The current darling of the beauty industry, Niacinamide, is having a moment. One of the most hyped-up skincare ingredients of 2023 it’s being hailed by those in the know as “an all-round crowd pleaser”. But does it deserve the hype? Here’s our take on it – what it is, what it does and whether or not you need a serum containing it, like, yesterday.
Suitable for pretty much every skin type, this multi-tasking vitamin is a form of vitamin B3 with a long list of proven benefits – and results – from soothing and healing the skin to boosting hydration and fading hyper-pigmentation.
A Multi-Tasker with Multiple Benefits
Extensive research sings the praises of this hard-working and versatile ingredient, giving it credit for protecting skin from environmental damage, jumpstarting production of collagen and hyaluronic acid, improving hydration, reducing signs of ageing, shrinking enlarged pores and significantly lessening skin discolouration. Impressively, regular use of a serum containing niacinamide has been shown to reduce inflammation in moderate acne just as well as stronger, prescription-only treatments.
It Plays Well with Others
Niacinamide is compatible with many of your other favourite skincare actives – hyaluronic acid, for example – making it easy to weave into your skincare routine without fearing a confidence-crushing flare up or “What’s happened to your face?” reaction. Applied topically, Niacinamide, is absorbed into the skin easily and you don’t need a degree in chemistry to figure out when and where and how to apply it.
The Life Coach Your Skin Cells Didn’t Know They Needed
What makes niacinamide such a “catch-all skin hero” is that it works as a cell-communicating ingredient – essentially giving all kinds of skin cells a pep talk, telling them to make better, healthier, younger acting cells. Basically, this ingredient is your skin’s team player and cheerleader. No wonder the skin industry is crushing on it.
Besides Skincare Products, is there Another Way to Get it?
It’s a good question. Thing is, our bodies don't naturally produce niacinamide but we can get it from our diets as long as we’re eating a healthy, varied range of foods. Dietarily, Niacin is found in grains, fish, meat, and beans, and converts to niacinamide when eaten. Research shows that taking a niacin supplement orally has very real benefits for overall health, not just your skin, at all ages. That being said, the difference – where long-standing niacinamide research is concerned – between good skin and great skin is regular use of a topical niacinamide to really reap the rewards of this vitamin’s powerful antioxidant properties and ‘choreography’ of levels/production of other substances in the skin.