I briefly mentioned Niacinamide in my Eye Cream post and I thought i’d use this space to elaborate upon what it is, who it will benefit and where to buy products that contain it in high amounts.

To put it briefly, Niacinamide is a water-soluable component of the vitamin B group. This is another one of the newst anti-ageing ingredients to join the likes of retinol that is scientifically proven to work. These are a few of the proven results studies have shown to occur with topical application of niacinamide:

1. Hydration.
2. Alleviate acne.
3. Reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.
4. Treatment of pigmentation issues (age spots, acne scars…)
5. Helps with those suffering from rosacea by thickening the upper layers of skin (which also gives the skin a plump more youthful look).
6. Restores the skin barrier, great for those who use harsh exfoliants or retinoids in their skincare.

That said, I think it’s pretty clear that this is an excellent ingredient to have in your skin care regime if you’re having problems with any of the above. This is also a good ingredient to include in your skin care if you have very prominent bruise-like circles under your eyes that seem to get worse with a lack of sleep.

The best place to work this ingredient into your skin care is as a night serum or moisturiser so if you’re looking for something to fill that slot, this may be it.

Now onto the good stuff, where to get it!

I have found that the best widely available source of Niacinamide can be found in the Olay range of skincare products, in particular Olay Regenerist. Dermatologists have raved about this particular line and its inclusion of an excellent concentration of ingredients that work. Now of course Olay have realised they’re on to a winner and have now released a day cream, night cream, eye cream, serum, eye serum, face mask and the Pro X line which is basically repackaged Regenersit retailing for double the price as far as i’m concerned.

However this doesn’t detract from the fact that Regenerist is an excellent line and if you’re suffering from any of the problems above you should definately look into their serum and their Night Recovery Treatment (which, incidentally, contains a whole host of other ingredients that are fantastic for the skin). I believe Niacinamide is either the fourth or fifth ingredient on the list which is excellent. Buy one of the two in order to include some of this super-ingredient in your skin care regime, excellent at night.

If you can afford them, the NIA24 line of products are simply the best Niacinamide products on the market. This line contains a 5% concentration of Niacin which is Niacinamide in a far more potent form. If you’re looking to get the full effects of Niacinamide in your skincare routine, try this. I personally recommend the Skin Strengthening Complex which I use myself.

I’ll be talking about Niacinamide a bit more when I come to my post about acne and shaving scars.