Niacinamide 101

 

If an ingredient is popping off right now in the skincare community right now it is Niacinamide. Niacinamide which is also known as Nicotinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 which is a very important nutrient. It is a skin soothing ingredient and is very effective skin restoring ingredient which means it suits almost everyone and if you are someone with damaged skin barrier then niacinamide is something you need in your routine. In this post I will be writing about niacinamide's benefits, who needs it, how to start using niacinamide in the routine and the products available in the Indian market. 

Benefits of Niacinamide: 

1. Helps build proteins in your skin which will make your skin firm and healthy.
2. Niacinamide hydrates your skin.
3. Helps with redness and inflamation.
4. It helps reduce oil production of your skin which is great for acne prone skin.
5. It is also an amazing antioxidant which helps protect your skin against sun damage.
6. It is helpful in lightening dark spots.
7. It helps reduce sun damage and fine lines and wrinkles.

So all in all Niacinamide is hyped for valid reasons as it is an ingredient which benefits so many skin issues and it is very well tolerated by most skin types. Niacinamide also goes well with most skincare ingredient.

How to use Niacinamide?

For topical usage of Niacinamide you have various forms of products available. I personally like using a leave on Niacinamide product rather than a wash off product as they do work on your skin for a prolonged time period unlike wash off products which you use for barely 15 seconds. 

I currently use the Minimalist Niacinamide serum at 5% which has been doing wonders for my acne prone skin. 

    Niacinamide is also available in various percentages ranging from somewhere below and upto 5% to 10% of the ingredient. Now as a consumer who is relatively new to skincare it is very common for people to get confused as to which serum to go for and what ingredient will suit their skin the best. People who are starting with skincare and if you wish to include Niacinamide in your routine it is recommended to get a product which contains 5% or less as this will help you with getting used to the serum. There are also several studies where it is shown that Niacinamide at the 5% mark has been effective in treating hyperpigmentation and damages relating to sun exposure. While the 10% Niacinamide with the combination of zinc works beautifully for acne prone oily skin as zinc can help regulate excessive sebum production. 

    In my personal experience when I first introduced Niacinamide I felt a burning sensation and initially being new to skincare I was not aware of what was causing this reaction and within few days the burning sensation was gone. Now while I was researching about this I came across the answer that Niacinamide can have that effect on damaged skin barrier. So if you are going through this then it is the best to first get your skin barrier healthy and then introduce the serum. I also downgraded the percentage of niacinamide in my routine. I used to use 10% Niacinamide+Zinc but I found the serum to be very sticky and too thick. In my skincare routine I like to use niacinamide at night along with tranexamic acid which I have included in my routine recently for my pigmentation issues.

Products available in Indian market:

1. Minimalist Niacinamide 10%+Zinc: This will suit extremely oily acne prone skin and will be effective to control excessive oil production as this contains zinc. 
   
2. Minimalist Niacinamide 5% + Hyaluronic Acid 1%: This is best suited for beginners, sensitive and dry skin as this is a lower percentage Niacinamide and also contains Hyaluronic acid which is a humectant.
   
3. Deconstruct Brightening Serum: This is a very interesting serum as this contains Niacinamide and Alpha Arbutin and this will be very well suited for pigmentation issues.
   
4. Deconstruct Pore Control Serum: This is also an amazing combination as this contains Niacinamide and Salicylic acid and those who do not want to use a lot of different products and want to keep their routine simple this serum will be suitable.

I hope this post was helpful. I have already made a post about ingredients and about mixing so you can check that out in case you have any doubts regarding that. Do subscribe and comment down below whether you found this post helpful and what you would like me to write about in future posts.