Why you should use niacinamide?
What is niacinamide?
Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinamide, niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that works with the natural substances in your skin to help visibly minimise enlarged pores, tighten lax pores, improve uneven skin tone, soften fine lines and wrinkles, diminish dullness, and strengthen a weakened surface.
Niacinamide also reduces the impact of environmental damage because of its ability to improve skin’s barrier (its first line of defense), plus it also plays a role in helping skin to repair signs of past damage. Left unchecked, this type of daily assault makes skin appear older, dull and less radiant.
Why you should use niacinamide?
For those wondering, what is niacinamide good for? You might have gathered that we’re very impressed with all that niacinamide can do for skin when applied via skincare products like toners, serums, and highly concentrated leave-on treatments. Niacinamide is uniquely compatible with any of the products in your skincare routine, including those that contain retinol, peptides, hyaluronic acid, AHAs, BHA, vitamin C, and all types of antioxidants.
You can use multiple niacinamide-containing products in your routine, and it will still be non-sensitising as this ingenious B vitamin is well tolerated by all skin types. It’s even suitable for use by those with sensitive or rosacea-prone skin.
Other helpful benefits of niacinamide or vitamin B3 for skin are that it helps renew and restore the surface of skin against moisture loss and dehydration by helping skin improve its natural production of skin-strengthening ceramides. When ceramides become depleted over time, skin is left vulnerable to all sorts of problems, from persistent patches of dry, flaky skin to increasingly becoming extra-sensitive.
If you struggle with dry skin, topical application of niacinamide has been shown to boost the hydrating ability of moisturisers so the skin's surface can better resist the moisture loss that leads to recurrent dry, tight, flaky skin.
For those wondering ‘what does niacinamide do for breakouts?’ We are pleased to tell you that research shows that a concentration of 2% (or more) is highly effective to help red blemishes fade more quickly (the redness left by spots). This means products containing niacinamide are a good choice for those with acne-prone skin.
How to use niacinamide?
Using niacinamide is as easy as finding great skincare products that contains it along with other beneficial ingredients like antioxidants, skin-restoring agents, and other skin-replenishing ingredients.
This multi-ingredient approach to skincare is important because despite the niacinamide benefits being impressive, it’s not the only ingredient skin needs to look and feel its best.
For best results, use leave-on niacinamide products and apply them to cleansed skin twice daily. That might mean you apply a toner with niacinamide - Botanical Rain Mist + B3 (5%) immediately after cleansing to rehydrate and replenish skin. You can add to your skincare routine Our Night Masks with 5% B3.
You can use niacinamide-containing products around your eyes, too. Some might find applying a moisturiser or eye cream with niacinamide helps improve the look of under eye circles, helps soften the appearance of crow’s feet, not to mention enables this delicate area to retain skin-smoothing moisture and resist loss of firmness.
There’s no reason to wait to add niacinamide to your skincare routine. This wonderfully versatile B vitamin brings many topical benefits to improve skin’s appearance, so it appears more even, brighter, and younger. As with any great skincare ingredient, it’s important to be diligent about protecting skin daily with a broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater. This allows you to get maximum benefit from niacinamide and other proven skin savers.