Hopefully you’ve had a chance to read our blog about the benefits of moisturizing & the importance of using skincare products that contain gentle, science-backed ingredients. If not, read it here. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: what you put ON your body is just as important as what you put IN your body. For us, that starts with Niacinamide. So, what is Niacinamide and what do we mean when we say it is “Our Swiss Army Knife?”

Top 5 Benefits Of Niacinamide

• Treats and prevents acne
• Reduce inflammation & sebum (oil) production
• Strengthen & hydrate skin
• Decrease the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles while improving elasticity
• Reduce the appearance of redness
• UV radiation-resistant anti-oxidant sun protection

Niacinamide is a skin strengthening, pore size reducing, and hydration improving rock star of an ingredient that has proven to be most effective when used at concentrations between 2-5%. But the benefits don’t stop there. This anti-inflammatory Vitamin B3 derivative also helps to control oil production, reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles, and helps with acne scarring. Another benefit is how gentle it is on the skin, meaning that using it daily will not lead to irritated skin.

All of these great characteristics are why it’s one of our favorite ingredients for any individual who suffers from frequent shaving irritation, razor bumps, or skin redness. At PrettyBoy, we’re all about high quality ingredients that are preferred by Dermatologists and have had multiple studies performed by Dermatologists to validate their performance. Niacinamide checks all of those boxes and more. See the excerpt below from The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

“Niacinamide leads to an increase in protein synthesis (e.g. keratin), has a stimulating effect on ceramide synthesis, speeds up the differentiation of keratinocytes, and raises intracellular NADP levels. In aging skin, topical application of niacinamide improves the surface structure, smoothes out wrinkles and inhibits photocarcinogenesis. It is possible to demonstrate anti-inflammatory effects in acne, rosacea, and nitrogen mustard-induced irritation. Because of its verifiable beneficial effects, niacinamide would be a suitable component in cosmetic products for use in disorders of epidermal barrier function, for aging skin, for improving pigmentary disorders and for use on skin prone to acne.”

Gehring W. Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2004 Apr;3(2):88-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00115.x. PMID: 17147561.

That’s science speak for “Niacinamide actually lives up to the hype and can deliver on the benefits we’ve communicated above.”

Did we mention it has also been shown to prevent Skin Cancer?

“The most promising evidence exists for the use of nicotinamide in preventing nonmelanoma skin cancers”

Thompson KG, Kim N. Dietary supplements in dermatology: A review of the evidence for zinc, biotin, vitamin D, nicotinamide, and Polypodium. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 Apr;84(4):1042-1050. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.04.123. Epub 2020 Apr 29. PMID: 32360756.

To wrap things up, Niacinamide is the friend who gets invited everywhere. It never commits a party foul and enhances the vibes of everyone around them.

Head on over to our shop page to purchase Revival, which includes 2% Niacinamide so that you can start to realize all of the benefits that come along with using a product that contains this absolute hero of an ingredient.