If you are well-versed in the A-Z of skincare, you will likely already be very familiar with niacinamide.
The now ubiquitous ingredient has had some seriously good PR in recent years that has brought it from a niche element to a skincare staple. And its reputational boost is well-deserved. The vitamin B3 form has myriad benefits, is tolerated by all skin types and comes in many different forms, from cleansers to the focus of this article, serums.
We reached out to Emma Wedgwood, Founder of Emma Wedgwood Aesthetics, to tell us more.
What is niacinamide? What does niacinamide do?
“Niacinamide, a versatile form of vitamin B3, is a standout ingredient in skincare due to its multifaceted benefits”. These, according to the skin expert, include:
Is niacinamide good for acne?
“Yes, absolutely!”, Wedgwood stresses. “Niacinamide is a game-changer for acne-prone skin. It works by reducing inflammation, which is one of the biggest factors behind acne. It also controls oil production, which is key when it comes to preventing clogged pores and new breakouts. It can be just as effective as some acne treatments, like topical antibiotics, but it’s much gentler. So, if you’re looking for a softer, less harsh treatment, niacinamide is a must”.
Can you use niacinamide with retinol?
A match made in skincare heaven, Wedgewood says that “Niacinamide and retinol are a dream pairing!”. She adds, “Retinol is amazing for speeding up cell turnover, fighting acne and tackling signs of ageing, but it can sometimes irritate the skin, especially when you first start using it.
“Adding in niacinamide helps soothe irritation, reduce redness and keep your skin from getting too dry, making it easier to incorporate retinol into your routine. If you’re worried about irritation, try using them on alternate nights, or use niacinamide in your morning routine and save retinol for nighttime. Adding a thin layer of moisturiser underneath can also help”.
Can you use niacinamide with vitamin C?
Another easy pairing, niacinamide and vitamin C layer well together. The skin expert reveals. “Vitamin C brightens and protects, while niacinamide helps to calm your skin and smooth out its texture. You can use them in the same routine. Try using vitamin C in the morning and niacinamide at night or even layer them together. Everyone’s skin is different, so just pay attention to how yours reacts and adjust as needed”.
When to use niacinamide serum?
According to Wedgwood, “Niacinamide serum is perfect for both morning and night”. She recommends “Apply it after you’ve cleansed and toned, but before you go in with heavier products like SPF.
“In the morning, it helps to lower oil production, so it can reduce the shiny look on your skin. It also protects against any environmental stressors. At night, it works to repair your skin and reduce any inflammation. If you’re mixing it with things like retinol or vitamin C, it’s best to apply them usually thinnest to thickest.
Is niacinamide good for oily skin?
“Niacinamide is perfect for oily skin”, she says. “One of its best features is that it helps to control excess oil without drying your skin out. Niacinamide can also help with pore size by making them look smaller over time and improves the texture of your skin by giving it a smoother appearance. So, if you’ve got oily or combination skin, niacinamide is definitely something I’d add to your skincare routine”.
Shop the best niacinamide serums below
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Niacinamide is a lesser-known ingredient but for those in the loop, it is one of the most important in their beauty cabinet. It has the miraculous ability to calm redness but, best of all for those with oily-prone skin, it balances sebum production, and decogests and minimises the appearance of pores.
In this product from The Ordinary, it is set alongside zinc which has a collagen-boosting and healing effect for damaged skin.
Buy now £9.00, Space NK
The Inkey List Niacinamide
Much like The Ordinary above, The Inkey List too cuts through the beauty noise to put simplicity back into skincare. The products use as few ingredients as possible and focus on quality without a luxury price point. This iteration stars the powerhouse ingredient without throwing in any extras that could cause irritation.
It tackles breakouts, reduces redness, minimises the appearance of pores and has great decongesting effects. It is combined with 1 per cent of Hyaluronic Acid for a hit of hydration. The formula is light, and silky and doesn’t leave a sticky film behind.
Buy now £9.99, Cult Beauty
Paula’s Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment
It’s one of the lesser known ingredients but niacinamide deserves its place in your bathroom cabinet. The component has been known to boost hydration, is an anti-inflammatory, encourages collagen and balances oil production to bust breakouts. So the better question is, what doesn’t it do?
Niacinamide takes pride of place in this formula from Paula’s Choice with a potent concentration of 20 per cent to ensure that it unclogs pores and leaves a brighter complexion in its wake, no matter your skin type.
Buy now £52.00, Paula’s Choice
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
Korean skincare label Glow Recipe is front and centre of the latest K beauty trends, so it will come as no surprise that their Watermelon Glow radiance-giving formula contains niacinamide.
Get the glow by applying it as the last step in your skincare or even over makeup as it doubles up as a highlighter. This will help you nail the skinimalism no-makeup makeup trend for a fresh complexion.
Buy now £29.99, Amazon
La Roche Posay Niacinamide Pure 10 Serum
For those among us with sensitive skin, it can often be a minefield to find out which of the buzz beauty ingredients can be used without causing irritation. The likes of retinol or acids can cause redness, flakiness or drying but La Roche Posay is making it easier than ever to incorporate an equally efficacious ingredient even if you’re complexion can be easily inflamed.
Niacinamide takes a starring role in its new product. The lesser-known powerhouse is one of those multi-tasking ingredients that can transform your skincare regime. It minimises the appearance of dark spots or hyperpigmentation, can work to balance uneven tones and leaves skin with a glowy finish.
Buy now £38.40, Boots
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum with Ceramides and Niacinamide for Blemish-Prone Skin 30ml
A beauty brand we’re sure you’ve seen all over your FYP, CeraVe is the viral sensation which offers affordable yet efficacious skincare essentials – one of which is this resurfacing cream. Recommended for those with acne or uneven skin tone, this cream helps to fade stubborn blemishes with encapsulated retinol and barrier-restoring ingredients like ceramides and niacinamide.
Buy now £23.00, Cult Beauty
Bubble Day Dream Vitamin C + Niacinamide Serum
New York-born label Bubble has launched in the UK and has brought with it an army of high-quality and clinically approved products with a purse-friendly price tag. The brand is hugely popular with our friends across the Atlantic and takes a community-led approach to its launches. The entire range is under £20, including the Day Dream.
This serum combines two buzzed-about ingredients in one vibrant yellow package to brighten and smooth the complexion. Niacinamide gets to work improving tone, calming, hydrating and soothing, whilst vitamin C brings the luminosity.
Buy now £18.00, Boots
SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Corrective Serum
For stubborn dark spots, you’ll want to call in the big guns: enter SkinCeuticals. This formula puts a science-backed combination of potent ingredients together in order to fade hyperpigmentation and discolouration and leave a healthy glow behind.
It uses tranexamic acid for its anti-inflammatory properties, niacinamide for minimising the appearance of pores and fine lines and sulfonic acid for gentle exfoliation to buff away dead skin cells for a more even look. You will notice the results in just a few weeks.
Buy now £105.00, lookfantastic
PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum 60ml
This lightweight vitamin C serum comes from PURITO. The hydrating formula works to plump and brighten the skin as soon as you coat your complexion with its combination of ascorbic acid and hyaluronic acid.
This supercharged duo evens skin tone and injects moisture while niacinamide and red ginseng extract double down on the lit-from-within effect. Apply each morning content in the knowledge that you are treating your skin with a sustainable, plant-powered label that is free from harsh chemicals.
Buy now £22.90, lookfantastic
Dr David Jack Good Morning Serum
Dr David Jack's Good Morning Serum is everything you need to start the morning with a proper glow. This powerful, multitasking formula is the first step in your streamlined skincare regime, ticking off many elements at once and reducing the need to apply too many layers before you head out for the day.
Incorporating vitamin C, niacinamide, glutathione, and azelaic acid, it's great for not only smoothing the skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines but also reducing redness, detoxifying, boosting cell repair and protecting against UV and blue light at the same time.
Buy now £89.00, Dr David Jack
Medik8 Clarity Peptides 10% Niacinamide-Infused Peptide Serum
This milky serum has a peptide infusion to give a smoothing radiance boost. It is combined with niacinamide and zinc PCA to further these effects and also encourage the production of plumping collagen.
Buy now £45.00, John Lewis
Caudalie Vinopure Blemish Control Salicylic Serum 30ml
The luxury French label Caudalie brings a pampering twist to spot squashing with this serum that comes as part of its Blemish Control collection. The formula uses salicylic acid to unclog the pores and niacinamide to make sure it doesn’t have an adverse reaction on the skin and improve uneven texture at the same time.
From first use, you’ll notice the lovely aroma and it feels gentle on the skin too, minimising the appearance of enlarged pores and leaving a glowy finish.
Buy now £27.20, lookfantastic
COSRX AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum 40ml
With this supercharged serum from COSRX, we are calling on the speciality of the K-beauty label to provide a gentle way to keep blemishes out of your everyday stresses without picking, prodding and overly harsh ingredients.
Instead, the brand opts for Centella, a natural ingredient that calms any swelling and inflammation, niacinamide to counteract discolouration and scarring and EGF to boost collagen so skin looks plumper.
Buy now £31.99, lookfantastic
Allies of Skin Prebiotics and Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster
Allies of Skin’s active ingredient-packed formulations are simple but effective in their calming of stressed-out skin. This booster, to be used daily, contains a winning antioxidant-rich cocktail of niacinamide, prebiotics and probiotics that work together to refine and brighten, de-clog pores and fortify the complexion’s natural barrier. The texture is extremely lightweight and it’s easily layerable with the current and future products in your bathroom cabinet.
Buy now £72.00, Cult Beauty
Verso Skincare Super Elixir
Skincare experts have long pegged retinol as the anti-ageing ingredient but for many, incorporating this into your skincare is not as simple as it sounds. The component can be harsh and drying, causing irritation to those with sensitive skin. Enter Verso’s new innovation.
The label’s Super Elixir is a facial oil that has a brightening and fine line-filling effect. It is designed to build the skin’s natural defences against external aggressors with the Verso patented NEAR 1 at the heart. This complex combines vitamin A and niacinamide where the latter of which makes the active more stable and thus less reactive. Follow with sun protection.
Buy now £155.00, Cul Beauty
Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum
If you’ve ever experienced acne or consistent blemishes, you will know just how challenging it is to find a product that will keep it under control without leaving a flaking, drying mess in its wake.
After founder Sunday Riley’s daughter struggled with this exact dilemma, she decided to do something about it - and with that, the B3 Nice was born.
Reminding you not only to give your skin the TLC it deserves, the product encourages a clearer, radiant complexion through the inclusion of niacinamide (a B3 derivative, hence the name). This minimises the appearance of pores, regulates oil production and maintains the skin’s natural moisture production. This is combined with Trans-Resvertaol to combat free radicals, dark spots and discoloration as well as a trademarked Brightenyl biotechnologically created molecule to improve skin’s texture.
Buy now £54.00, Space NK
