Niacinamide is an essential nutrient for skincare and overall health. As a form of vitamin B3, niacinamide fuels many cellular processes throughout the body, from converting food into glucose to lowering phosphate levels in the kidneys. But what makes it crucial for healthy, glowing skin?
Below, we’ll highlight the role niacinamide plays in our largest organ. We’ll go through the benefits of adding it to your skincare routine and the best products on the market. Before diving in, it’s worth looking at what makes niacinamide such an effective supplement.
Vitamin B3 and niacinamide – what’s the difference?
Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, comes in two other forms – nicotinamide riboside and niacinamide. These forms – or vitamers – are grouped by their ability to treat specific deficiencies. Niacin, nicotinamide riboside, and niacinamide show the same biological activity against vitamin B3 deficiency, so what sets each one apart?
Nutrition researchers separate vitamers by their potency and effects. All forms of Vitamin 3 have identical biological activity but react differently to other compounds. Niacinamide is unique because, unlike niacin, it doesn’t cause side effects flushing.
This makes it great for treating niacin deficiency in remedial amounts that don’t react as harshly as other vitamers.
Niacinamide and skin health
Vitamin 3 is water-soluble, which means our bodies can’t store it. We need to consume it daily to reap the benefits. While we get most of our nutrients from food, our diets aren’t the most efficient way to improve skin health.
B vitamins are extremely delicate. Alcohol, cooking, and food processing can destroy them before we even get a chance to eat. Even when we consume enough vitamin B3, there’s no mechanism to target skin cells.
A topical like Niacinamide by Hygieia is perfect for nourishing the skin directly. Encapsulated for maximum absorption, this powerful cream makes it easier than ever to give your skin the care it needs with each application.
But how exactly does it support your daily routine? Here’s what you can look forward to.
Benefits of adding niacinamide to your skincare routine
Niacinamide plays a vital role in skincare, from stimulating protein synthesis to stabilizing the epidermal barrier that protects the body from environmental damage. The benefits range from cosmetic to functional.
Whether you want to improve the appearance, resistance, or health of your skin, few compounds are as effective as niacinamide. It’s particularly great for:
- Reducing the appearance of pores
Niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties that improve skin texture. Pair that with its moisturizing effects and you have the perfect compound to reduce pore size, leaving your skin smooth to the touch.
The pore-lining plays a vital role in managing natural oils like sebum while removing debris and other particles that irritate the skin. So your skin doesn’t just feel softer, it’s better protected too.
- Treating uneven skin tone
Uneven skin tone – or hyperpigmentation – is the result of excess melanin being concentrated in certain areas. Overexposure to UV rays, like being out in the sun too long, cause an imbalance in melanin production, making the skin surface look discolored or uneven.
Collagen is one of the most important compounds to combat the effects of hyperpigmentation. Niacinamide stimulates collagen production, which then strengthens and repairs skin cells that have been damaged by oxidative stress.
The result: an even, glowing complexion like no other.
- Regulating natural oils
Natural oils are key to moisturizing dry skin and maintaining the ceramide (lipid) barrier, which protects the body from pathogens, pollutants, and other chemicals in our environment. Niacinamide’s stabilizing effect on the lipid barrier helps reduce water loss often caused by heat, dry weather, and sweating. The beauty of niacinamide is that it works by boosting protein synthesis so the skin can replenish ceramide quicker in the lipid barrier.
- Protection against sun damage
Oxidative stress caused by free radicals is one of the top causes of skin damage and premature aging. Free radicals are unstable molecules produced by UV radiation, with sources like sunlight and tanning beds responsible for increasing them in the skin.
Without enough antioxidants to neutralize them, these reactive molecules damage cells and lower collagen levels. Niacinamide’s ability to rebuild skin cells helps to reverse the damage of oxidative stress. Topical creams go a step further by concentrating this powerful effect directly on the skin surface where free radicals are produced.
- Softening fine lines and wrinkles
Since oxidative stress is strongly linked to signs of premature aging, niacinamide can help maintain a more youthful appearance. 5% concentrations have shown positive results in reducing sun damage specifically – which targets the outermost layers of skin.
Niacinamide’s other properties also combine to smooth fine lines and wrinkles. Healthy water retention creates a fuller look, while natural oils make the skin more supple and resistant to wrinkling.
- Managing severe acne
Inflammation isn’t just a problem on its own, it can also worsen related skin conditions like acne and eczema. Niacinamide makes it easier to treat the source of the issue in a few ways.
Reducing pore size and regulating oil helps clear environmental stressors that can cause flaring and clogging in the glands. The anti-inflammatory effects ease redness and blotchiness, minimizing the irritation that can trigger any underlying skin conditions.
- Treating damage from skin conditions
Severe acne can lead to scarring and lesions on the skin. This damage can impact appearance but it also leaves the skin barrier vulnerable to external compounds and bacteria. When it comes to treatment, niacinamide works best for inflammatory forms of acne prone which tend to leave pimples and pustules. While niacinamide shows promising effects for individual issues, its effectiveness comes from the combined effect of its many beneficial properties.
Niacinamide cream by Hygieia
Our skin is our most important barrier. It keeps harmful compounds from the rest of our body, but it needs support too. Like all things in beauty and health, what we put into our skin determines what we get out.
Niacinamide by Hygieia offers all the benefits of vitamin B3 in an encapsulated cream. Designed to help against signs of premature aging, it's a powerful and simple product to level up any skincare routine.