Skin Care
All about niacinamide with Vichy
by Paige Herman-Axel, L'Oreal Dermatological Beauty|October 17, 2024
This is sponsored content provided by skin care brand Vichy.
Niacinamide has taken the skin care world by storm—and for good reason. This multitasking ingredient serves up a variety of benefits that can be enjoyed by all skin types. Vichy is a big believer in the power of niacinamide, which is why you’ll find it in several of the brand’s most advanced skin care products. Here’s everything you need to know about this popular ingredient, including:
Niacinamide (or nicotinamide) is a water-soluble form of vitamin B3 (also called niacin). Since the body can’t produce this nutrient on its own, it must be applied directly to the skin in the form of skin care or consumed through our daily diets by way of foods that are rich in niacin, such as meats, beans and green vegetables.
Topical niacinamide provides a host of skin benefits, and being a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties is just the beginning.
Skin protection: As a potent antioxidant, niacinamide helps protect the skin from environmental free radicals that can cause oxidative stress, which plays a role in premature aging, discoloration and inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and acne.
Improve discoloration: Niacinamide intervenes at a crucial step of the skin’s pigment production process to decrease the appearance of uneven skin tone, dark spots and post-acne marks.
Oil control: Unlike other ingredients for oily skin that just absorb excess sebum, niacinamide has been shown to reduce the skin’s oil production.
Boost hydration: This ingredient has been shown to reinforce the skin barrier, which helps the skin retain moisture.
Skin soothing: Niacinamide’s anti-inflammatory benefits make it ideal for reducing the look of redness or blotchiness.
Skin rejuvenation: Niacinamide has been shown to support the skin’s natural production of collagen and hyaluronic acid, which helps improve plumpness to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
For the record, niacinamide does not cause skin purging. This type of temporary acne flare-up is generally triggered by ingredients such as retinol and exfoliating acids that work by increasing the rate of cell turnover in the skin.
Yes! All skin types, including sensitive skin, can reap the benefits of niacinamide without worry. (Although extremely rare, those with extremely sensitive skin may experience mild itching, redness and burning at high concentrations that are not available over the counter.) If you experience any side effects, scale back use to every other day or a few times a week, and make sure you haven’t introduced any other new ingredients that can potentially cause irritation.
There are no strict rules when integrating niacinamide into your skin care regimen. Niacinamide plays nicely with other active ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about interactions that could cause sensitivity or reduce its effectiveness. Just to reiterate, all skin types can partake.
You can find niacinamide in a wide array of skin care formulations, including serums and moisturizers. Here are the Vichy products that feature this multitasking powerhouse.
This potent dual-action serum reduces the look of dark spots and wrinkles in just eight weeks (and one simple step) thanks to a unique blend of ingredients, including 5% niacinamide.
Niacinamide joins forces with vitamin C and peptides in this daily moisturizer that works to replenish hydration and improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, dullness and loss of firmness.
This innovative night cream works overnight to minimize discoloration and uneven skin tone caused by daytime environmental aggressors such as UV rays and pollution. With a powerful blend of 4% niacinamide and 0.15% pure retinol, it visibly helps to correct signs of aging with a fast-absorbing, rich and comforting texture.
Vichy’s skin care line offers something for everyone. You can learn more about the LovelySkin team’s favorite Vichy serums, moisturizers and more on the LovelySkin Blog.
