The benefits of niacinamide for the skin

• Niacinamide is more than just a vitamin with benefits for the skin.

• It plays many vital roles in the body (energy production, hormone synthesis, and more).

• It’s found in animal products and in certain fruits and grains.

• In cosmetics, it’s used to tackle skin aging, soothe inflammation, maintain skin hydration, and reduce pigmentation spots.

Niacin and niacinamide represent the two main forms of vitamin B3, an essential water-soluble vitamin that helps the body function properly. It’s also known as nicotinamide or vitamin PP (from Pellagra Preventing, in reference to the skin disease).

Vitamin B3 plays several crucial roles in the body:

• It’s essential for the production of coenzymes that are vital in a number of metabolic reactions, such as the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. These coenzymes are NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate).

• It plays a role in synthesizing certain lipids and hormones, including sex hormones like testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen.

• It helps the nervous system function properly.

• It has antioxidant properties, which help protect the skin from free radicals and stimulate collagen and elastin production. These are the features we’re interested in, and we’ll come back to them later.

Vitamin B3 is found readily in certain foods:

•  Meat and offal (beef, veal, poultry, liver).

•  Fish (tuna, salmon).

• Whole grains (brown and whole rice, oats) and wheat bran.

•  Dried fruit (apricots, prunes).

•  Nuts and seeds (almonds, peanuts, chia seeds).

Vitamin B3 deficiency can result in:

• General fatigue and weakness.

• Digestive upsets and loss of appetite.

• Neurological issues such as headaches, dizziness, irritability, and even depression.

• Skin complaints like eczema and hypersensitivity to external aggressors.

• In severe cases, it can result in the development of pellagra, a potentially fatal disease marked by atopic dermatitis, diarrhea, and a form of dementia.

Vitamin B3 deficiency is very rare in the developed world, except among exceptionally malnourished people, and is associated with either a genetic predisposition or alcoholism. Still, it is essential for a number of metabolic functions.

But how does it affect the skin? Why is it so prevalent in serums, creams, and beauty products in general? That’s what we’re going to look at now. 

For the rest of this article, we’ll be talking about niacinamide rather than vitamin B3, as this is the form most commonly used in cosmetics.

As mentioned above, this compound plays a vital role in a number of the body’s biological functions, most notably energy production within cells. It’s also involved in regulating DNA synthesis.

It has a number of effects on the skin, including:

Anti-aging benefits

Niacinamide is a potent antioxidant. By stimulating the production of NAD and NADP⁺ (the coenzymes mentioned above), it helps suppress glycation, a phenomenon whereby sugars bind to proteins and prevent them from serving their proper function. In skin tissue, low glycation means increased production of important molecules such as collagen. Many studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of niacinamide in reducing wrinkles and rough skin.

Protective and moisturizing benefits

Niacinamide encourages the synthesis of keratin and filaggrin, two proteins that play an important role in maintaining the skin barrier. It also helps reduce epidermal moisture loss by stimulating the production of ceramides and other lipids in the stratum corneum.

Consequently, it helps combat dry skin and delay skin aging.

Protection against imperfections

Niacinamide also helps shrink enlarged pores and reduce red blotches, while also being useful in treating conditions such as acne and rosacea. This is due to its ability to regulate sebum production, as well as its anti-inflammatory and healing properties. 

Improving skin clarity

Melanin is the pigment responsible for the color of your skin. UV radiation stimulates the production of melanin, which acts as a natural filter in the epidermis to protect the skin from the sun. It is produced in the deeper layers of the epidermis by specialized cells called melanocytes. There are two key steps in this process:

• Melanin synthesis: activated by an enzyme, melanin is produced in melanocytes and stored in structures called melanosomes.

• Epidermal melanin distribution: melanosomes are then carried to the keratinocytes within the epidermis, where they form a protective barrier against UV radiation. 

Niacinamide inhibits the appearance of liver spots by suppressing the transfer of melanosomes to keratinocytes, which prevents melanin from coloring the skin. But rest assured, this effect is reversible and won’t stop you from tanning once the effects of niacinamide have worn off!

Niacinamide has many major benefits. It’s no surprise that Laboratoires FILORGA’s skin experts included it in the brand’s flagship ingredient complex, NCEF [New Cellular Encapsulated Factors].

NCEF now boasts a new, more effective formula featuring 10 active ingredients found in the revitalizing injections used in aesthetic medicine.

In addition to niacinamide, NCEF includes:

• Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid for its moisturizing and regenerative benefits, as well as its ability to stimulate the body’s natural production of collagen and hyaluronic acid.

• Amino acids such as arginine, glycine, and taurine, which play a major role in building all body tissues. NCEF’s amino acids offer moisturizing properties, stimulate collagen production, and protect the skin’s barrier function.

• Ergothioneine, a potent antioxidant that protects the skin from UV radiation and external aggressors.

• Minerals like sodium and magnesium to help moisturize skin tissue and improve skin texture.

• Vitamin E to combat oxidative stress.

• NAD, a coenzyme dependent on niacinamide, which boosts the latter’s effects.