Niacinamide....... What is it?

What is Niacinamide aka Vitamin B3?

Vitamin B3 is known by a couple of names including niacin, niacinamide or nicotinamide.

It is a powerhouse vitamin that our skin needs to function properly. Vitamin B3 is an essential water-soluble vitamin, so for us to absorb the benefits we either have consume it via eating food, take a supplement, or applying it topically to our skin.

Vitamin B3 works with the substances found naturally in our skin. Niacinamide/Nicotinamide vs Niacin The names for this vitamin are used interchangeably but they are not the same. Both do provide a Vitamin B3 action, but they are different in their chemical structure. In relation to skincare niacin is known to cause inflammation in skin by causing the blood vessels to widen, resulting in skin feeling itchy and red. Niacinamide/nicotinamide does not cause the skin to flush, which is why it’s often preferred in skincare and treatments. Here, we are focusing on the many benefits and advantages of incorporating Vitamin B3 in your everyday skincare routine.

What does it do for our skin?

Vitamin B3 improves so many aspects of our skin. Vitamin B3 prevents and improves hyper pigmentation, improves hydration and is also beneficial to fight early indications of aging such as wrinkles and uneven skin tone, It is also a great antioxidant.

If that is not enough to convince you to incorporate Vitamin B3 into your skin care regime, another amazing benefit is that it acts like an antibiotic. This is evident in its ability to ease skin congestion, reduce acne blemishes and regulate the production of sebum. When we compare Vitamin B3 to Vitamin C it can appear to overlap in benefits, however they are very complimentary to one another. Vitamin B3 is perfect for those who are strongly focused on improving pigmentation, brightening skin, reducing pore size and of course the added anti-aging benefits.

Vitamin B3 is also known to be quite calm on the skin. another vitamin that complements B3 is Vitamin C, which is known to be a super antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals and it is responsible for delivering a brightening/glowing effect on the skin. It has great effect on UV damage by reducing colour in hyperpigmentation and dark patches. Vitamin C is acidic and can cause irritation to some skins, especially in high doses. Vitamin B3 combined with Vitamin C is the perfect duo to deliver exceptional brightening properties, reduce inflammation, and help with anti-aging. If you were to incorporate a retinol (Vitamin A) with Vitamin B3 and C, you will have an amazing cocktail of vitamins to support and defend your skin.

How does it work?

Vitamin B3 is great to have in your skincare range, our body cannot create Vitamin B on its own, so it is important that we provide ourselves with a good supply. B3 assists us in hyperpigmentation by slowing down the production and the transportation of melanin to the skins surface. It inhibits pigmentation up to 68%, leaving our skin looking radiant and brighter. Vitamin B3 and niacinamide can boost essential fatty acids by up to 67% and increase our hydration levels by reducing water loss (up to 24%). Remarkably it can also inhibit the production of excess oil. This helps to strengthen and balance our barrier system also known as our acid mantle.

The acid mantle has an especially important role in skin health and sits in the stratum lucidum. This is just below the very top layer of skin, the stratum corneum. The stratum lucidum is made up of a layer of water and a layer of oil that sits on the top. The acid mantle is our biggest protector against trans-epidermal-water-loss (or TEWL for short). Put simply it prevents water escaping for the lower layers of skin otherwise known as dehydration. Another important job of the acid mantle is to slowly introduce the absorption of active ingredients into the skin, so we do not have an inflammatory reaction. Overall, the acid mantle is key to a healthy skin, and is crucial to reducing sensitivity and inflammation caused by acne, eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Who should use it and when?

B3 and niacinamide will benefit anyone any everyone wanting a brighter skin or an anti-aging preventative. It has been proven that a whopping 97% of Australians have a dehydrated skin! And Vitamin B3 prevents TEWL. Vitamin B3 is also well tolerated by all types of skin. It is even great for those of us who have sensitive and rosacea prone skin. It is great to use Vitamin B3 in both morning and evening.

Any negative effects?

Unlike some other ingredients that need some precaution prior to introducing them into your skincare routine B3 is safe. Always be aware when treating various conditions to start off slowly and find a product with a concentration no stronger than a 2%. This will help to avoid uncomfortable irritation. They key is to not overuse B3. If overuse does occur, you may experience some redness in which case, you would reduce the number of applications throughout the week.