If you’ve been following along with my DIY adventures, you may have seen that one of the ingredients I’ve added to my DIY moisturizer is niacinamide powder (aka Vitamin B3).
Let me tell you about why that is.
Why Niacinamide?
Well, the question is not so much why as why not?
It’s a totally natural ingredient without harmful side effects. The powder is pretty darn cheap. It’s very easy to add into the moisturizer you’re already using.
And studies say that using it topically does nothing but good things for healing acne and keeping the skin young.
In fact, niacinamide has so much going for it, I wouldn’t surprised if it becomes a serious staple for treating acne in the future.
Studies Say… Niacinamide for the Win!
There was a study that compared topical 4% niacinamide (called nicotinamide in the study, same thing) to the topical antibiotic clindamycin, for those suffering with inflamed acne.
It found that both worked pretty well but niacinamide worked even better without the side effects or antibiotic resistance of clindamycin.
Niacinamide decreased acne severity in 52% of patients, with a decrease of 60% of acne lesions. Nothing to sneeze at!
A 2005 study had 50 women with signs of aging apply a 5% niacinamide solution to one half of the face, and the placebo to the other half.
Analyses of the data revealed a variety of significant skin appearance improvement effects for topical niacinamide compared to the placebo: reductions in fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness (yellowing). In addition, elasticity (as measured via cutometry) was improved.
There have actually been quite a lot of studies on niacinamide beyond the two I just mentioned, all with positives results that indicate it is:
- An antioxidant – protects the skin from oxidative damage, which can lead to acne, aging, and more
- Anti-inflammatory – reduces the red nastiness that fuels acne
- Reduces excess sebum output
- Improves skin barrier function
- Heals red marks and evens out skin tone
- Stimulates collagen in the skin, which is what keeps your skin looking firm
Niacinamide Prevents Sebum Oxidation
I actually wrote about niacinamide once before because there is a theory that when the skin’s natural oil oxidizes (goes “off”) due to things like poor diet, sun burn, pollution, or other lifestyle factors, then that’s when it becomes comedogenic and starts to clog your pores.
Add hormones and other inflammation in there, and hello acne.
So if you use topical antioxidants in your skin care, it goes a long way to preventing that oxidation and stopping acne before it starts.
Niacinamide, of course, isn’t the only topical antioxidant that can do the trick, but it’s an easy one with strong evidence that it works for acne.
How to Use Topical Niacinamide in Your Skin Care
You can just buy the powder online, and then add a bit straight into your moisturizer and mix or shake it up. Or make your own moisturizer and add it (recommended).
The only thing is that niacinamide is water soluble, so your moisturizer does have to have a water based component. If you are just using straight oil to moisturize, it won’t dissolve.
That’s why I like to combine oil and aloe (which is water based) together, so then I can add all sorts of neat ingredients like this one!
How much niacinamide to add?
You’ll want to add it so that it’s at a concentration of about 5%. I found that for me using more than that made my skin feel kind of dry and almost itchy.
So if your moisturizer is 1 ounce of liquid, you would add a little over 1/4 of a teaspoon.
And which powder to buy?
Well, I wanted to buy this one from Bulk Supplements, but ended up having to buy this one because Bulk Supplements won’t ship to Canada. Seems to be working out just fine anyway.
What About Niacin Flush?
Just a last note – the vitamin niacin, when taken internally at higher doses, or when applied externally, has a reputation for causing something called the “niacin flush”. Which means it harmlessly makes your face flush red.
If you’ve heard of this, you might be feeling not so keen on niacin right now…
However, niacin when it’s in the niacinamide form doesn’t cause this. So not to worry!
Although some people actually get disappointed that niacinamide doesn’t cause it because they think that the flushing is what brings the anti-acne benefits. It doesn’t.
Have you used niacinamide in your skin care before? If so, what was your experience?
33 Responses
Hi Tracy,
Just adding another place that ships niacinamide powder to Canada (and is Canadian): Windy Point Soap Making. I order a bag a few days ago at a reasonable price. They also have fun stuff like green tea extract!
Oh awesome, great tip! I will have to check them out next time
Wow, Tracy, thanks for this info. I consider myself to be really well informed about skin care ingredients, but I was not familiar with this. Definitely sounds like it is worth checking out. I had read years ago about some studies done with B5 taken internally, but wasn’t familiar with B3 for acne.
I am currently using a rose hip oil with vitamin E added(which I have to store in the fridge), so If i just combine this with aloe and the niacinamide powder can/do I store in the fridge as well? Do you know if this changes the shelf life?
Also would I do half oil, half aloe and then 5% of it is powder? I am new to this mixing thing. Thanks!
Hi Sarah, if you are using aloe such as the green leaf naturals that already has a little preservative in it, you shouldn’t have to keep the mixture in the fridge. Although I’d still keep a smaller bottle in the bathroom with any excess in the fridge, and just refill as needed.
Technically it would be like… if you have one ounce of fluid, which equals 30 mL…. 5% of that would equal 1.5 mL of powder. Minus that from 30 and you get 28.5 … divide that in half… and you have 14.25 mL of aloe and 14.25 ML of oil.
However, it really wouldn’t make that much difference if you just used 15 mL of aloe and 15mL of oil and added the 5% powder on top.
Hi Tracey
Thanks for your post! I love your blog and it has been really helping me to get through a difficult skin phase this year since going of the oral contraceptive pill in Feb and then Proactiv in August. It’s been so helpful to watch your videos on the emotional side of acne … it’s helped me to realise I definitely struggle with anxiety and fear and has helped me to start changing my thinking from fear to self love.
I have been doing the caveman regimen for 3 months now although have worn makeup twice in that time and then washed my face with argan oil and water (both times my acne looked more inflamed and my skin looked clogged afterwards).. then I did a couple of papaya masks (1 per week) which also seemed to make my skin more inflamed.. so now I am back to just doing straight caveman, no water, no oil, no masks and have almost finished week 3 of this.. not sure if I can see an improvement yet.. but trying to be patient.
My acne is definitely hormonal – it’s mostly around my chin and jawline and on my upper back. On the pill my skin was really good. I tried Estroblock Pro for a couple of weeks to see if that would help but my skin started to get worse on my back and jawline so I’ve stopped that now.
I use a little concealer to attempt to cover spots on my face.. I’m wondering if I could put some niacinamide into a concealer to reduce the inflammation of the spot and help it heal faster. If so, can you suggest any good natural concealers or a homemade concealer recipe? I have been using a lilli lolo powder concealer but I think my skin is potentially reacting to zinc oxide at the moment and the powder also makes the dead skin mask looks worse.. so I’m thinking maybe a liquid concealer is better.
Thanks Tracey 🙂
Hi Jes, yes I don’t see why not if there is a water based component in the makeup. If the liquid part of it is only oil, it might not really dissolve. There’s a couple of liquid makeups on here, one concealer… https://thelovevitamin.com/19274/makeup-brands-acne-prone-skin/.. I’ve tried the one from bela mari, it’s pretty good
Paula’s choice has a really great niacinamide booster. I’ve been really enjoying it! I’ve noticed over time that it’s making my skin less oily and just softens my overall complexion
http://www.paulaschoice.com/shop/collections/Resist-Anti-Aging/solutions/_/Resist-Ten-Percent-Niacinamide-Booster
Hi Tracy!
Firts of all sorry for my English (I’m Spanish). And thanks for all your advices to treat and cure this condition.
I have very sensitive skin with redness and acne in my jawline and chin. I think it’s rosacea. And I would like to try niacinamide since I have tried before antibiotics, finacea, caveman régimen, a good diet. But nothing seems to work. It improves but never gets cured.
My question is that since aloe makes my skin red and itchy with what other thing could I mix niacinamide? My daily cream has citric acid in it so it’s not compatible with niacinamide, I think. And at night I use hemp seed oil, so it isn’t useful too. Could you advise me someting to mix with niacinamide compatible with sensitive skin?
Best regards and thanks a lot 🙂
Hi Laura,
Hopefully Tracy can get back to you, but in the meantime, I hope I can help out. To start, what Aloe product are you using? Of course, the most purest and best form of Aloe would be to rub a piece of the plant directly onto your skin. Now, if you purchase the cleanest of Aloe products, you’ll find that they typically include the following ingredients: Citric Acid, Xantham, and or Potassium Sorbate. Don’t panic, as these ingredients are neither toxic nor harmful to your health (you can and should always check brands and ingredients through the EWG website).
Tracy recommends the bottled aloe, because it already contains preservatives, it’s naturally water based and it actually makes it easier to mix with other ingredients than the actual plant.
So, it’s important to know the source of your issue with Aloe. What product did you use?
hi tracy 🙂
can i wash my face using aveeno??
im a combination skin type..
Thanks a lot 🙂
Hi,
While Aveeno is a respectable brand, you want to make sure you’re not allergic to Soy, as the brand uses this mild brightener in a lot of their products. Soy is a common for causing allergies/reactions. Have you ever considered an oil cleanser? I’d recommend one from perhaps Living Libations.
Best!
Hi Tracy,
Pls can I mix niacinamide in 55H+ lotion.
Hi Tracy,
Question. I purchased Amara Organics 100% natural Aloe on Amazon (which is an exact match of ingredients to another brand you mentioned on here). I also purchased the Bulk supplements Niacinamide powder- my question is this- will the absorbic acid in the aloe cancel out the benefits of the Niacinamide? I have heard you shouldn’t combine Vitamin C (or any of its derivatives) with B3? Just trying to decide if I should stick with Aloe plant Aloe and just make a new batch daily.
Thank you!
Hi Amy, good question. I also came across that and after looking into it for a while I decided it was okay in this case… like I wouldn’t add a Vitamin C component to my moisturizer for this reason, but there is only a tiny, tiny amount of ascorbic acid in the aloe (like 0.007%, meaning even lower percentage in the overall concoction you’re making), compared to say 5% niacinamide. So I don’t think there is enough ascorbic acid to really matter
So, if I also wanted to add vitamin C (and vitamin E) powder, how much of each would you recommend
How long does the topical take to see results?
About 4-6 weeks twice a day, depending on the severity of your skin. I made a serum and bought the ponds cream and added another 1/8 tsp. to the cream. I could see results starting around 4 weeks, some people can see sooner.??
Oh and I used it for dark spots on my face, not for acne, lol accutane took care of that. It did dry up a white head I could never get to go away no matter how many brands of creams/serums I used, that was supposed to be for whiteheads.
Hi, i’d like to know if it is okay to use a toner that contains some lactic acid in it and then follow with an aloe-based serum that contains 5% niacinamide – i’ve read that Niacinamide and Vit C should not be used together, what about using AHAs before or after Niacinamide?
I just made your moisturizer and used it tonight. My entire face and neck turned bright red and itched bad. After reading about the niacin flush I’m wondering if that’s what it was. I freaked out and washed it off bc I thought maybe I was allergic to the msm powder. (I’m allergic to sulfa drugs) but after reading about it I’m wondering if it wasn’t the flush or maybe too much aloe? What are your thoughts on this? Thank you!
Hi Jamie — Do you normally have sensitive skin? Sometimes if you have very sensitive skin some of this stuff might be too much at first, including the aloe. I would test each ingredient on a patch on your arm to figure out which one it was!
Thank you for your quick response! I don’t normally have sensitive skin that’s why I was shocked. I’m going to try the arm patch test tomorrow and will let you know. Thanks for the help!
can I just mix it with water and apply it on my face?Without using any oils or anything else?
Can I just mix it with water and apply it on my face?
yep it’s water soluble so it should work ok
but when i mix it with water,some minute particles of niacinamide doesn’t seem to mix properly and float,is that normal?where am I going wrong?
I just add 1g of niacinamide powder to 20 ml of water and one drop of glycerine and mix them.
but when i mix it with water,some minute particles of niacinamide doesn’t seem to mix properly and float,is that normal?where am I going wrong?
I just add 1g of niacinamide powder to 20 ml of water and one drop of glycerine and mix them.
Hey Tracey,
While I love the enthusiasm about Niacinamide (my favorite skincare active ingredient; ideal 5%), simply mixing into moisturizer or water-based product won’t work. 🙁
First reason, yes Niacinamide is very water-soluble. However, simply dissolving Niacin. powder into water/water-base and topically applying it doesn’t do anything. Your skin is made of lipids (or “oil” “fat”). Water + Oil = do not mix.
The Niacinamide will not penetrate the skin at all. You typically need a solvent: glycols like Ethoxydiglycol, Butylene, etc) or Dimethyl Isosorbide (the best). This allows the dissolved Niacinamide to penetrate deeper down into the skin tissue. It’s very unlikely any finished product would contain enough solvent to accommodate adding 5% more volume (Niacinamide) to it’s formula.
Secondly, while not much risk with adding Nia. to moisturizers (as they are pretty neutral in pH) – Niacinamide is VERY pH sensitive (needs to be around 6). Be careful what you are adding the Nia. into… anything acidic in pH (like witch hazel, any AHA/BHA exfoliant, Vit C) will cause the Nia. to react & give you that niacin flush face burn.
And unless you have 0.0-6.0 litmus paper laying around the house, it’s impossible to know a product’s final pH.
I highly recommend getting into DIY. Niacinamide serums are by far one of the easiest thing to make. My personal favorite: Distilled Water, Dimethyl Isosorbide 5% (or Ethoxy 10%, but DMI is best), drops of Triethanolomine/Citric Acid solution (to get pH =~6, as most solvents like those are acidic), any thickener or gelling polymer at all (I like Pre-Neutralized Carbomer 0.5%, Hyaluronic Acid 1%, GelMaker EMU, the list goes on), Preservative (Liquid Germall Plus).
Succinctly, that’s: Distilled Water q.s. + Dimethyl Iso 5% + TEA/Citric Acid + Niacinamide 5% + Any thickener/geller + Liquid Germall Plus 0.5%. All can be purchased very cheaply off LotionCrafter.
Ta ta for now! If you really want your Niacinamide 5% to pack a punch, combine it with 3% N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG).
Great info Natalie, thank you!
Does a solution of niacinamide 5%,2 drops of glycerine and water work?
I love your DIY recommendation and want to mix your recipe, but need measurements. Can you provide measurements vs percentages? Thanks
Hi Tracy,
I was wondering if using niacinamide makes your skin dependent on it. Are there any side effects or loss of results if you stop using niacinamide? Does the skin go back to how it was before or get worse?