The niacinamide skin benefits is a topic for today’s article. Thanks to its versatile benefits, this ingredient has become very popular these days.
My guess is that when you are here reading these lines, it is because you want to find out more about the niacinamide properties and its benefits when used on the skin. I have good news for you then, because here you will learn all you need to know about this almost magical ingredient – niacinamide, and the benefits of using a niacinamide face cream, serum or any other product.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide a.k.a. vitamin B3, is currently one of the trendy active ingredients in cosmetics. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that is really versatile in terms of skin benefits and is suitable for every skin type. Even sensitive skin with acne will love it.
Niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that can be used both in the morning and in the evening. This is because it does not increase the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight. But let me tell you something right at the beginning:
Niacinamide and sunscreen
No matter how amazing or how expensive products, containing the best active ingredients, you use, all your effort will be a waste of time (and money) if you don’t include sunscreen in your morning routine.
Why sunscreen when using niacinamide? Because UV light speeds the natural aging process, so it is the primary cause of early wrinkling. Exposure to UV light breaks down your skin’s connective tissue — collagen and elastin fibers, which lie in the deeper layer of skin (dermis).
You say you suffer from skin hyperpigmentation? Start using a sun protection and don’t risk to get a sunburn. Even hyperpigmentation acne and enlarged pores can be more visible if you don’t use one.
Niacinamide skin benefits are vast, so I believe it will not surprise you when I tell you it increases tolerance to retinoids. Therefore it is advisable to include it in skin care if you are just starting with retinoids. But let’s finally talk about the niacinamide skin benefits which you can enjoy if use it regularly.
What does niacinamide do?
If you are wondering, what does niacinamide do for skin and which benefits you can achieve from products like a niacinamide serum, these are the 3 main niacinamide skin benefits you can get.
Vitamin B3 for skin benefits:
- Reduces acne and acne scars
- Decreaces wrinkles
- Solution for hyperpigmentation
- Treatment for rosacea
Niacinamide skin benefits and acne
Thanks to its ability to reduce sebum, niacinamide will mainly help those who are suffering from acne, combination skin and oily skin. Therefore, you should consider purchasing a product that contains niacinamide if you are looking for a solution to get rid of enlarged pores or if you do not know how to get rid of acne. Clogged pores on the nose and chin will also be less visible thanks to the sebum reduction. In addition, its soothing effect will suppress inflamed acne pimples. For its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, it also prevents the development of fresh acne. Niacinamide is simply an excellent tip on how to get rid of already existing acne and also how to prevent fresh acne from developing.
Tips for those with oily skin on how to combine other skincare actives with niacinamide
My first tip is a combination of niacinamide and azelaic acid.
Together they can:
- Reduce skin sebum
- Both have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that will help with redness of the skin
- In addition, azelaic acid has mild exfoliating properties thanks to which it keeps the pores clean – excess sebum and other impurities often accumulate in the follicles, and after that acne can appear
A combination of niacinamide and salicylic acid in your routine is another way how to look after oily skin. Niacinamide will again work on the surface of the skin. Salicylic acid, on the ohter hand, as it’s oil-soluble, can penetrate down into pores, where it dissolves excess sebum and debris causing blackheads. Niacinamide and salicylic acid are a great duo against acne.
We often think that forehead acne and acne on cheeks is an issue of teenagers only, and that over time we will outgrow it. But the truth is that even acne in adults is already quite a common thing. What I mean by that, is that niacinamide in cosmetics products can be a solution for any age group.
Niacinamide skin benefits and wrinkles
As an antioxidant, one of the niacinamide skin benefits, is its ability to help regenerate skin cells and fight free radicals around us. It promotes production of proteins called collagen and elastin, as well as hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in the skin but its production decreases with age.
Niacinamide also promotes the formation of ceramides and thus strengthens the skin barrier and improves the texture of the skin. There is an important rule – healthy skin barrier = healthy skin.
If you have a healthy skin barrier, your skin looks more vivid. It will also become more tolerant of other active ingredients in cosmetics.
Increased ceramides production together with healthy skin barrier reduces transepidermal water loss, which means your skin will be able to keep moisture in. And did you know that hydrated skin is less prone to wrinkles?
Vitamin B3 for skin whitening
The amazing effects of niacinamide on the skin do not end here at all.
Vitamin B3 is useful for skin whitening. Whitening is one of its other abilities, which is useful for those who suffer from hyperpigmentation as it prevents melanin from transferring in the skin. Moreover, it also helps to even your skin tone.
Niacinamide for redness, treat the rosacea.
Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that usually affects the face. Up to 10% of the adult population suffers from this skin disease. Initial symptoms include a burning or stinging sensation in the skin, persistent skin discoloration or flushing. Visible blood vessels on the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead are also quite common symptoms of rosacea.
These symptoms can be temporary at first, later they can become permanent though. Some causes of rosacea are, for example, temperature changes, exposure to the sun (again the UV radiation), caffeine or alcohol consumption.
Niacinamide can partially help even with this skin condition. Its soothing properties can relieve the unpleasant burning and stinging of the skin. Thanks to niacinamide, the skin barrier will strengthen again, so your skin will be able to keep moisture in dry parts, which will reduce its hypersensitivity.
As for me, niacinamide skin benefits are real and definitely works on the skin. It has been shown to be effective as low as 2-5%. There are also products on the market that contain 10% niacinamide. But here the rule “the more, the better“ doesn’t apply. On the contrary, a higher concentration of any active ingredients in cosmetics can result in irritated skin. 10% of niacinamide in the product is mostly just a marketing move.
Vitamin B3 is one of my favorite active ingredients as it helps to improve multiple skin conditions and therefore it is never too late or too early to include it in the cosmetic routine.
I would like to recommned you my previous article: Good vs bad alcohol in skincare where you can find out how certain kinds of alcohol, which are quite commonly used in your cosmetics can be damaging to your skin.
If you liked this article about the 3 main niacinamide skin benefits, let me know in the comments. If you are interested in reading more about natural cosmetics, don’t hesitate to visit my daily skin care page where I mentioned some of my thoughts on natural skincare.