Niacinamide or nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, has become one of the popular skincare ingredients to many skin enthusiasts due to its benefits to the skin. From hydrating, soothing to lighten dark spots to anti-aging and control oil sebum, niacinamide truly is a powerhouse ingredient and the best part is that it's well tolerate by all skin types.
Whether you are looking to minimise the signs of wrinkles or aging or clear the stubborn dark spots, or acne treatment, niacinamide is a key ingredient that worth to have in your skincare routine.
What is Niacinamide?
Niacinamide or Nicotinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 and is a water-soluble vitamin, which our body does not produce but comes from topical application or food sources such as milk, egg, green vegetables, cereals, grains, beans, etc.
Niacinamide helps rejuvenate your skin, enhances skin clarity and luminosity, thanks to its soothing property. It also stimulates collagen synthesis and production of ceramide (components of your skin outer protective barrier), reduces rate of sebum secretion and redness from acne and eczema, improves skin texture and the appearance of hyper pigmented spots. This is a non-irritating active ingredient, suitable for all skin types, could be use in morning and night routine.
The skin benefits of Niacinamide
Helps fade hyper-pigmentation spots Researches have shown that using Niacinamide from 5% in concentration would help to lighten stubborn dark spots on the skin when using consistently for at least 8 weeks. Vitamin B3 provides support to block enzyme responsible for those stubborn dark spots, resulting in even-out skin tone overall.
Protect against environmental stressors — anti-aging Our skin exposes to internal and external stressors daily such as stress, pollution, UV rays, smoke, extreme weather, lack of sleep and unbalance diet. These stressors could cause skin discoloration, premature aging, wrinkles, etc. Due to niacinamide’s antioxidant property, it would help restore and protect our skin against harmful stressors.
Acne treatment, regulate oil sebum for clear complexion Using topical niacinamide daily would help regulate your natural oils and sebum production, in turn prevent clogged pores and acne breakout. Too much or too little oil could contribute to acne breakout, this ingredient helps balance our skin’s oil production and keeping a clear complexion overall.
Hydrate, soothe and calm the skin With it soothing and hydrating properties, when applied to irritated, troubled skin will calm it down and reduce skin’s redness. Additionally, niacinamide supports the production of ceramides, protect against Transepidermal water loss (TEWL- amount of water passively evaporates through skin due to external environmental factors)
Combination of Niacinamide with other active ingredients
Niacinamide + Retinol = increases cell ‘s turnover rate, combats acne & scarring, brightens uneven skin tone, clear complexion and clogged pore, minimizes fine lines and wrinkles Niacinamide + Vitamin C = brightens dull skin and treats hyper-pigmentation, prevent premature aging Niacinamide + Salicylic Acid = keeps acne formation at bay Niacinamide + Hyaluronic Acid = protects skin’s moisture barrier and improves hydration Niacinamide + Glycolic Acid = calms irritation due to chemical exfoliation Niacinamide + Zinc = helps clear congested complexions and minimise the appearance and severity of blemishes.
Frequency of use
The frequency of using niacinamide depends on the concentration of the topical’s skincare products. If you are using it in a serum form, daily use morning and night to maximize the brightening and even texture and skin tone. If you are using a peel, weekly application is recommended. Always refer to the product instruction before use and patch test for first time using to prevent skin’s irritant and damage of skin’s protection barrier.
How to introduce Niacinamide into your skincare routine?
Before adding new skincare products or treatments into your routine, it’s very important to know your skin types and skin concerns. Additionally, make sure to read the directions on the labels to determine when to apply the product. Some products work best when use during the day, but some only use during the night.
Start off with low concentration to test your skin, if you are a first-time user, start below 5% as anything greater than this concentration could irritate the skin.
For me I used Niacinamide in most of skincare products in the past, so I introduce 10% to my routine and works really well for me.
However, you choose to add Niacinamide to your routine, it will upgrade your skin complexion when use right.
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