If you haven’t heard of niacinamide, you must have been living under a rock for the last few years. This amide form of Vitamin B3 has enjoyed a sudden rise in popularity, with numerous moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and serums touting it as their star ingredient.
But before you get wrapped up in the hype, it’s best to understand what niacinamide is, how it works, and how best you can incorporate it into your skincare safely and effectively.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide, also known as nicotinamide, is one of the two common forms of Vitamin B3, or niacin--the other being nicotinic acid.
Your body usually gets this from the diet. If you eat meat, eggs, dairy, liver, beans, legumes, seeds, and nuts, then you get your fair share of this important water-soluble vitamin. People who don’t suffer from the disease called “pellagra” that causes dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis. If untreated, it could result in death.
There are a number of reasons why niacin is so important to the body, but primarily, it’s because it’s a precursor for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and related molecules like NADH and NADPH. The biochemistry is complex, but in simple terms, every single cell in your body needs these substrates for metabolic processes--from ATP production to antioxidant activity, DNA repair to immunological function. In other words, your body needs it to survive.
How does niacinamide work against acne?
If we get niacinamide just fine from our food, then why the need to apply it directly on the skin?
A growing amount of research has shown that topical niacinamide is helpful in getting rid of acne, hyperpigmentation, and signs of ageing.
Though it is still not nearly as well-studied as the heavy weights like retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, and topical antibiotics, the results are promising. That, combined with raves from people using niacinamide in commercial skincare products, makes it easy to understand why niacinamide is gaining ground.
Topical niacinamide products in concentrations from 2%-10% have been shown to significantly decrease lesions in people with mild to moderate acne. Some studies report that it is as effective as the topical antibiotics erythromycin and clindamycin, but with the added bonus of not inducing antimicrobial resistance in acne-causing bacteria.
Administering niacinamide on the face has also been shown to decrease sebum. Studies have shown that it reduces triglyceride production, which accounts for a bulk of the oily substances that make our faces shiny. Though the exact mechanism is yet to be discovered, scientists believe that topical niacinamide’s anti-inflammatory properties and ability to reduce pore-clogging sebum are the keys to its anti-acne effect.
Topical niacinamide also helps reduce hyperpigmentation, which comes in handy if you want to get rid of those acne marks from the past. It prevents the transfer of pigment-containing organelles from melanocytes to keratinocytes, a key step in skin darkening. If you want a bright, even-toned complexion, you might want to consider products that use niacinamide as the active ingredient.
Administering niacinamide on the skin has also been shown to help reverse signs of ageing. As we grow older, the NAD+ in our skin decreases. This means it is not able to fully perform its reparative and antioxidant function. But by providing the precursor of NAD+, we help our skin regenerate faster and more efficiently. Topical niacinamide also has the ability to up the production of ceramides, collagens, and proteins like keratin allows it to strengthen the protective epidermal barrier function of the skin. In layman’s terms, that means healthier and more supple skin.
It was also shown that aged skin contains less NAD+, which means it is poorly equipped to handle environmental stressors like UV rays. Applying its precursor directly can help increase the NAD+, resulting in the skin’s improved capacity to protect from insults.
While niacinamide is not a substitute for sunscreen, it appears to help with photoaging, blotchiness, sallowness, and fine lines and wrinkles.
Conclusion
Anecdotal evidence has shown that niacinamide can do wonders for the skin, but the relatively small body of research means that niacinamide has yet to cement its place among the titans of acne treatment.
What’s going for niacinamide is its more or less positive impact on acne and other skin issues, its chemical stability despite heat and light, and its low risk of irritation and photosensitization. It is often paired with other anti-acne medications, but it can also be used as a sole acne therapy for those with skin too sensitive for stronger drugs.
Because of its safety profile, there is only a very slim chance of it adversely affecting your skin. But while you can try to incorporate this over-the-counter ingredient into your skincare, it’s still best to consult a dermatologist first to see how it could react with other medications you are taking.
There’s still a lot more to know about this exciting treatment. And just like the rest of the world, we can’t wait to see how it turns out.
This content is for general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice.
Resources:
Bissett, D. L., Oblong, J. E., & Berge, C. A. (2005). Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance. Dermatologic surgery : official publication for American Society for Dermatologic Surgery [et al.], 31(7 Pt 2), 860–865. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31732
Braidy, N., Berg, J., Clement, J., Khorshidi, F., Poljak, A., Jayasena, T., Grant, R., & Sachdev, P. (2019). Role of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide and Related Precursors as Therapeutic Targets for Age-Related Degenerative Diseases: Rationale, Biochemistry, Pharmacokinetics, and Outcomes. Antioxidants & redox signaling, 30(2), 251–294. https://doi.org/10.1089/ars.2017.7269
Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (2005). Final report of the safety assessment of niacinamide and niacin. International journal of toxicology, 24 Suppl 5, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/10915810500434183
Davis, E. C., & Callender, V. D. (2010). Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 3(7), 20–31.
Matts, Paul & Oblong, John & Bissett, D.L.. (2002). A Review of the range of effects of niacinamide in human skin. Int Fed Soc Cosmet Chem Mag. 5. 285-289.
Levin, J., & Momin, S. B. (2010). How much do we really know about our favorite cosmeceutical ingredients?. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 3(2), 22–41.
Shahmoradi, Z., Iraji, F., Siadat, A. H., & Ghorbaini, A. (2013). Comparison of topical 5% nicotinamid gel versus 2% clindamycin gel in the treatment of the mild-moderate acne vulgaris: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial. Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 18(2), 115–117.
