Niacinamide Is the Biggest Cheat Code in Skin Care

When it comes to better skin, niacinamide feels like a hack. A cheat. A skin care shortcut that should come with drawbacks and downsides. And yet niacinamide, a variant of vitamin B3, only brings benefits to your dialed-in regimen. It smooths, soothes, moisturizes, and repairs. It works on almost all skin types. And unlike other, more hyped skin care super-ingredients, niacinamide doesn’t really have any negatives.

The Niacinamide Shopping Guide

• The Best Moisturizer with Niacinamide: Jack Black SPF 30 mineral moisturizer, $35
• The Best Niacinamide Serum: Drunk Elephant niacinamide 5% serum, $38
• The Best Niacinamide Night Cream: CeraVe night cream with niacinamide, $15
• The Best Niacinamide Spot Treatment: Neutrogena niacinamide 10% resurfacing serum, $19
• The Best Dark Spot Patch with Niacinamide: Peace Out dark spot patches (12 pack), $28
• The Best Eye Cream with Niacinamide: Blind Barber eye cream, $20
• The Best Niacinamide Booster: Paula's Choice niacinamide 10% booster, $49
• The Best Concealer with Niacinamide: LiveTinted fortified serum concealer, $26

See, most active skincare ingredients require a list of caveats—maybe they have the potential to irritate your skin, or could lead to unwanted effects if combined with other products. Maybe they work well only for specific skin types. Niacinamide, though, needs no warnings or asterisks. It’s the quiet MVP who shows up, puts in the time, and makes the whole squad better. Hell, niacinamide even plays nice with that skin care diva, retinol.

And one more benefit: niacinamide is available in a raft of great men’s skin care products— serums, moisturizers, spot treatments, and beyond—and belongs in even the simplest skin care regimen. We’ve turned up our favorite niacinamide-infused skin care stars below.

But first, let us explain a little better what makes niacinamide a real no-brainer.

How Niacinamide strengthens your skin

Like we already mentioned, niacinamide’s strengths can best be summed up as: delivering all the good things your skin desires. It’s a naturally occurring antioxidant found in fish, nuts, and mushrooms with two real powers that absorbs deeply into skin, and (according to studies) seems to help boost the production of NAD+ and NADP+, co-enzymes that factor into cellular reproduction, function, and repair. (That’s an educated guess—scientists aren’t 100 percent certain exactly how niacinamide leads to all the soothing, smoothing, and restoration.) In keeping with niacinamide’s all-killer, no-filler ethos, there aren’t really any cons. So let’s talk about what exactly it’ll do for you.

1. Niacinamide strengthens the skin’s defenses: If your body’s a nightclub, your skin is the doorman. Niacinamide stops riff raff from ruining the good vibes by counteracting the effects of toxins (like, say, air pollution), UV rays, and bacteria.

2. Niacinamide brings a clearer complexion: Dermatology pros call it a skincare “smoother,” which sounds like a mafioso job played by Joe Pesci, but actually refers ro niacinamide’s ability to improve your skin’s appearance. Specifically, by minimizing the appearance of pores, reducing wrinkles and fine lines, and lessening hyperpigmentation such as dark spots and acne marks.

3. Niacinamide helps regulate oil production: If you’re struggling with frustratingly oily skin, there’s no substitute for a toner or salicylic acid. That said, as an everyday (multiple-times-a-day) ingredient, niacinamide helps regulate sebum, which leads to fewer clogged pores or unsightly lens flares when your shiny forehead catches the light in a Zoom meeting.

4.Niacinamide can reduce redness: Add “anti-inflammatory” to the wonder ingredient’s resumé. Niacinamide helps your skin recover from razor burn and softens the effects of conditions like rosacea or inflammatory acne. For the latter you should still talk to a dermatologist about more targeted treatments, but making sure your everyday regimen brings some niacinamide to the fight should help.

How to add niacinamide to your regimen

For what are now obvious reasons, niacinamide shows up in just about every category of product you’ll find lining the skincare aisle. It’s worth knowing that the generally-accepted effective concentration is around 5%, going no lower than 2% to get niacinamide’s benefits. Anything 10% and above is pretty aggressive, and could lead to effects like over-eager oil production or redness unless you’re using the product to tackle a specific condition. At that level, it’s worth talking to your dermatologist first. And remember to be patient: as with many of skincare’s most helpful active ingredients, you’ll start seeing results in a month or two (with continued improvement) so long as you stay consistent.

Moisturizers

Plenty of daily moisturizers contain small concentrations of niacinamide, which makes them an easy way to get a little of the ingredient’s good work in your everyday regimen. Particularly if you’re prone to redness or irritation, like from shaving.

Targeted Serums

If you want what niacinamide’s offering, find a deep-penetrating serum like Drunk Elephant’s, with its 5% concentration. As with any serum, apply it before your moisturizer at least once a day (but why not twice?). Serums more effectively into skin, getting all those vitamin B3 blessings down where they can work harder.

Night Creams

Too many men are missing out on the benefits of an overnight moisturizer. Like highway crews laying asphalt at one a.m., night creams—traditionally denser and more nutrient-packed than daytime moisturizers—get more work done by boosting your skin’s natural overnight regeneration and healing.

Targeted Treatments

Whether you have a single pesky dark spot or you’d just like an all-over more even complexion, work a niacinamide-augmented spot treatment into your lineup. Apply it to clean skin after a serum (if you’re using one)(and you should) but before any moisturizer, night cream, or SPF. Not to be a broken record, but expect a month or more before you see the effects—but you will get there if you keep up with the plan.

Dark Spot Patches

Similar to acne patches, these stickers pump a high concentration of ingredients into a single spot to fast-track fading. In the case of Peace Out’s microneedle patches, four applications over two weeks should noticeably brighten spots.

Eye Creams

The thin, fragile skin around your eyes needs more than what a daily moisturizer can offer. Niacinamide’s smoothing, soothing effect really comes in handy here.

Boosters

No need to overhaul your skincare regimen or ditch medicine cabinet favorites: boosters are a DIY way to add niacinamide to a product you own and love. Just mix a drop or two into a moisturizer or serum.

Fortified Concealers

The best concealers aren’t there to just cover up the problem—they’re part of the solution, fuel your skin’s rejuvenation with active ingredients like niacinamide.