Why is niacinamide a must-have ingredient in your skin care products?

The world of beauty crowns news for mornings as innovative anti-aging stars, which promise to work miracles and wonders for skin that bears the signs of time. But if there is an active ingredient that everyone agrees is indeed effective, it is niacinamide. Despite its somewhat scary name, niacinamide is actually an active derivative of vitamin B3. This made the transition from the world of nutritional supplements to the world of beauty and has recently emerged as the hottest star of the cosmetics industry. Vitamin B is a general name for a group of water-soluble vitamins, which includes six vitamins that differ from each other in structure and function. Together they help produce energy in the body and contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system. This group also participates in the production process of the red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the various organs.

Who are you vitamin B3?

Vitamin B3 (niacin or nicotinic acid), is one of the six vitamins in the vitamin B group. This vitamin is considered one of the most essential for human health. It helps produce energy from food and is involved in the metabolism of proteins and blood sugar. A lack of it may cause a disease called pellagra that causes fatigue, sensitivity to sunlight and skin inflammation, while an excess of it leads to redness, and worse, nausea and dizziness. Since the 1940s, over 50 states in the US have required food companies to enrich basic foods such as flour, grains and oats with niacin, in order to prevent a nutritional deficiency in them. The ingredient has reached the field of cosmetics, such as which often happens in the industry, only after discovering its beneficial effect in other areas, while trying to take advantage of it and bring it into an application that will benefit the aging of the skin.

Magic ingredient. indeed?

Niacinamide, known as the "magic ingredient", the amide form (compound) of niacin, recently stars in a variety of cosmetic preparations and is (rightly) considered one of the most promising, active and versatile ingredients in their abilities to improve the skin. "Since niacin is soluble in water, its penetration into the skin is poor, while the level of stimulation it provides to the skin is high," says Liora Hitron, owner of the cosmetics brand Anna Lotan, and elaborates: "Therefore, it is less suitable for inclusion in skin care products. 

At the same time, we tend to encounter a lot of cosmetic use recently, in the amide version of niacin. In dermatology, this derivative was studied many years ago and is an accepted component for the treatment of some inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, there are manufacturers that also include a component called Myristyl Nicotinate in their preparations.

It is an oil-soluble derivative of vitamin B3 niacin, which, thanks to its effective penetration into the skin, is attributed with the potential for more significant cosmetic effects, for example thickening the skin, renewing the epidermal cells, accelerating metabolism and smoothing the skin, while improving the ability to retain moisture and increasing the effectiveness of other ingredients incorporated in the cosmetic formulas." .

"Niacinamide is considered an important component in the anti-aging industry," declares Dr. Lahvit Ackerman, an expert in dermatology and explains: "The question is, do we really understand what exactly this substance does in the skin." According to her, recently a group of researchers from the French company Pierre Fabre discovered that one of the reasons for the chronological aging of the skin is due to the damage to the DNA of the fibroblasts (cells found in the connective tissue that build the fibers). This damage leads to the aging of the cells. 

"Once we succeed in rejuvenating the cells themselves and making them produce more collagen and repair damage that has accumulated in the skin, it will look younger, and this is exactly what niacinamide does at the cellular level," says Dr. Ackerman and adds that "various studies indicate that niacinamide extends the lifespan of fibroblast cells . This current information is considered a cosmetic innovation, because it has been understood that niacinamide allows cells to remain younger and more active over time. It should be noted that at the same time as the need to repair the damaged fibroblasts, there is also the need to treat the enzymes required for their repair, since over the years they become less effective. In this aspect, the involvement of niacinamide is necessary and is a co-factor of DNA repair enzymes because niacinamide turns into NAD plus, thus extending the lifespan of the cells and delaying their entry into aging."

What will niacinamide do to your skin and how will you use it effectively and safely?

"The use of niacinamide ranges from 0.01% to 10%," says Sharon Gertler, VP of Research and Development at Dr. Fisher's factories. "There are individual products in the world intended for application to the face with an active niacinamide concentration of 20%, but given the risk of sensitivity that may manifest itself in redness, a feeling of warmth and irritation, their use is not recommended for everyone." Gertler also points out that "the concentrations of niacinamide that have been studied over the years for topical application (on the skin) range from 2%-5% and have results that indicate diverse benefits, starting with protecting the skin barrier, through providing moisture, as an antiaging component to improve the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and For improving skin texture and as a treatment for pigmentation and oily skin. Using lower concentrations than these will help nourish the skin." 

Gertler: "In order to obtain effective results, it is recommended to use concentrations that have been researched, tested and proven to be effective. Also, the concentration of the component must be adjusted to the nature of the use and its purpose. Although niacinamide is considered safe to use even in high concentrations relative to other active ingredients in cosmetics, however, in some cases and /or in high concentrations, especially among people with sensitive skin, its use may cause sensitivity and skin irritation, therefore it is recommended to start with a low concentration and for the first experience - by applying a small amount, and it is important that an increase in the concentration of niacinamide (for example from 5% to 10%) is done gradually And only if there is a real need for a higher concentration."

"It is important to understand that therapeutic cosmetics do not have one miracle ingredient," points out Chava Zingboim, owner of a professional brand that bears her name. "My recommendation is to check the entire formula and make sure that all the other components in the preparation do indeed support the defined therapeutic goal of the preparation and its purpose. The common active concentrations of niacinamide range from 5%-10% in a cream or serum, and we have been using both niacinamide and nicotinamide in our preparations for over a decade. Both in the use in the clinic and in the formulas intended for the consumer to use at home, when each formula includes, in addition to niacinamide, additional components that support activity and the indication according to the defined general therapeutic goal."

"Niacinamide has many cosmetic virtues and among them is also a wonderful ability to help lock in moisture and keep away infections or other potential irritants, which makes the skin more moist and less sensitive," says Hani Hershko, beautician and owner of the Hani Cosmetics brand. "In addition, because of its ability to relieve inflammation, it may be suitable for soothing redness in the skin as a result of acne, rosacea or eczema, and also for the relaxation sometimes required due to the use of powerful cosmetic ingredients such as retinol or glycolic acid, which removed the dead cells from the stratum corneum and created sensitivity in the skin.

Another important advantage lies in the synergy of niacinamide with other cosmetic ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, retinol, silicylic acid and even with vitamin C. Specifically for the latter, and despite the explanation that it cannot be combined with niacinamide in cosmetic formulas, because such a combination cancels the activity of one of the other, After all, recent studies indicate that the two components can be integrated together without affecting their effectiveness, as long as the acidity levels (pH) in the formula are well monitored."

Enrich the skin with oxygen

"Niacinamide is considered an anti-inflammatory component," says Dafna Kinks, director of training at the Estee Lauder Group, and adds: "In many cases, it has demonstrated the ability to effectively counteract a variety of free radicals. In addition, it enriches the skin with oxygen, and as we know, oxygen is the essence of life, because every living cell Needs oxygen for its existence. Niacinamide also maintains moisture levels and in various tests it has shown effectiveness in repairing the epidermal barrier (the outermost layer of the skin) being essential for the production of keratin and filagrin proteins, which build and strengthen the skin. It is also effective as an inhibitor of glycation (yellowing of the skin which appears with chronological aging), and it provides protection against sun damage and contributes to a healthy, balanced and even skin appearance and texture."

No more stains!

In addition to all its properties, niacinamide also works to reduce melanin production by inhibiting the transition of melanosomes to the keratinocyte cells, therefore it is considered an effective component for treating existing skin spots and preventing the development of future pigmentation. In general, the cosmetic treatment of pigmentation is divided into two - preventing spots by protecting from the sun's rays and using substances that slow down the production of melanin, alongside the use of preparations that break down the pigment that is already present by various means. In this aspect, the cosmetics industry, which provides a variety of preparations for the treatment of pigmentation spots, has undergone a fundamental change, and today much more innovative products, materials and processes are offered, working on the way the pigment is produced with increased effectiveness and a minimum of time.

Last year it was the dermo-cosmetics brand La Roche-Posay, which revealed innovation when it launched its niacinamide 10 serum. This serum contains a concentration of 10% pure niacinamide to treat dark spots, pigmentation marks and prevent their recurrence. Recently, L'Oréal Paris also launched BRIGHT REVEAL, a series based on niacinamide for spot treatment. The face serum from this series also contains a concentration of 10% niacinamide and amino acid, which aim to fight the dark spots caused by post-acne marks, sun spots, age spots and hormonal spots. The highlight of the series - a peeling mask containing an active concentration of 25% of peeling ingredients to blur scars, post-acne and dark spots. In contrast to the traditional mechanical peeling products, which are designed to renew the skin's surface by removing the top layer of dead cells using ground grains, the mask in question, despite containing alcohol, is based on a formula of alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), beta hydroxy acids (BHA) and polyhydroxy acids (PHA) - and not on granules or crystals known from the peeling products for home use. 

Along with the acids, as mentioned, the niacinamide component was also incorporated so that the mask acts to remove the cells in an enzymatic manner that mimics nature. This figure allows avoiding the scratching of the stratum corneum typical of granule-based peeling preparations and provides the user with a uniform result, which is not necessarily achieved when scrubbing the skin with granule-based peeling preparations.

The niacinamide trap

Many cosmetic ingredients get the respect they deserve thanks to their multitasking. Such is niacinamide, but despite the high hype around it, it must be emphasized that its high concentration in cosmetic use may cause a side effect, tingling, redness and even the appearance of an allergy, especially in people who are sensitive to it. In addition, due to its great popularity in the cosmetic field, a situation may arise in which a consumer uses several preparations containing niacinamide at the same time, and thus there is actually no concentration control on the dosage of the component.

"Even if it is a very safe cosmetic component, reactions of redness or dryness may sometimes appear," says Dr. Monica Allman, the medical director of the Maccabi Aesthetics network, and clarifies: "Stopping the use of the preparation will stop the process. It is also important to emphasize that despite its many virtues, niacinamide is not considered a magic ingredient. This is definitely a well-known component in aesthetic dermatology and it is indeed considered a cosmetic that can help with pigmentation conditions, but with all due respect, it does not have the power to eliminate hard spots or melasma (hormonal spots). My recommendation is to apply it only in the evening. Also, care, persistence and above all patience are required, because improvement (not disappearance) of the spots requires at least six months of use. One way or another, if you use a preparation based on niacinamide, it is mandatory to protect yourself as the last step in the skincare routine with a radiation filter of SPF 40-50 and at the same time avoid as much as possible exposure to the sun and heat, including that emitted from baking ovens, dishwashers, ovens and saunas." 

So no, it is not a cosmetic miracle, but in an industry that often boasts of a variety of preparations, developments and ingredients that claim to work magic, it turns out that there are also active ingredients that are definitely more effective than others...