Your skin becomes prone to breakouts and other skin diseases as you age. Soothing the wrinkles, fading the dark spots, and even reversing the skin damage from years of UV exposure can be a lot of work.
According to research, niacinamide can do a lot of wonders in our skin, like revitalizing skin from the inside out, fighting photoaging, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, increasing collagen production for more youthful skin, and more. Let us give you an overview to help you understand this chemical’s power.
What Is Niacinamide?
You probably know your skincare ingredients by name, but have you ever taken some time to search about the properties of this ingredient? Unfortunately, it takes a lot of searches to get to know all the lists on the back of your skincare bottle, so let us help you cross one out.
Niacinamide is the component that you might have already encountered. According to Levin, J., & Momin, S. B. (2010), niacinamide is a type of Vitamin B3 used as a potent skincare ingredient. It complies with the “Kligman standard” and can be found mostly on topical creams, lotions, serums, and other skin care formulations.
What Is the “Kligman Standard”?
Kligman standard is one of the ways a skincare ingredient is analyzed. Albert Kligman is a dermatologist who started modern skincare. He devised this series of questions to understand the claims of specific components in the product. Here are the simplified questions of the standard:
- Does the active ingredient penetrate the skin?
- Does the used ingredient have a well-established biochemical activity?
- Does the component have a sufficient level of proof?
Best Skin Benefits of Niacinamide
Much research can back up the claims that this chemical helps our skin on a molecular level. Here are other Individual benefits of niacinamide:
Treats Acne
Acne is a condition that causes the skin to become inflamed, red, and sore. The main culprit is hormonal changes, stress, and over-washing. Niacinamide reduces inflammation like papules and pustules and helps form new cells in the skin.
Regulates Oil
There are different skin types, but the benefit of niacinamide is not subjective to oily or dry skin. Regulation of oil can be compromised, and sometimes genes play a role in this. Niacinamide regulates sebum production, leading to skin dryness, flaking, and breakouts.
Protects From UVA and UVB
Exposure to UVA and UVB rays is known to cause mutations in skin cells leading to cancer. Without protection, premature aging and other skin-related problem might result too. Niacinamide can concurrently rebuild healthy skin cells while protecting them from damage caused by ultraviolet rays.
Treats Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation can appear as brown, black, gray, red, or pink. It is a common condition that makes some areas of the skin darker than others. Niacinamide reduces the amount of melanin production, leading to a reduction in hyperpigmentation.
Minimizes Wrinkles
In a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Science, scientists tested the effects of niacinamide on wrinkles. They found that it minimizes wrinkles by up to 40 percent in eight weeks. It works by increasing collagen and keratin production, which optimizes skin elasticity.
Maintaining skin health can be challenging. SkinCeuticals for healthy skin and other products are available in the market to help you out on maintaining smoother skin. Thus, there’s no need to fret about mixing different formulations for your skincare.
Protect Your Skin
Understanding the ingredients list before you use it in skincare is necessary. Not all can tolerate different chemicals as the skin type is unique for everyone. Niacinamide can be seen with other skin care formulations, so patch testing to see if this chemical is for you should be your first step.
