Niacinamide | What Is It & Why You Need It

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If you want to know more about niacinamide and what it can do for your skin stick around, today you’re going to learn all about that!

Lately, I’ve wanted to know more about skincare ingredients so that I can have a better understanding of what my skin needs and what products will actually be good.

So, today I’m going to walk you through everything I learned about niacinamide and why you should know about it too.

What is niacinamide?

Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin that our bodies are not able to produce on their own. Usually, we get our daily dose of niacinamide from our diet.

I know what you’re thinking, but no, it’s highly unlikely that you need a vitamin B3 supplement as in “more developed” countries it’s very rare to encounter niacinamide deficiencies.

Benefits of niacinamide

1. It increases our skin immunity by boosting keratin production and keeping our skin layers intact and protected.
2. It helps our skin barrier to remain intact by boosting ceramide production. Meaning it helps our skin stay firm, supple, and moist. For this reason, it can help people with conditions such as eczema.
3. It helps reduce redness by reducing inflammation. For example, people with inflammatory acne can benefit from this niacinamide property.
4. It helps regulate sebum production.
5. It helps even out the skin tone.

Is all the buzz about niacinamide worth it?

Niacinamide is not a new ingredient, it’s actually been around for a very long time. However, in the last few years, I feel like it got a new PR agent because everyone is talking about it.

So, is niacinamide worth all the hype?

Personally, I think it is. Niacinamide is a wonderful ingredient whit several benefits as you just read.

The only downside of all this hype is that once we discover the benefits of an ingredient we want more because we feel like we will be able to have faster results so we try to get the product with the higher concentration possible. I was guilty of this myself.

It’s very hard to not fall into this trap, especially because many brands tend to strive for higher-concentrations products to make their product more appealing.

The first thing we need to do before we end up damaging our skin is to be educated. Essentially, if you know what concentrations were scientifically proven to be more effective you know what you need to look for.

What percentage of niacinamide should you use

Several studies have been made to prove niacinamide efficacy. The most relevant, at least in my opinion, are two double-blinded studies (link at the end of article) which are generally the best kind of studies.

They showed that 4% niacinamide twice a day is equal to topical antibiotics and that 2% niacinamide alone is able to decrease oil production.

This means we don’t need super-high concentrations of niacinamide, this is an absolute myth.

On the contrary, a 15-20% niacinamide serum, for example, can irritate your skin to the point you almost feel like it’s burning off so, not cute.

As a general rule, any concentration above 5% niacinamide it’s not necessary. Actually, in some cases, it can even be harmful to the skin.

Just to remind you, high concentrations of niacinamide can cause

• Inflammation.
• Irritation.
• Breakouts.

A little side note, some of the most popular niacinamide serums such as The Ordinary and The INKEY List contain 10% niacinamide.

Now, I have nothing against these brands actually, I am a huge fan but I just want you to be mindful that these are high concentrations. If you have sensitive skin they might do more harm than good.

Fvorite product with niacinamide

This post was all about niacinamide, what it can do for you and how to use it.