A good skincare regime is all about cherry-picking the right ingredients for your skin and religiously following them. Amidst cleaning, toning, and moisturizing your skin, you can add certain other components to accentuate the natural beauty of your skin. One such ingredient that most people swear by nowadays is niacinamide. It has become a staple in our skincare vanity and can do wonders if persistently applied on the skin. This nutrient is a boon for the skin and is used to treat a variety of skin issues.

Health Shots got in touch with Dr Kiran Sethi, a skin and wellness specialist, to understand the importance of niacinamide in everyday skincare.

What is niacinamide?

“Niacinamide is Vitamin B3, and it is a wonderful topical B complex vitamin. Firstly, and most importantly, it reduces oil secretion in most people with oily-skin. So, when used in quantities of about 5 per cent at the right pH of around 5-6, it can reduce the amount of oil our skin secretes. Further, it can help reduce your pore size. In all, it leads to smaller pores with less oil,” says Dr Sethi.

Further, she adds, “Another thing niacinamide is really helpful with is that it can aid in reducing pigmentation, and it can also curb issues like inflammation which often cause pigmentation on the skin. So, not only it treats the cause, but it can also help curb the underlying issues that surface.”

How can niacinamide be used daily?

This ingredient can be used once or twice a day as it is perfectly safe and gentle, and it does not irritate the skin if formulated correctly, as per the expert. If found in face washes or cleansers, it is not proven to show that much efficacy. Hence, she suggests using it more in the way of leave-on applications in the way of serums for effective results.

Recently, Dr Rashmi Shetty, a dermatologist, shared a reel on her social media to tell how this ingredient can be combined with other skincare ingredients.

Day Routine:

She prefers keeping it simple during the day and minimizes layering. Therefore, if somebody wishes to use niacinamide during the day, following the layering order gives optimum results.

Niacinamide> Moisturiser> SPF

Night routine:

At night, based on your concerns, here are a few great niacinamide combinations:

• For dull skin: Niacinamide + Vitamin C
• For hydration: Niacinamide + Hyaluronic acid
• For anti-ageing: Niacinamide + Retinol
• For anyone with pigmentation issues: Niacinamide + Moisturizer during the day
• Niacinamide + Vitamin C at dusk
• Niacinamide + Retinol at night
• Niacinamide with other products

It can be found in your moisturizer and sunscreen as long as it is in the right percentage of 3-5 per cent. It can also be used with retinol to treat acne scars and marks. It will always deliver the results when it is formulated correctly. Persistent usage will lead to reduced oil secretion and pore size with brighter skin. It will always lead to fruitful results when paired with the right skin product.

Individual benefits of niacinamide

Some of the benefits of niacinamide include:

1. Build immunity

Niacinamide maintains the keratin, a type of protein, of the skin to keep it firm and healthy.

2. Reduces redness and blotchiness

Niacinamide helps curb inflammation which can be caused due to eczema, acne, or other inflammatory conditions.

3. Regulates sebum secretion

It is not just the dry skin beauties that benefit from moisture retention in the skin, but  also this wonder ingredient regulates the amount of oil our sebaceous glands produce and prevent them from going overboard.

4. Guard against oxidative stress

It helps to keep up with the cells in the skin while protecting it from environmental problems like sunlight, toxins, and pollution.