What does niacinamide do for skin?

Maybe you know it as niacinamide, or maybe you know it as vitamin B3 but if you’re paying even the tiniest bit of attention to the buzz in skincare, you’ll have heard of this darling ingredient. Niacinamide is that rare ingredient that is great for skin and good for all skin types.

What exactly is niacinamide?

Niacinamide is a restorative, water-soluble vitamin that collaborates with other natural substances in skin to bring about multiple improvements in texture, tone and hydration. It boosts skin health and helps to minimize the aging effects of the environment on skin.

Niacinamide is best known for its ability to improve pores and skin texture, but that's only a part of what this hero ingredient does.

What does niacinamide do for our skin?

The list of niacinamide's skin-improving benefits are impressive, as follows:

• reduces the appearance of enlarged pores
• increases the production of lipids that help maintain the skin’s protective barrier
• reduces inflammation and regulates oil production (beneficial for conditions like acne)
• evens out skin tone and the effects of sun damage
• limits free-radical damage
• helps renew and restore the surface of skin against moisture 

Texture: Stretched pores and orange peel skin, oh my

Niacinamide helps to keep oil and impurities from getting backed up (the cause of clogs and rough skin). As clogs worsen, pores stretch to accommodate, resulting in enlarged pores. Sun damage can cause pores to become stretched, leading to what is often described as "orange peel skin". Niacinamide’s ability to tighten pores can improve this issue.

Tone: The bright side of niacinamide

When it comes to brightening, niacinamide has been shown to have many benefits. It helps reduce brown spots, minimize redness (thanks to vitamin B3's anti-inflammatory properties), preserve hydration,  strengthen skin barrier, and improve synthesis of healthy fats (a key for glowing skin).

Hydration: B3 and be free of dry skin 

Niacinamide's ability to enhance the production of lipids allows it to maintain the skin’s protective barrier and regulate moisture loss. It also enhances the hydrating ability of other moisturizing ingredients.

Clark's Botanicals relies on this superstar ingredient throughout our skincare collection. Featuring niacinamide, our proprietary, Jasmine Catalyst Complex™ is the fortifying base from which every Clark’s Botanicals product is made. This healing complex pairs niacinamide with jasmine flower extract, red algae and arnica to protect against free radicals. It heals and relieves stress, moisturizes and renews skin, promotes the production of collagen, reduces inflammation, and fades spots and scars. In short, it effectively counters the sources of aging while simultaneously revitalizing, nourishing and soothing skin.