Niacinamide: What 20+ Years of Research Actually Says

Some ingredients are famous because of great marketing. Niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, is famous because it keeps showing up in good studies. It's the friendly all-rounder of skincare: it gets along with almost everyone, works at comfortable pH levels and doesn't demand much.

Let's look at what the research actually shows.

1. It helps with uneven tone and dark spots

Here's the clever part. Niacinamide doesn't stop your skin from making pigment. A 2002 study found that it blocks the transfer of pigment packets (melanosomes) to surface skin cells by 35–68% in lab models. It also reduced hyperpigmentation in human volunteers after four weeks (Hakozaki et al., British Journal of Dermatology).

2. It supports your skin barrier

In a 2000 study, nicotinamide increased ceramide production in skin cells roughly four- to five-fold. When applied to dry skin, it raised ceramide levels and reduced water loss (Tanno et al., British Journal of Dermatology). In other words, it helps skin make more of its own "mortar". If barrier care is your thing, we're diving into ceramides later this week.

3. It can help with oiliness

A study on 2% topical niacinamide found it reduced facial sebum production (Draelos et al., Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006). That's a big part of why it's a staple in formulas for oily and blemish-prone skin.

4. It improves the look of ageing skin

Split-face trials led by Bissett and colleagues found that 5% niacinamide over 12 weeks improved fine lines, spots, red blotchiness and sallowness (Bissett et al., Dermatologic Surgery, 2005).

Bonus: the skin cancer study everyone talks about

This one's about oral nicotinamide, not skincare, but it's fascinating. In Australia's ONTRAC trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 386 people at high risk of skin cancer took nicotinamide twice daily for a year. They had 23% fewer new non-melanoma skin cancers than the placebo group (University of Sydney). Important: that's a supervised medical finding, not a reason to self-prescribe supplements. Ask your doctor.

Myth-buster: "niacinamide makes you flush"

The classic hot, red "niacin flush" comes from nicotinic acid (niacin), a different form of vitamin B3. A 2021 review states plainly that, unlike nicotinic acid, nicotinamide doesn't cause flushing (Boo, Antioxidants). The Conversation has a lovely explainer on the difference too (The Conversation).

If a niacinamide product does make you tingle or go pink, the usual suspects are a high percentage on sensitive skin, a very low-pH formula, or another ingredient in the mix. More isn't always better. Most of the studies above used 2–5%.

Formulating with niacinamide

• Use level: the niacinamide entry in our Ingredient Dictionary lists 2–5%, up to 10% in targeted treatments.
• pH: comfortable around 5–7, so it slips easily into toners, serums and creams.
• Good friends: Zinc PCA for oily skin, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate for brightening, Tranexamic Acid for stubborn discolouration, and a ceramide complex for barrier care.
• Want a delivery upgrade? We also carry encapsulated forms such as Liposome Niacinamide. Browse Delivery Systems & Encapsulation to explore.

Pick up plain Niacinamide to start, or see where it fits in our Brightening & Pigmentation and Oil Control & Mattifying collections.

For education only, not medical advice.