To B or not to B… Niacinamide is the question. This fancy form of vitamin B3 crops up in many heavy-hitting anti-aging ingredients. Yet rarely, with notable exceptions such as WOWCREAM ($250 in the shop) or Your Best Face Hydrate B ($45 in the shop), does it take center stage. It is high time to swing our spotlight on niaciniamide.

So what’s so good about it? Actually a lot. Niancinamide is a Herculean multitasker that tackles wrinkles, uneven skin tone, acne, melasma and hyperpigmentation. And there’s a ton of research to back up claims. Indeed, it has been described as "one of the best studied cosmeceutical ingredients for anti-aging" (source)

How does niacinamide work?

Niacin, vitamin B3, is in beets, leafy vegetables, eggs, poultry and tuna. Once in the body, it converts to niacinamide. There, it becomes a precurser of the co-enzymes NADH and NADPH. These enzymes are essential for cell-energy production and lipid synthesis. Unfortunately, levels decline with age. Fortunately, niancinamide is proven to reverse that decline. The nomenclature can get a bit confusing. Niacinamide is also known as nicotinamide, and niacin is also known as nicotinic acid. Nia-24, an anti-aging skincare range, majors on a proprietary form of niacin called Pro-Niacin. Still, it all boils down to vitamin B. However, for cosmetic purposes, it is best to look for niacinamide, as nicotinic acid can cause flushing and irritation.

OK, but is it really the B all and end all multitasker? Yes! Niacinamide gets involved in more than 40 cellular biochemical reactions. Thus, niacinamide has the potential to exert multiple effects on skin (source), including antioxidant, improving epidermal barrier function, reducing skin hyperpigmentation, as well as fine lines and wrinkles.

According to the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, niacinamide leads to an increase in protein synthesis (e.g. keratin), has a stimulating effect on ceramide synthesis and on aging skin, improves the surface structure, smooths out wrinkles and inhibits photocarcinogenesis. Niacinamide regulates cell metabolism and regeneration (source)

Niacinamide as an anti-ager

A 2003 study on 50 women aged 40 to 60 added niacinamide at 5% to a moisturizer and found “significant improvements” to fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation spots, texture, and red blotchiness. And a 2004 study using 5% niacinamide for 12 weeks, showed "significant improvements versus control in end points evaluated previously: fine lines/wrinkles, hyperpigmentation spots, texture, and red blotchiness. In addition, skin yellowing (sallowness) versus control was significantly improved" (source).

Various studies have shown that niancinamide stimulates collagen. It may also decrease the appearance of wrinkles by reducing excess dermal glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).

Niacinamide for acne

If you suffer from adult acne and are also concerned about aging skin, then niacinamide is an ingredient that could be your new best friend. One study has shown that niacinamide at a 4% concentration can reduce that severity of moderate inflammatory acne. However, MedLine Plus (a service of the US National Library of Medicine) says that there is “insufficient evidence to rate its effectiveness.” This seems a little unfair since a Turkish study also got good results, and in North Carolina researchers found that niacinamide may modulate the production of sebum. The same team also found that it helped with rosacea. There are a ton of other citations that have helpfully been posted on the Acne.org message boards.

Niacinamide for skin lightening

In a study on the treatment of melasma, niacinamide at 4% did almost as well as hydroquinone with fewer people experiencing side effects. Another study also showed that niacinamide can “significantly” decrease hyperpigmentation, although it must be noted that it was paid for by Procter & Gamble, owners of Olay.

I was also very excited to see research demonstrating that ultrasound with a skin-lightening gel (consisting of niacinamide and vitamin C) reduced hyperpigmention.

Niacinamid as a moisturizer

A Japanese study found that topical application of nicotinamide increased ceramide and free fatty acid levels in the stratum corneum, thus decreaseing transepidermal water loss in dry skin (source).