The ESK blog
What does Niacinamide do?
04 October 2022
Dr Ginni Mansberg
Niacinamide AKA Nicotinamide or Vitamin B3 is an amazing ingredient with multiple benefits.
Niacinamide is a key component of important coenzymes involved in hydrogen transfer in all cells- namely nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and NADH and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) and NADPH.
These coenzymes are critical a wide variety of chemical reactions that affect skin your skin’s physiology and both synthesize and repair DNA.
These co-enzymes naturally decline with age, and this probably contributes to some of the effects of skin ageing.
Most of the evidence for the benefits of Niacinamide are for daily use. But it can happily be combined with your other cosmeceutical ingredients including, retinal, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and salicylic acid.
In general, niacinamide has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
It damps down the activity important pro-inflammatory chemicals like prostaglandin (PG) E2, IL-6, and IL-8 in human skin cells.
It has also been shown to prevent sun damage to the skin.In sun damaged and ageing skin, it helps your skin’s ability to build collagen.
It also helps prevent the activity of the matrix metalloproteinases, the enzymes that break down collagen in the skin.
This is probably why skincare containing niacinamide is so powerful in reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Niacinamide also prevents some of the other typical effects of ageing skin. We are talking about things like blotchiness and skin yellowing.
Niacinamide also combats skin roughness, as well as reducing the appearance of large pores!
Niacinamide acts like a fabulous moisturizer inside your skin. It has been shown to increase your skin’s own production of ceramides, along with other key lipids inside the skin to improve the skin barrier and reduce water loss from the skin.
This is probably why it has been shown to be effective for helping people with sensitive as well as itchy skin!
Niacinamide is also critical to combat pigmentation and melasma.
That’s because it prevents the transfer of pigment from the pigment containing melanosomes to the superficial skin cells, making it an effective lightening agent.
Niacinamide also has evidence as an acne fighter.
It has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits as well as pimple busting effects. Inflammation is at the heart of acne, turning the skin red and making it sensitive and dry.
So, reducing inflammation helps with a major acne process.
Niacinamide also combats excess oil (also known as sebum) production in the skin.
Niacinamide even reduces inflammation and sensitivity of rosacea skin.
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