Niacinamide is the water-soluble
active form of Vitamin B3, which is actively used in cosmetology. A safe,
nonirritating cosmeceutical ingredient, which, as research shows, can offer a
number of benefits in improving the appearance of aged and photodamaged skin
and can improve skin moisturization.
Here’s what you should know
before adding this miracle ingredient to your skin-care routine.
Niacinamide in cosmetics is ideal
for all skin types, absolutely safe for sensitive and problematic skin, and for
eczema. It works equally well on aging skin and helps treat acne and rosacea.
It is not comedogenic, well
tolerated by the skin and does not cause any negative reactions. The exception
is the people with individual sensitivity.
Benefits for skin:
1) Improves barrier function of
skin
Niacinamide strengthens the
protective function of the skin and reduces the sensitivity of the skin.
Ceramides are important lipids (fats) that are in the stratum corneum (the
outer layer of the skin). They are responsible for the integrity of the skin
barrier, the stronger it is, the skin looks better. 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.
Niacinamide leads to an increase
in protein synthesis (e.g. keratin), has a stimulating effect on ceramide
synthesis, speeds up the differentiation of keratinocytes, and raises
intracellular NADP levels.
2) Prevents moisture loss in the
skin and deeply moisturizes the skin
When the protective functions of
the skin are weakened, this leads to the following problems:
a. Moisture does not linger in
the skin and evaporates, which leads to dehydration. The texture of the skin
changes and the face looks dull and tired.
b. Bacteria and irritants freely
penetrate the skin, which leads to irritation and inflammation. Sensitivity also
increases.
Niacinamide increases the level
of ceramides, the “glue” that holds the cells together. The use of niacinamide
leads to an increase in the level of moisture in the skin, because it
strengthens the protective layer. And its use improves the appearance, tone and
texture of the skin.
If you struggle with dry skin,
topical application of niacinamide has been shown to boost the hydrating
ability of moisturizers so skin’s surface can better resist the moisture loss
that leads to recurrent dry, tight, flaky skin.
Niacinamide works brilliantly
with common moisturizer ingredients like glycerin, non-fragrant plant oils,
cholesterol, sodium PCA, and sodium hyaluronate.
3) Anti-acne effect of niacinamide:
Niacinamide may be helpful for
severe acne, especially inflammatory forms like papules and pustules. Over
time, you may see fewer lesions and improved skin texture.
Some clinical studies confirmed
the benefits of using certain drugs that contain niacinamide to improve the
condition of the skin affected by acne.
In a randomized double-blinded,
controlled trial, 160 patients with moderate and predominantly inflammatory
acne were given 4% niacinamide gel or 4% erythromycin gel twice daily for 8
weeks. Both the groups reported similar regression of inflammatory lesions but
the group treated with 4% niacinamide gel had significantly greater improvement.
4) Niacinamide regulates the
production of sebum:
Niacinamide can also help
regulate the amount of oil the sebaceous glands produce and prevent your glands
from going into overdrive.
Another double-blinded,
placebo-controlled, randomized trial with 130 patients found that a 2% niacinamide
moisturizer significantly reduced sebum excretion rates when compared to a
placebo moisturizer.
5) Antiaging effect of niacinamide:
Niacinamide is known to reduce
the appearance of fine lines and oxidative stress on the skin.
In aging skin, topical
application of niacinamide improves the surface structure, soothes out wrinkles
and inhibits photo damage.
Niacinamide increases collagen
production in fibroblast cultures and reduces the increased dermal
glycoaminoglycosides in photodamaged skin.
Niacinamide also increases the
production of the epidermal proteins keratin, filaggrin, and involucrin. In a
double-blinded, split face, randomized controlled trial, 5% niacinamide cream
was compared to “vehicle only cosmetic” in 30 Japanese women on face for 8
weeks. There was a significant decrease in wrinkles and skin roughness with niacinamide.
6) Skin lightening effect of niacinamide:
Niacinamide makes the skin
fresher, reduces traces of hyperpigmentation after prolonged inflammation and
long-term exposure to the sun.
As nicotinamide inhibits
melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes, it is used as a
lightening agent. A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial with 202
patients found that a topical formulation containing 2% N-acetyl glucosamine
and 4% nicotinamide significantly reduced the detectable area of facial spots
and the appearance of pigmentation compared to vehicle formulation.
You can use multiple
niacinamide-containing products in your routine. But when used in high
concentrations in a skincare formulation, it may cause skin irritation. So, it is recommended to start with low
concentrations (1-2%) of vitamin B3 in a formulation and you can go up to 6%
later.
Avoid use it in acidic
formulations. Final pH of product should
be about pH 6.
Avoid combining niacinamide-containing
products with acidic toners/serums to avoid hydrolysis and formation of
nicotinic acid (which can be irritating to skin).
References:
Kimball AB, Kaczvinsky JR, Li J,
Robinson LR, Matts PJ, Berge CA, et al. Reduction in the appearance of facial
hyperpigmentation after use of moisturizers with a combination of topical
niacinamide and N-acetyl glucosamine: Results of a randomized, double-blind,
vehicle-controlled trial. Br J Dermatol 2010;162:435-41.
Surjana D, Damian DL.
Nicotinamide in dermatology and photoprotection. Skinmed 2011;9:360-5.
Ungerstedt JS, Blömback M,
Söderström T. Nicotinamide is a potent inhibitor of proinflammatory cytokines.
Clin Exp Immunol 2003;131:48-52
Tanno O, Ota Y, Kitamura N,
Katsube T, Inoue S. Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as
other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrier. Br
J Dermatol 2000;143:524-31. Back to
cited text no. 9
Weltert Y, Chartier S, Gibaud C,
Pechenart P, Girard F, Courau S, et al. Double blind clinical evaluation of the
efficacy of nicotinamide gel versus 4% erythromycin gel in the treatment of
moderate acne in predominantly inflammatory componenet. Les Nouv
Dermatologiques 2004;23:385-94. Back to
cited text no. 12
Shalita AR, Smith JG, Parish LC,
Sofman MS, Chalker DK. Topical nicotinamide compared with clindamycin gel in the
treatment of inflammatory acne vulgaris. Int J Dermatol 1995;34:434-7.
Dos SK, Barbhuiya JN, Jana S, Dey
SK. Comparative evaluation of clindamycin phosphate 1% and clindamycin
phosphate 1% with nicotinamide gel 4% in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Indian
J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2003;69:8-9.
Oblong JE, Bissett DL, Ritter JL,
Kurtz KK, Schnicker MS. Effect of Niacinamide on Collagen Synthesis and Markers
of Keratinocyte Differentiation. 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
Dermatology, New Orleans; 2002.
Kimball AB, Kaczvinsky JR, Li J,
Robinson LR, Matts PJ, Berge CA, et al. Reduction in the appearance of facial
hyperpigmentation after use of moisturizers with a combination of topical
niacinamide and N-acetyl glucosamine: Results of a randomized, double-blind,
vehicle-controlled trial. Br J Dermatol 2010;162:435-41.
