The Ingredient Files
Niacinamide, the active almost everyone tolerates.
Vitamin B3 has been in cosmetic formulas for decades and studied for most of them. It is quiet, it is well tolerated, and it is the one ingredient we would put in almost every routine. Here is what it does and what it does not.
5%
The concentration used in much of the published work on facial skin appearance
12 weeks
Typical run length of those studies, which is also a fair expectation for the look of tone
pH 6
Roughly where niacinamide is most stable in a finished formula
A water soluble vitamin, not an acid.
Niacinamide is the amide form of vitamin B3. It is water soluble, it sits comfortably in serums, creams and cleansers, and in the body it is a precursor to two coenzymes that skin uses constantly.
The practical point is tolerance. Niacinamide is not an exfoliant and it is not a retinoid. It does not thin the barrier or sensitise skin to sun, and it is generally well tolerated across skin types, including skin that reacts to most other actives (Draelos, 2013). That combination, useful and undramatic, is rare.
It is also stable, which matters more than people realise. An active that degrades in the bottle is an active you are not using. Niacinamide holds up well in a properly balanced formula, which is why it appears at the cleanse step, the serum step and the cream step without any of the fuss that vitamin C requires.
Tone, texture and the look of pores.
Published work on facial skin has examined how topical niacinamide affects the appearance of uneven tone, surface texture, the look of fine lines and the visible size of pores over twelve weeks of use (Bissett et al., 2005). Separate work looked at the transfer of pigment between cells in the skin and how niacinamide affects it, which is the mechanism most often cited when people talk about it and the look of dark marks (Hakozaki et al., 2002).
Other research has examined niacinamide and the skin's own barrier lipids, and how a formula containing it affects water loss across the surface (Gehring, 2004). Work has also looked at surface oiliness and the appearance of shine through the day (Draelos, 2006).
Read that list carefully and you notice what it is. Niacinamide is a general purpose ingredient with a broad, moderate effect, not a specialist with a dramatic one. It earns its place by being useful in several directions at once.
More is not better past a point.
Most published work sits between 2 and 5 percent. Formulas at 10 percent and above exist and they became fashionable, but the higher end is where flushing and a warm, tingly feel start to show up in people with reactive skin, and the additional benefit is not proportional (Surjana et al., 2010). If a niacinamide serum has ever made your face feel hot, the concentration is the first thing to look at.
Pairing is straightforward. Niacinamide sits well with hyaluronic acid, peptides, ceramides and retinol, and it is frequently used to make a retinol routine more comfortable.
The one pairing that still causes argument is vitamin C, and the concern traces back to laboratory conditions with raw ingredients at high heat, not to finished cosmetics. In a modern formula, particularly one built on a stable derivative such as ethyl ascorbic acid, the two are used together routinely. We covered the difference between the derivatives in our piece on ethyl ascorbic acid and L ascorbic acid.
The best active is the one you can still use in week twelve.
Four ingredients, four different angles.
Uneven tone is the most common reason people reach for niacinamide, and it is also the job where a single ingredient is least likely to be enough. This is how the usual four compare.
| Ingredient | Angle it works from | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Niacinamide | Targets the look of uneven tone and supports the barrier at the same time | Slow, broad, very well tolerated |
| Ethyl ascorbic acid | A stable vitamin C derivative, aimed at the look of dullness and dark marks | Brighter effect, needs a decent formula |
| Alpha arbutin | Focused specifically on the appearance of dark marks | Narrow, patient, gentle |
| Licorice root | Botanical, calms the look of redness alongside tone | Mild, best as a supporting note |
In practice these are used together rather than chosen between. Niacinamide is the one that holds the rest of the formula steady, which is why it is almost always present when the other three are.
Three formulas, one steady thread.
Niacinamide runs through the cleanse, serum and cream steps of the range, alongside neem, turmeric root extract and modern actives.
Here niacinamide is the stabilising note in a formula built around tone. It works with the vitamin C derivative and alpha arbutin rather than duplicating them, and it keeps the serum comfortable enough for daily use.
Niacinamide in a cleanser is a small thing that adds up. Contact time is short, so it is there to keep the wash clarifying without leaving skin tight.
In the cream it sits on the barrier side of the job, working with the hydrators and the snail filtrate rather than competing with them. Silky, clean finish, nothing heavy.
If tone is the reason you are here
Niacinamide on its own is a slow, steady ingredient. Most people who want a visible shift in the look of dullness and dark marks end up pairing it with a vitamin C, and then the question becomes which form of vitamin C is worth buying.
Our guide to the best vitamin C serum in Australia goes through the derivatives, the concentrations that matter and what actually survives an Australian summer in a bathroom cabinet.
Common questions
Niacinamide, answered plainly.
Can you use niacinamide and vitamin C together?
Yes. The warning against it comes from laboratory work with raw ingredients under heat, not from finished cosmetics. Modern formulas routinely carry both, and stable derivatives such as ethyl ascorbic acid make the question largely academic.
What percentage of niacinamide is best?
Between 2 and 5 percent covers most of the published work. Ten percent is not twice as useful, and it is the level at which reactive skin is most likely to flush or feel warm. A lower concentration used consistently beats a high one you abandon.
Can you use niacinamide every day?
Yes, morning and night if you want to. It does not increase sun sensitivity and it does not need cycling. Consistency is the entire point with this one.
Does niacinamide help with the look of large pores?
Published work has examined the appearance of pore size over twelve weeks and reported a visible difference. Pores do not change size, but how prominent they look is influenced by surface texture and oiliness, and that is where the effect sits.
Why does niacinamide make my face go red?
Usually concentration, sometimes the rest of the formula. A warm, flushed feeling shortly after applying is most common at the higher end. Drop to a lower percentage, apply to dry rather than damp skin, and it generally settles.
References
- Bissett, D. L., Oblong, J. E., and Berge, C. A. (2005). Niacinamide: a B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance. Dermatologic Surgery, 31, 860 to 865.
- Draelos, Z. D. (2006). The effect of niacinamide on reducing acne and improving skin barrier function. Cutis, 78(2 Suppl), 13 to 19.
- Draelos, Z. D. (2013). Cosmeceuticals: what is real, what is not. Dermatologic Clinics, 31(1), 1 to 9.
- Gehring, W. (2004). Nicotinic acid, niacinamide and the skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(2), 88 to 93.
- Hakozaki, T., Minwalla, L., Zhuang, J., Chhoa, M., Matsubara, A., Miyamoto, K., and Greatens, A. (2002). The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer. British Journal of Dermatology, 147(1), 20 to 31.
- Surjana, D., Halliday, G. M., and Damian, D. L. (2010). Role of nicotinamide in DNA damage, mutagenesis and DNA repair. Journal of Nucleic Acids, 2010, 157591.
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