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Niacinamide sounds like a beauty brand’s chemistry-lab invention (just us?), but the increasingly popular skin-care ingredient is actually just a form of vitamin B3. Niacinamide benefits on the other hand? Not so ordinary: They include potentially improving all kinds of skin concerns, from acne to hyperpigmentation to signs of aging.

You might see niacinamide pop up in a topical product and in supplement form (we’ll explain the differences between the two and any potential side effects below) and wonder which one to choose. Or maybe you already grabbed a product with niacinamide off the Sephora shelf without 100% certainty of its potential perks. If you aren’t quite sure what niacinamide is or what it’s doing in your moisturizer, you’re not alone. Here’s what you should know about niacinamide benefits—and how to use niacinamide—before adding it to your skin-care routine.

What is niacinamide? | What does niacinamide do for your skin? | Which ingredients can you combine with niacinamide? | How do you use niacinamide?

What is niacinamide?

Niacinamide, which is also called nicotinamide, is a form of vitamin B3 (niacin) found in supplements, skin-care products, and food. “Vitamin B3 is an antioxidant which is important for cell repair,” Snehal Amin, MD, board-certified dermatologist of MDCS Dermatology and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Weill-Cornell Medical College, tells SELF. Vitamin B3 in general is found in a variety of dietary sources, including poultry, legumes, and eggs. As such, deficiencies aren’t common in the U.S., according to Dr. Amin.

And then there’s niacinamide, the vitamin B3 compound. It’s often touted to help manage acne, rosacea, pigmentation issues, and wrinkles. But is there any science behind those claims?

Scientists theorize that niacinamide may be effective in skin-care products because it’s a precursor to two super-important co-enzymes within your cells: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+/NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+). Both of these molecules are central to the chemical reactions that your cells—including skin cells—need to repair damage, reproduce, and function normally. Many of these essential reactions can’t occur at all without NAD+, which your cells can’t make without niacinamide.¹

By giving your body niacinamide, the theory is that it allows you to make more NAD+, John G. Zampella, MD, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Perelman department of dermatology at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. NAD+ then fuels your cells to proliferate and also allows your body to absorb and neutralize more free radicals (unstable molecules that can damage cells).

In other (less confusing) words, the ability to potentially help your body create more NAD+ and, therefore, repair damage is thought to be the root of niacinamide’s potential skin-care benefits in both topical and even potentially supplement form. There’s also evidence that topical niacinamide can increase the production of ceramides (lipids that help maintain the skin’s protective barrier), which may contribute to its topical effects on wrinkles, fine lines, and the skin’s moisture barrier.² All of this is probably why you’re seeing niacinamide listed in a bunch of skin-care products.

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What does niacinamide do for your skin?

If niacinamide is involved in most important cell functions, then there’s nothing it can’t cure, right? Well, no—if every cellular process in our bodies could be perfected with vitamin supplements, we wouldn’t need antibiotics or radiation therapy. That said, oral and topical niacinamide may have some actual benefits for skin health:

Skin cancer prevention:

Ask a dermatologist what niacinamide does best, and the very first niacinamide benefit they’ll list is probably “skin cancer prevention.” In a 2015 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers gave 386 patients 500 mg of oral niacinamide or a placebo twice daily for a whole year. All of the participants had at least two non-melanoma skin cancers within the previous five years and, therefore, were at a high risk for developing another skin cancer. Results showed that during the study, there were 23% fewer new cases of skin cancer in the group that received niacinamide (336 cancers) compared to those who got the placebo (463 cancers).³

Both Dr. Zampella and Laura Ferris, MD, PhD, associate professor in the department of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh, told SELF they frequently suggest oral niacinamide to their patients with a high risk for non-melanoma skin cancers, and cited this study as the reason why.

This doesn’t mean that two niacinamide capsules a day (which is what participants took in the study) will stave off skin cancer forever, though. The study focused on people who had experienced skin cancer before—not the general public. And it doesn’t tell us anything about using niacinamide to help prevent melanoma skin cancers (and the research we do have suggests it’s more helpful for preventing squamous cell carcinoma).⁴ But if you’ve had multiple non-melanoma skin cancers in your life, you should ask your dermatologist about oral niacinamide.

So, there is some evidence that oral niacinamide can be helpful for skin health in this specific situation. But is topical niacinamide helpful too?

Acne, rosacea, and other inflammatory skin conditions:

Niacinamide’s anti-inflammatory properties make it an attractive treatment for skin conditions marked by inflammation, like acne. “Topical niacinamide may be used as a component of a multi-step acne regimen,” Stephanie Trovato, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF. (Of course, an effective acne regimen is unique to each person, so it’s probably best, if you’re able, to see a board-certified dermatologist to figure out what makes sense for you.) In fact, a study published in 2013 in the International Journal of Dermatology found that a topical preparation of 4% niacinamide significantly improved moderate acne when applied twice daily for eight weeks.⁵

Research from 2006 published in the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy suggests that topical 2% niacinamide may also inhibit the production of oil, which could be beneficial for some people dealing with acne (some study participants identified as Japanese and others as caucasian).⁶ Plus, both dermatologists we talked to say that niacinamide is relatively non-irritating compared to other acne treatments, such as a retinoid or salicylic acid, making it an especially attractive option for people with dry or sensitive skin.

In addition to topical preparations, oral niacinamide supplements have been shown to reduce inflammation associated with mild to moderate rosacea and acne, particularly when oral antibiotics aren’t an option.⁷ But according to both Dr. Zampella and Dr. Ferris, the key words here are “mild to moderate.” They advise that severe cases usually call for stronger medications like retinoid treatments or systemic steroids in the case of acne, not vitamins.

There’s also evidence that topical niacinamide can help repair the function of the stratum corneum, the protective outer layer of skin, which adds to its anti-inflammatory effects.⁸

Pigmentation issues, fine lines, and wrinkles:

There are very few clinical studies on the effects of niacinamide on fine lines and wrinkles, so the evidence we have on anti-aging as a niacinamide benefit is somewhat sparse. But there are a few studies. For instance, in one study published in 2004 in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, researchers had 50 women (who were all white and between the ages of 40 and 60) apply a moisturizer containing 5% niacinamide to one half of their face and a placebo moisturizer to the other half for 12 weeks. Their results showed that the halves of their faces receiving niacinamide had significant improvements in hyperpigmentation spots, fine lines, and wrinkles compared to the control side.⁹ Dr. Trovato echoes that niacinamide might improve hyperpigmentation by reducing the transfer of cells that cause the pigmentation, called melanocytes. While there’s no current research specifically on niacinamide’s effectiveness in general on melanin-rich skin, it’s likely that it would be able to reduce sun damage and dark spots because of its ability to reduce melanin production, Dr. Amin says.

Another split-face study, this one published in 2011 in Dermatology Research and Practice, found that a topical 4% niacinamide treatment was effective for treating melasma over eight weeks in 27 participants. Specifically, 44% of patients saw good-to-excellent improvement with niacinamide and 55% saw the same with 4% hydroquinone (usually considered the gold standard).¹⁰ So while the niacinamide was slightly less effective overall, it came with fewer side effects (present in 18% of participants) than the hydroquinone (present in 29%).

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Which ingredients can you combine with niacinamide?

However, niacinamide is more frequently studied in combination with other topical medications, not on its own, which makes it difficult to know how effective it might be by itself. Based on the available evidence, well-studied options like prescription retinoids (and sunscreen!) or other antioxidants, like vitamin C, will probably do more for you than niacinamide if hyperpigmentation, fine lines, or wrinkles are your primary concerns. But if your skin is too sensitive to handle those other options, or you’re just looking for a gentler treatment for whatever reason, niacinamide might be a helpful alternative.

“For example, the skin barrier protection that comes with niacinamide can offset the dryness and irritation that comes with retinol products,” Dr. Amin says. Niacinamide works in a similar way with salicylic acid, which can also be drying to your skin. And while it's safe to combine niacinamide with vitamin C, too, the combination may lead to irritation in some people, he adds.

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How do you use niacinamide in skin care?

Adding topical niacinamide to your skin-care routine is simple and low-risk: Buy a product that contains it, such as a hydrating face mask, and apply as directed. Some people experience some mild irritation, which will likely go away with repeated use. (If it doesn’t, or you have any questions about what kind of side effects you’re experiencing, definitely check in with your derm to make sure you don’t end up with something more serious.)

Dr. Amin gives you the green light to use niacinamide for skin care every day, particularly in a daytime moisturizer. Most major studies that we’ve cited here used topical preparations containing 2-10% niacinamide, so look for a product in that range if you can—Dr. Amin suggests a concentration of 5% to see any anti-aging or hyperpigmentation improvement. If you’re looking for a moisturizer with niacinamide, you may want to check out CeraVe PM Face Moisturizer ($21), and Dr. Zampella also recommends The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum ($6).

There isn’t a prescription version of topical niacinamide, but your dermatologist may be able to add it to topical prescriptions in a process called compounding. According to Dr. Ferris, if you go through a pharmacy that specializes in compounded medications, it could be cheaper than a generic. The actual cost depends on your insurance and the compounding pharmacies in your area, so be sure to ask your dermatologist for more information.

Some dermatologists feel that topical niacinamide is overall more effective. “For skin-care concerns, topical application has more of a direct effect on skin appearance and is safer than oral supplements,” Dr. Amin says. If you decide to take an oral niacinamide supplement because you are at high risk for certain skin cancers or are deficient in vitamin B3, you should cap your dose at 35 mg daily, Dr. Amin says. Exceeding that could result in liver toxicity—symptoms include skin flushing and/or tingling, nausea, and vomiting.

In general, you’re safe with topical niacinamide, no matter what skin type you have, according to Dr. Amin. That said, “people with allergic tendencies may experience a flushing reaction due to histamine release. And burning, redness, skin irritation, and itching are skin reactions that sometimes occur with topical application,” he adds. This might happen when you apply around sensitive areas, like your eyes, but, again, your skin should build up a tolerance to using niacinamide over time.

You can use niacinamide in your skin-care routine on a long-term basis, specifically if you’re using it for anti-aging concerns, Dr. Amin says. “Studies have shown that after 12 weeks, there is an improvement in fine lines, wrinkles, skin elasticity, and skin tone,” he adds. Other studies show that a 5% concentration of niacinamide benefits hyperpigmentation after potentially just four weeks.¹¹

Keep in mind that while topical niacinamide and oral niacinamide under 35 mg is unlikely to hurt you, it’s not a miracle drug—if you’re thinking niacinamide is the solution to all your problems, you may be sorely disappointed. “Not everything that’s red on your face is going to be acne or rosacea,” Dr. Ferris reminds us, “so make sure you have the right diagnosis before trying to come up with a treatment plan.” A dermatologist can help you decide if niacinamide is worth trying or if there’s another option that may be better for you and your skin.

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