Niacinamide - Do Not Miss It's Power in Skincare

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that doesn't irritate the skin at a concentration below 10%. It can be easily absorbed deeply into the skin, demonstrating its unbeatable multiple skincare benefits.

As a cosmetic chemist, I have used niacinamide in my formulas for many years, and I still believe it is one of the few cosmetic ingredients you can truly count on for its outstanding skincare performance. It is cheap and so easy to work with. It has never disappointed me, and I am confident it will not disappoint you either. This is one of the must-have ingredients in my skincare routine.

Vitamin B3 is crucial in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, producing energy and sustaining all bodily functions. It's essentially like food to our bodies. Without food, we can't survive.

In medicine, vitamin B3 deficiency causes all system dysfunctions, especially in tissues or organs with high bio-activities, such as the skin, digestive system, and nerve system: healthy mitochondria, healthy skin, and healthy body.

Besides the basic bioactivity needs, vitamin B3 offers a range of other benefits for the body and the skin. In skin care, for example, it reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, counteracts oxidative stress, modulates skin immune response, interferes with melanin transfer, and reduces sebum production. Its high efficacy and gentle nature make it a perfect cosmetic ingredient for all skin types in a wide range of skin concerns.

Skincare Benefits of Niacinamide:

1. Antiaging: 

Vitamin B3's visible antiaging skin effects start at as low as 2%.

As a vital component in energy production, vitamin B3 is directly involved in all skin synthetic and repair activities of our skin. To name a few, synthesis of collagen, elastin, all other matrix components, and skin cell turnover and regeneration.

As an antioxidant, vitamin B3 provides excellent skin protection, combating internal and environmental oxidative stress and preserving the skin's youth. 

Vitamin B3 is also an impressive skin texture modifier, fading and reducing age spots, and a pore-minimizing ingredient to achieve a smooth, clean, and radiant complexion.  It can easily accepted by all skin types.

2. Anti-Hyperpigmentation:

Vitamin B3's visible depigmentation efficacy starts at 4%. At this level, it has a potent inhibition of melanin transfer. Combining its skin turnover-promoting and anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin B3 can be used for all phototypes of skin hyperpigmentation without side effects, such as dark and dull skin tone, dark acne marks, age spots, melasma, and pigmentation of the scars.

3. Anti-inflammatory: 

You can count on vitamin B3's anti-inflammatory effects. Not only does it reduce the inflammatory reaction and neutralize the free radicals caused by UV light and high energy visible light (HEV), the major causes of skin aging and age spots, but it also inhibits the skin inflammatory and immune response skin caused by a variety of reasons to provide anti skin redness, skin soothing and calming effects.

4. Enhance the skin barrier function:

Vitamin B3 is a potent stimulator of the production of ceramides and a promotor of the health of the epidermis. The skin barrier is the skin's first-line defense against all adverse environmental insults and the most powerful and effective layer of the skin against transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The proper water content is the basic need for all skin's bioactivities. Nothing will work when your skin is dehydrated.

5. Makes other active ingredients more powerful

Active skincare heavily relies heavily on the skin's bio-conditions. It will stop working when the skin is inflamed, dehydrated, or injured. Maintaining a normal skin condition is so critical in improving and correcting all skin concerns, such as antiaging and anti-hyperpigmentation. It is also the primary reason why your skincare doesn't work.

6. Reduction of the sebum production:

Vitamin B3 is widely recognized as a sebum production reducer, but that doesn't quite fit what it does for sebum production. I would rather call it a sebum regulator because it only affects the overactive sebum glands; it doesn't affect the normal sebum glands. In years of using this ingredient, we can not recall the complaint of the dry skin condition caused by it, even in a high concentration, such as over 10%.

How to formulate with vitamin B3: 

Years ago, I read something about the relationship between vitamin B3's skincare benefits and concentration. It depends on the skin benefits. For antiaging skincare, it works at the concentration between 2-20%; for depigmentation, it works best at ＞4%; For pore tightening, you need at least 5% and higher; for sebum regulation, it wors at 5% -10%the concentration of vitamin B3 in skincare formula can be 2% - 5%.

You may have already heard that over 5% of niacinamide can irritate the skin. We have tested the concentrates as high as 20%. My experience taught me that higher concentration is better. At 10%, it works on all aspects mentioned above. At 15%, it gives you much better performance in all aspects, but at the same time, you will see an increase in skin irritation (adverse reaction), especially in acne skin or other sensitive skin types. 

Niacinamide is water-soluble, very stable, and easy to use. It prefers a slightly acidic environment, ideally between 4.5 and 6.0. At pH ＞7.0 and lower pH, it becomes unstable and hydrolyzes into nicotinic acid. Nicotinic acid can cause skin flushing, itching, and irritation, even at very low concentrations. When formulating with acidic ingredients, such as AHA, BHA, and PHA, pay attention to the pH is critical.

Niacinamide can tolerate some heat, but adding it to the cool-down phase is best. 

Happy Formulating!

 

 

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