What is Niacinamide? 9 Benefits of Vitamin B3 on Skin and Acne

You may have heard about niacinamide—one of the latest must-have skincare ingredients—but do you know what it actually is? In short, it’s a type of vitamin B3 that can improve your skin in many ways.

We’ll teach you how to use niacinamide to strengthen, moisturize, and even out your skin tone by incorporating into your beauty routine.

Learn more about niacinamide benefits and how to use niacinamide for your skin. You can use the links below to navigate to a specific section, or read the post from start to finish for a comprehensive overview of niacinamide and acne.

• What Is Niacinamide?
• Niacinamide Benefits for Your Skin
• Niacinamide for Acne & Skin Care
• Niacinamide in Serums
• Niacinamide in Sunscreen
• Niacinamide in Supplements
• Using Niacinamide Safely
• Are Niacinamide, Niacin, & Vitamin B the Same?
• Can I Use Niacinamide Every Day?
• How Long Does Niacinamide Take to Work?
• Niacinamide and Other Skincare Ingredients
• Harness the Power of Niacinamide to Improve Your Complexion

What Is Niacinamide?

Niacinamide is a water-soluble form of vitamin B3 and an essential nutrient known to improve skin health. While niacinamide can be found naturally in certain foods such as yeast and meat, it can also be used as a supplement or added as an active ingredient in skincare products.

While vitamin B3 is nothing new, the nutrient has recently gained some notoriety among consumers and turned into a buzzword in the beauty world due to the powerful benefits of niacinamide in skincare.

Niacinamide Benefits for Your Skin

Niacinamide is often included in skincare products due to its ability to help improve the condition and appearance of skin. But how does it benefit your skin exactly? Well, for one thing, niacinamide can reduce your risk of skin cancer, specifically melanoma, but there are also a variety of skincare benefits to using products containing vitamin B3.

Some of the most notable niacinamide benefits for skin include:

1. Helps build protein, which keeps skin healthy and plump
2. Strengthens skin by helping to rebuild skin cells and retain elasticity
3. Fortifies the lipid barrier, protecting your skin against sensitivities
4. Seals in moisture, which prevents your skin from being dry and dehydrated
5. Regulates oil production, which helps prevent clogged pores
6. Improves uneven skin tone and the appearance of dark spots
7. Minimizes pore appearance, helping to refine your complexion
8. Softens fine lines and wrinkles to improve the signs of aging
9. Reduces inflammation and redness associated with skin sensitivities

Whether you have clear skin or you struggle with common concerns, niacinamide products can improve your skincare routine so you can achieve a naturally radiant glow. You can find it in many different types of skincare products depending on your goals and preferences. At Colorescience, we include niacinamide in our Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield SPF 50—which is available in three different shades—for an extra boost in defense against UV damage.

Niacinamide is also a key component of our BioSolace™ complex, a proprietary blend of specialty ingredients used in our All Calm® Clinical Redness Corrector. This formula makes it easy to apply niacinamide to the face and skin, and access all the skin calming benefits that vitamin B3 has to offer.

Niacinamide for Acne & Skin Care

Niacinamide is considered to be a safe and effective component in topical skincare and may be used to address a variety of skin concerns from signs of aging to discoloration. There are several ways in which you can reap the benefits of niacinamide for skincare:

• Serums
• Sunscreen
• Vitamin supplement

Niacinamide in Serums

Typically, niacinamide is incorporated into skincare routines with a serum. With All Calm®, you can enjoy the product’s soothing effects and immediately reduce the redness in an uneven complexion. Vitamin B3 helps prevent future skin sensitivities, giving you greater control over conditions such as rosacea. With broad-spectrum SPF 50, you’ll be able to guard your skin against the harmful effects of the sun knowing that niacinamide is aiding your skin cell barrier.

There are many advantages to using All Calm in your skincare routine; however, if you have an even complexion, or you’d prefer not to add an extra step to your routine with a vitamin B3 serum, then there are other ways to introduce niacinamide to your life.

Niacinamide in Sunscreen

Sunblock* application is a non-negotiable part of your daily skincare routine, so you can select a sunscreen that includes vitamin B3 for an effortless way to apply niacinamide. Our mineral sunscreen has been formulated to have a weightless texture that blends invisibly into your skin—no matter your skin tone—all while providing you with the highest level of protection.

As part of our Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ collection, Face Shield offers broad-spectrum SPF for protection against both UVA and UVB rays. It’s powered by our advanced EnviroScreen® Technology, which guards you against environmental stressors known to damage skin, such as air pollution, blue light, and infrared radiation.

Niacinamide in Supplements

You can also enjoy the benefits of niacinamide for your skin by taking vitamin B3 as an oral supplement. It’s found naturally in many foods, but getting enough of the nutrient through food consumption may not be as easy for some as it is for others, whether that be due to dietary restrictions or conditions like alcoholism. Vitamin B3 supplements are readily available through many vendors and can be taken daily, but it’s always wise to speak with a doctor beforehand.

Using Niacinamide Safely

As with any vitamin or supplement, it’s important to understand how to use niacinamide safely and effectively. First things first, it’s important to be aware that the daily recommended intake of vitamin B3 is 14mg per day for adult women who are not pregnant.

Are Niacinamide, Niacin, & Vitamin B the Same?

Kind of, but not exactly. Niacinamide is another type of vitamin B3 (niacin); however, vitamin B3 is commonly used interchangeably for both niacinamide and niacin. Niacin can be naturally found in different types of foods such as meat, milk, and eggs. It can also be produced by the body via an amino acid known as tryptophan, which is introduced to the body by consuming proteins.

Niacin is important to your health, but in a different way from niacinamide. Primarily, niacin helps turn your food into energy and regulate your digestive system. Other notable health benefits of niacin include lowering your bad cholesterol, increasing good cholesterol, and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Niacinamide is most notably known for it’s skin-enhancing capabilities. That said, niacinamide can also help regulate phosphate levels for those with kidney issues and can help slow the progression of type 1 diabetes.

Can I Use Niacinamide Every Day?

Yes, niacinamide can be used daily. However, you want to keep in mind that you should not exceed the daily recommended vitamin B3 intake.

How Long Does Niacinamide Take to Work?

Like most facets of skincare, you can’t expect drastic results overnight. Typically, it takes several weeks to see a significant improvement, but you may notice signs of improvement in as little as five days. Generally speaking, it takes about one month to see the full effects of niacinamide when applied daily.

It’s important to note that everyone’s skin is different. Continued use of key skincare ingredients, including niacinamide, is crucial to achieving real improvement in your complexion.

Niacinamide and Other Skincare Ingredients

For the most part, niacinamide can be used in combination with most skincare ingredients. However, you should proceed with a bit of caution if you have sensitive skin and use products containing vitamin C, as they may result in skin irritation when applied together. For most individuals, though, niacinamide and vitamin C can be used in your skincare routine without concern.

The same goes for niacinamide and zinc, as well as niacinamide and retinol; these ingredients are often combined into skincare formulas to heighten their effectiveness and provide your skin with additional benefits.

Any time you begin to use a new skincare product, you should always pay close attention to how your skin reacts to different ingredients, especially if you already use makeup products for sensitive skin. Everyone’s skin is different, so start with a small application on your wrist or neck before applying anything to your entire face and triggering an adverse reaction.

Harness the Power of Niacinamide to Improve Your Complexion

Now that you have a better understanding of what niacinamide is and how vitamin B3 can improve your skin, you’re ready to see what a difference it can make in your complexion. Take your skincare routine to the next level with our line of healthy cosmetics that can help enhance your appearance with nourishing ingredients.

At Colorescience, we’re dedicated to promoting and protecting skin health above using safe products with all-natural ingredients that are gentle, yet powerfully effective. Explore our entire collection of organic skincare to achieve a radiant complexion that makes you feel confident anytime you look in the mirror.

*Sunblock is not a term approved by the FDA. Colorescience refers to our products as sun protection.