A powerful combo. Available at Ulta.
5. Best For Multitasking: Paula’s Choice Resist 10% Niacinamide Booster ($42.00)
Don’t know where niacinamide fits into your routine? With this booster, it can fit anywhere! Just pour 3 or 4 drops into your fave serum or moisturizer to supercharge it and you’re good to go. Plus, in true Paula Choice’s style, the booster is full of antioxidants to help you keep those pesky premature wrinkles at bay, too. Available at Nordstrom and Look Fantastic.
SHOP THE POST
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14 comments
Thanks!!!! This was an article I´ve been waiting for. In fact I tried to do a thorough research on what niacinamide is good for a few weeks ago. There are just so many multipurpose ingredients out there!
Barbara, you’re welcome. Niacinamide is one of my fave ingredients, it’s good for everything. I can’t recommend it enough.
Hi Gio,
I just bought the ordinary’s niacinamide and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate yesterday. I planned to use them individually, am and pm. But in the ordinary’s website they have this regimen guide, and there it says the example regimen for pigmentation issues:
AM: Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate Solution 10%; PM: Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% or Advanced Retinoid 2%
Which confused me since weren’t we supposed not to mix niacinamide with any vit C? What do you think? Should I stick with using them individually, or can I really use the magnesium ascorbyl after niacinamide, since its format is emulsion anyway?
Thank you 🙂
Inka, the traditional advice was to use them separately because vitamin C can deactivate niacinamide. But recent research has shown that this reaction happens so slowly it really isn’t a problem. You can wait 20 minutes in between application if it makes you feel more at ease but I personally don’t think it’s necessary.
Thanks for your article! But I am wondering if it is ok for me to use the ordinary niacinamide 10% + zinc 1% right after I used my BHA exfoliant and follow up with the rest of my skincare without waiting? Or do I have to wait for 20 minutes both after using BHA and niacinamide?
Jenny, just wait for the first product to absorb into the skin and you should be fine.
Gio, which one do you recommend for PIH and normal , slightly dehydrated skin? and doesn’t need a moisturizer after
Skinceuticals Metacell Renewal or Nia24 Skin Strengthening Complex?
Mlan, if you don’t want to use a moisturiser afterwards, I’d go with NIa24. It’s the most moisturising of the two.
Thanks for the article Gio! I was wondering if there are other ingredients I need to look out for in a product that complement niacinamide. My derm recommended skinceuticals b3 (which is an arm and a leg) but it boasts a delivery method (different and better) than others. I was wondering if that’s a real thing, or if I could go with a cheaper product maybe from the Ordinary and get the same benefits. Also I saw different % of this ingridient out there, is higher better?
Olivia, niacinamide is quite gentle so you can use a higher concentration without problems. You can definitely get similar results with any of the products on this list. But because of zinc, The Ordinary Niacinamide product is suitable only for oily skin. Paula’s Choice is a good alternatives for all skin types or, if you’re on a budget, check out the Olay line. Most of their products have niacinamide.
Hi Gio, I would like to find a product that has Niacinamide, B3, Linoleic acid and oil like safflower and sunflower oil in it. I would like to use this on my arms too. My skin is getting very frail and wrinkly because of weight I lost and possible meds that I take. I don’t mind paying for a product that will work, so tried of false claims.
Charolette, have you thought of getting a niacinamide booster, like Paula’s Choice 10% niacinamide booster, and mixing it with these oils?
would that help my crepe paper like skin on my arms and make the skin resilient and diminish the wrinkles? I have not used any of these products I have seen where these products are helpful so I thought you might know a product that has all .
Charlotte, unfortunately no product has it all. But layering a retinol serum under a niacinamide moisturiser will help reduce wrinkles and strengthen your skin’s protective barrier.