How to Use Niacinamide in Your Skin Care Routine

In this article:
How to use niacinamide
Who can use niacinamide?
When to use niacinamide in a skin care routine
How often to use niacinamide
When to use niacinamide: morning or night?
What age can you start using niacinamide?
Dos and don'ts of using niacinamide

If you’ve researched ingredients to incorporate into your skin care routine, chances are you’ve heard of niacinamide. Also known as vitamin B3, this multi-tasking ingredient can help with everything from visible fine lines and wrinkles and boosting skin hydration to improving lax pores and evening tone.

If you’ve never used niacinamide before – or even if you currently do – it can be tricky to figure out exactly how to incorporate it into your skin care routine, especially if you already love the skin care products you’re using. Not to worry, we have the answers you need about using niacinamide products to see more youthful, healthy skin as a result.

How to use niacinamide

Using niacinamide is easier than you might think. The first thing to know about niacinamide is that it is well-tolerated, meaning that it’s a good ingredient for just about every skin type and concern.

Unlike many other antioxidants, niacinamide is fairly stable in the presence of heat and light, so it’s more easily able to be formulated into a variety of product types and textures. In fact, there’s a good chance niacinamide might be in something you’re already using!

Its general tolerability, multi-tasking nature and inclusion in a plethora of products makes it an easy skin care ingredient to use.

Who can use niacinamide?

When we said above that niacinamide is well-tolerated, we truly meant that it’s appropriate for all skin types – dry, oily, combination, normal and even sensitive. Any skin type can begin using niacinamide at any time, whether you’re just adopting a skin care routine or are looking to tackle advanced signs of ageing and uneven tone.

Niacinamide’s also valuable as an ingredient for all stages of life. As an antioxidant it helps protect against environmental damage, meaning it’s a valuable ally for all skin tones in the fight against photodamage and pro-ageing external damage (1). During adolescence, niacinamide can even be useful to help balance oil production and reduce the occurrence of clogs. Later in life, its ability to boost the skin barrier and help skin combat loss of hydration can come in handy.

When to use niacinamide in a skin care routine

When to use niacinamide in your skin care routine is a matter of which niacinamide product you select. There are many different types of skin care products that contain this star ingredient including toners, serums, moisturisers, boosters and targeted treatments.

Always apply your skin care products, including those with niacinamide, in the following order:

1. Cleanser
2. Toner (traditional hydrating)
3. Exfoliant (avoid harsh scrubs)
4. Layer the rest of your skin care serums, treatments and moisturisers (including those with niacinamide) in order of thinnest to thickest texture
5. During the day, finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen

How often to use niacinamide

How often you should use niacinamide is based on personal preferences and how your skin responds; however, it can be used up to twice a day.

Finding your niacinamide sweet spot requires a bit of experimentation with concentration and application cadence. It’s best to start slow and low (using lower concentrations of niacinamide) and then ramp up application and increase concentration depending on skin’s response and needs.

There are beginner (1% or lower), intermediate (5–10%) and advanced (upwards of 20%) concentrations of niacinamide. In general, lower concentrations work best if you’re looking to maintain an even skin tone or support skin’s barrier, intermediate levels brighten skin and help tackle enlarged pores and advanced concentrations can handle stubborn, clogged bumps and improve the look of lax pores (orange peel skin).

In addition to starting slowly, you can also consider layering your niacinamide products or staggering their use to every other day, only at night or using them both daytime and nighttime. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, only what works best for your skin type and goals.

When to use niacinamide: morning or night?

Niacinamide slots perfectly into your skin care routine day or night, or even both. The benefits of using niacinamide are equal no matter what time of day you use it, if you’re using it consistently and follow our do’s and don'ts (more on that in a moment!).

Some prefer applying niacinamide serums under their sunscreen during their daytime routine to help fortify skin against environmental damage that skin encounters throughout the day (think UV rays and pollution). Others enjoy applying it at night, so it has uninterrupted time to get to work on skin.

Daytime routine:

A daytime routine featuring niacinamide might look something like this:

1. Cleanser
2. Niacinamide toner
3. Leave-on exfoliant
4. 10% niacinamide serum booster
5. Depuffing niacinamide eye cream (or gel)
6. Sunscreen with niacinamide

Nighttime routine:

Many people who use bioactive ingredients prefer to incorporate them into their routines at night. In that case, your nighttime niacinamide routine could resemble this one:

1. Cleanser
2. Toner
3. Leave-on exfoliant
4. 20% niacinamide serum treatment
5. Moisturiser

What age can you start using niacinamide?

Niacinamide is a safe skin care ingredient that you can begin incorporating into your skin care routine during your teens. During adolescence, it can be particularly useful to help balance oil production and reduce the occurrence of clogs.

Dos and Don’ts of using niacinamide

There aren’t a lot of hard and fast rules when it comes to niacinamide, but there are a couple that we’d like to cover so you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to adding niacinamide to your routine.

Niacinamide do: mix and match

Despite what you might have heard about using it alongside other bioactive ingredients, the truth is that niacinamide is compatible with the following common skin care ingredients:

• Peptides
• Hyaluronic acid
• AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) like lactic and glycolic acid
• BHA (beta hydroxy acid or salicylic acid)
• All types of antioxidants, including retinol and vitamin C

In fact, using niacinamide alongside other bioactive ingredients works to provide advanced results. For example, applying niacinamide boosts skin’s barrier, making it more receptive to retinol and other retinoids. Niacinamide and retinol also work together to help balance oil production, reduce the look of pores, brighten and fight off pro-ageing environmental aggressors (2).

Retinol isn’t the only potent ingredient to pair with niacinamide. Niacinamide and vitamin C supercharge each other's antioxidant benefits, resulting in boosted radiance and a smoother, more even appearance (3).

When it comes to what order to apply these ingredients, except for leave-on exfoliants (where the exfoliant should come before your niacinamide product), there’s no rule about which bioactive ingredient should come first; simply apply in order from thinnest-to-thickest texture.

A multi-ingredient approach to skin care is important because as great as niacinamide is, it’s not the only ingredient skin needs to look and feel its best. Think of it like your diet—as healthy as kale is, if kale was all you ate, you’d soon become malnourished because your body needs more than one healthy food to maintain itself. The same is true for skin, the body’s largest (and most exposed) organ.

Niacinamide do: apply on wet or dry skin

You might have seen some articles and social media posts claiming that it’s better to apply niacinamide on wet skin to lock in moisture and help absorption. The fact of the matter is that there is no established research supporting this. If applying niacinamide to damp skin makes for a better sensorial experience for you, then it’s safe to do so, but doing so doesn’t amplify its benefits or help it penetrate further.

Pro tip: if you are concerned about improving absorption of your niacinamide product, exfoliate – a chemical exfoliant’s ability to slough off dead skin cells will help your active ingredients work better!

Niacinamide don't: use niacinamide products with irritating ingredients

There are a couple of things to avoid when it comes to adding niacinamide to your routine. First, you must make certain your niacinamide product is well-formulated. This means that it doesn’t contain any harsh, sensitising ingredients or irritating fragrance. Products that harm skin mean your niacinamide is fighting an uphill battle to both give you the benefits you want AND fix the damage these ingredients inflict.

Want to see if your niacinamide product’s ingredient list is hiding a known skin-sensitiser? Check out the Beautypedia Skin Care Ingredient Checker, a free tool which rates the ingredients in a product from Best to Worst, based on analysis of peer-reviewed research.

Niacinamide don't: use jars and clear containers

Another thing to avoid is using niacinamide products that are packaged in jars or clear containers. Though niacinamide is a sturdy ingredient, a well-formulated niacinamide product is likely to contain helper ingredients that will break down in the presence of light and air, rendering them ineffective.

Now, you’re ready to experience the multi-faceted benefits niacinamide can provide in a routine that’s customised just for you!

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References for this information:

1. Journal of Cosmetic Medicine, November 2022, pages 67-71
2. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, October 2024, pages 761-774
3. Molecules, August 2022, pages 1-17