Niacinamide | Ingredient 101

Welcome back to Ingredient 101! Today we’ll be discussing Niacinamide, its benefits and where to find it.

What is Niacinamide?

Niacinamide, also referred to sometimes as nicotinamide. It is one of the two major forms of vitamin B3 in skincare.

It is water-soluble, which means that it breaks down into the deeper dermal layers as your skin begins to absorb your beauty products. This ingredient, has also proven to be more gentle than retinol or alpha hydroxyl acids, even on sensitive skin.

So you don’t have to worry about flare ups or redness post-application.

What Type of Skin Does it Benefit the Most?

Although all skin types can benefit from it, mature skin would benefit strongly from niacinamide as it boosts collagen production and produces ceramides to make sure your skin is retaining moisture and kept well hydrated.

What does it do?

The question really is, what doesn’t niacinamide do? Capable of addressing major skin concerns, its key benefits include visibly minimizing enlarged pores, evening out your skin complexion, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and strengthening a weakened surface. It’s good for managing pigmentation, acne and rosacea. 

Extensive research has shown it works to protect skin from environmental damage and also helps skin produce more collagen and hyaluronic acid. It also significantly lessens skin discolouration. It has so many benefits it’s mind boggling!

Best of all, most dermatologists will also spring at telling you that it’s best at preventing skin cancer. In a 2015 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers gave patients dosages of oral niacinamide and found that there were 23 percent fewer cases of skin cancer in the group that ingested the supplements.

Where can I find it?