Niacinamide

Introduction

What is niacinamide?

Niacinamide or nicotinamide is the active form of Vitamin B3, which is also known as niacin or nicotinic acid. Vitamin B3 is found in many foods including dairy products, eggs, enriched breads and cereals, fish, lean meats, legumes, nuts and poultry (R).

Does niacinamide get absorbed?

Niacinamide is readily absorbed by the skin. When it was applied to excised human skin, close to 30% was absorbed (R), and when it was applied to human skin in vivo, about 10% was absorbed (R, R). The absorption continues for up to 5 days, with the maximum absorption rate occurring 2-3 days after application (R).

Ultrasound radiation enhances the absorption and transepidermal transport of niacinamide (R).

Efficacy

Show 9 more outcomes
Outcome	Grade	Effect	Evidence	Studies
Wrinkles	A	🠫 Slight	★★★★ Good	4 studies 147 participants
Acne	A	🠫 Slight	★★★★ Good	2 studies 129 participants
Skin Barrier Function	B	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★★★ Fair	3 studies 79 participants
Seborrheic Dermatitis	C	🠫🠫🠫 Marked	★★ Some	1 study 39 participants
Skin Thickness	C	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★★ Some	1 study 20 participants
Hyperpigmentation	C	⇩ Potential	★★★ Fair	6 studies 315 participants
Skin Redness	C	⇩ Potential	★★★ Fair	4 studies 233 participants
Skin Elasticity	C	⇧ Potential	★★★ Fair	3 studies 119 participants
Skin Hydration	C	⇧ Potential	★★★ Fair	3 studies 84 participants
Peeling	C	⇩ Potential	★★ Some	2 studies 54 participants
Skin Brightness	D	⇧ Potential	★ Basic	3 studies 213 participants
Actininc Keratoses	E	– No Effect	★★★★ Good	1 study 28 participants
Skin Smoothness	E	– No Effect	★★★★ Good	1 study 25 participants
Facial Pores	E	– No Effect	★★★★ Good	1 study 25 participants

Mechanisms

Show 10 more outcomes
Outcome	Grade	Effect	Evidence	Studies
Inflammation	C	🠫🠫🠫 Marked	★★ Some	2 studies 39 participants
Melanosome Transfer	C	🠫 Slight	★★ Some	2 studies 4 participants
Cell Viability	D	⇧ Potential	★ Basic	2 studies
Tyrosinase	D	⇩ Potential	★ Basic	1 study
Glycosaminoglycans	D	⇩ Potential	★ Basic	1 study
Melanin	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	3 studies 25 participants
Tryptase	E	– No Effect	★★ Some	1 study 20 participants
Plasmin	E	– No Effect	★★ Some	1 study 20 participants
Kallikrein	E	– No Effect	★★ Some	1 study 20 participants
DOPA Oxidase	E	– No Effect	★ Basic	1 study
Keratinocyte Proliferation	E	– No Effect	★ Basic	1 study
Mushroom Tyrosinase	E	– No Effect	★ Basic	1 study
Tyrosine Hydroxylase	E	– No Effect	★ Basic	1 study
Collagen	E	– No Effect	★ Basic	1 study
Melanocyte Proliferation	E	– No Effect	★ Basic	1 study

Side Effects

Outcome	Effect	Frequency	Studies
Skin Redness	⇧ Increase	1% (1 out of 132 participants)	4 studies
Skin Discomfort	⇧ Increase	11% (10 out of 90 participants)	3 studies
Itching	⇧ Increase	10% (6 out of 63 participants)	3 studies
Peeling	⇧ Increase	5% (2 out of 40 participants)	1 study

Latest Research

What is niacinamide?

Does niacinamide get absorbed?

Topical application of retinyl propionate, 4 hexyl resorcinol, and niacinamide reverses molecular and clinical features of ageing (2024)

Efficacy and tolerability of a depigmenting gel serum comprising tranexamic acid, niacinamide, 4-butylresorcinol, phytic acid, and a mixture of hydroxy acids that targets the biological processes regulating skin melanogenesis (2024)

Superior even skin tone and anti-ageing benefit of a combination of 4-hexylresorcinol and niacinamide (2022)

A retrospective assessment and comparison of the effectiveness of benzoyl peroxide; the combination of topical niacinamide, gallic acid, and lauric acid; and the combination of benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin in acne vulgaris (2020)

Randomized control trial outcomes of tranexamic acid combination serum as a depigmenting agent for the use in healthy individuals (2019)