The skincare industry can be overwhelming, and understanding which ingredients are most beneficial for your skin health (and which are just hype) can be frustrating, especially if you don’t have a degree in dermatology or about a zillion hours of free time to scour internet articles.
One ingredient that has recently begun to get more press is niacinamide. Like its skin-supporting coworkers (retinol, glycolic acid, and collagen), niacinamide can be naturally sourced and provides numerous benefits for your skin.
We’ll explain what niacinamide is, what it does, and how you can add it to your skincare routine.
What Is Niacinamide?
Plainly stated, niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3. This nutrient is sometimes referred to as nicotinamide or nicotinic acid. Niacinamide products include skincare essentials like moisturizers and serums, but niacinamide can also be found in supplements, and in many foods.
For your skin, you’ll get added benefits of niacinamide by using a product that is applied topically. Formulations like niacinamide serums or lotions will give your skin the opportunity to absorb the ingredient.
What Does Niacinamide Do for Your Skin?
Finding niacinamide as an active ingredient in your skincare products is a bonus. It has a wide range of skin benefits.
Hydration
All skin types need moisture, even oily skin that is prone to breakouts. While dry skin is a skin type, dehydrated skin is a skin condition that even oily skin types may deal with at some point. Keeping your skin hydrated helps protect your skin barrier, the outermost layer of your skin.
Niacinamide helps keep skin hydrated by working to help prevent water loss through the surface of the skin. This is especially important if you live in a particularly dry climate or if you’re indoors near commercial heaters and air conditioners all day.
Another benefit is that niacinamide offers hydration without irritation and is better at keeping your skin hydrated than occlusive ingredients that could congest your skin and clog your pores.
Keeps the Skin Barrier Healthy
The skin barrier keeps out unsafe bacteria. It has a specific pH balance that keeps your skin healthy. When skin barrier function is compromised, you may notice more breakouts or even patches of eczema and irritation.
Studies show that niacinamide has specific properties that help it support the health of the skin barrier, supporting soothed skin and an even skin texture and tone.
Supports Overall Youthful-Looking Skin
Collagen is the protein in your skin that keeps it looking firm, toned, and youthful. As we get older, collagen production slows down, causing signs of aging like the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
At the same time, skin cell turnover begins to slow down, which means your skin isn’t renewing as quickly as it once did. Niacinamide can help support overall youthful-looking skin, even as we age, meaning it can help you keep your complexion looking radiant.
Helps Minimize the Appearance of Dark Spots
In your late 30s to 40s, you’ve probably got at least a few dark spots on your skin. They seem to creep up overnight, and fading may seem impossible. These spots are usually the result of free radical damage and sun damage.
Damaging UV rays can cause the melanin in your skin to clump together, forming dark areas that are sometimes referred to as sunspots or liver spots. Niacinamide is a skin brightener, and when used regularly, it can help reawaken a dull skin tone and diminish the appearance of pigmentation issues.
Offers Antioxidant Support
Free radicals are molecules that can damage your skin cells. They are stimulated when we are exposed to the sun, cigarette smoke, pollution, and blue light. Antioxidants, like niacinamide, help support the overall health of our skin cells and can help minimize the look of sun damage and discoloration.
Are There Any Side Effects of Niacinamide?
Even sensitive skin types can safely use niacinamide. It’s a powerful ingredient that is still gentle enough to use daily. If you have sensitive skin, test out a new niacinamide skincare product on an inconspicuous area of your skin to make sure you don’t develop any redness or irritation.
If you have questions or concerns about using niacinamide, consult your board-certified dermatologist for personalized advice.
How To Use Niacinamide in Your Skincare Routine
Adding topical niacinamide to your skincare lineup is easy. NuFACE® products that are formulated with niacinamide contain complementary ingredients that help restore your skin’s youthfulness and radiance while protecting it with powerful blends of antioxidants and skin-quenching, hydrating ingredients.
Use a Serum
One of the most effective ways to use niacinamide to address your skincare concerns is with a serum. NuFACE Super Vita-C Booster Serum contains niacinamide along with vitamin C to provide a brightened and tightened skin appearance, providing antioxidants that help to shield against intrusive blue light. Our proprietary blend of mineral ions, IonPlex®, helps prep your skin for microcurrent treatment.
Apply this serum to clean, dry skin before you use your favorite activator gel or moisturizer.
Mist Away
NuFACE Supercharged IonPlex® Facial Mist is an ultra-light mist powered by IonPlex® created to hydrate your skin around the clock and give your skin a hydrating boost during the day.
Formulated with niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid, you can apply Supercharged IonPlex® Facial Mist after your serums and before your activator gels. You can also apply the mist throughout your day and during your microcurrent treatment to reactivate your activator gels.
Adding The Current
You can level up your skincare with niacinamide and supercharge it with the power of microcurrent therapy. Microcurrent is a low-level electrical signal that reaches below the surface of the skin to help activate, tone, and tighten your skin’s appearance for a more sculpted look.
Microcurrent helps blur fine lines and wrinkles in just minutes per day, right in the comfort of your own home. NuFACE Microcurrent Devices are FDA-cleared and aesthetician-created to deliver results that help you feel more confident in your skin.
Activate
After cleansing and adding your niacinamide serum and IonPlex Facial Mist, apply a mask-like layer of NuFACE Silk Crème Activator. Our activator gels ensure proper microcurrent conduction while hydrating your skin for up to 48 hours after application. Silk Crème Activator includes 8 phyto-actives that help brighten the skin and keep it hydrated, while IonPlex preps your skin for your microcurrent treatment.
Apply your activator gel in sections while you use your device. Remember, you can always add IonPlex Facial Mist to your activator gel to reactivate it during your microcurrent treatment.
Cheers for B3
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that you’ll find in many skincare products. From cleansers to eye creams, lotions to serums, this ingredient helps restore skin hydration, protects the skin barrier, and acts as a powerful antioxidant.
Sources:
Niacin – Vitamin B3 | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Moisturizing effects of topical nicotinamide on atopic dry skin | PubMed
Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance|PubMed
