Niacinamide is so deeply entrenched in the skincare zeitgeist you can hardly peruse a catalogue without your eyeballs tripping over a listing shouting its inclusion. Niacinamide’s omnipresence is not without reason, however, and its inclusion in your line-up is borderline necessity.

Any skincare aficionado worth their salt will place niacinamide at the top, or near the top, of their skincare must-have’s. Not only is it close to a cure all, niacinamide is a rare active that is suitable for all skin types and its versatility pits it against the likes of hyaluronic acid for skincare frontrunner.

But what does it do? And moreover, why should you care? To answer this, let’s begin with what niacinamide is.

Niacinamide, niacin, nicotinamide or nicotinic acid can all be placed under the blanket term vitamin b3 and for the purposes of this article shall henceforth be referred to simply as niacinamide. Niacinamide is a naturally occurring vitamin utilised by the body to maintain healthy cell function. Applied topically its benefits are manifold.

Through an intricate chemical reaction of hydrogen transfer and other superfluous nonsense, niacinamide acts to boost the epidermal structure when applied directly to the skin, preventing water loss and improving moisture retention. For the dry-skinned among us, niacinamide in tandem with a moisturiser can radically reduce symptoms, namely dry, flakey, itchy skin. As we have already touched on, niacinamide also assists the body in maintaining healthy cell function with its ability to increase protein synthesis and ceramide synthesis, both key componants for maintaining a healthy epidermal barrier.

Our skin is a powerhouse of self-sufficiency throughout our 20’s and the tip of the 30’s iceberg, though this self-sufficiency begins to decline from here on out. The addition of a topical niacinamide treatment will act as a simulacrum our erstwhile self-sufficiency by aiding in protein synthesis, like keratin, which is an essential ‘building block’ of the skin. An abundance of keratin means smoother skin and a visible reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.

Niacinamide has been shown to significantly reduce the signs of hyperpigmentation when used topically on the skin. While niacinamide won’t directly affect the skin from over enthusiastic melanin, it will inhibit melanin’s ability to interact with the skin, thereby reducing the appearance of congested melanin build up such as melasma and sun spots.