Vitamin B Ingredients In Skin Care Products – 

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, is one of the 8 water-soluble B vitamin. Niacin is converted to nicotinamide (the amide form of Vitamin B3) and then to NAD and NADP in vivo. The two are identical in their vitamin activity. Niacin is a precursor to NADH, NAD+, NADP+ and NADPH, which play essential metabolic roles in living cells including energy conversion. Niacin is involved in both DNA repair, and the production of steroid hormones in the adrenal gland.

Nicotinamide is another B vitamin that has recently entered the skin care field. Although most studies of this vitamin have focused on the anti-inflammatory effects and in acne treatment, one possible role for nicotinamide as a potential anti-aging ingredient is in the biosynthesis of ceramides and other stratum corneum lipids. Unlike several other B Vitamin ingredients, there is a great deal of research that supports the use of topical niacinamide. Studies have shown its usefulness in increasing synthesis of collagen and lipids, inhibiting the transfer of melanosomes (this will treat hyperpigmentation), and decreasing inflammation. It may even play a role in preventing skin cancer. Niacinamide and niacin are not synthesized in the human body and therefore must be supplied externally, either through the diet or through topical application.

Niacinamide is commonly known as Vitamin B3 and is an effective skin lightening compound that works by inhibiting melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes. Often this ingredient works best when combined with other skin lightening treatments. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) is also known to be effective in reducing acne.

Niacinamide is commonly known as Vitamin B3, niacin, and nicotinic acid. It is an effective skin lightening compound that works by inhibiting melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes. This water-soluble ingredient is stable in the presence of heat and light. Topical application of niacinamide has been shown to increase ceramide and free fatty acid levels in skin, prevent skin from losing water content, and stimulate microcirculation in the dermis. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) is also known to be effective in reducing acne.

One small study showed that 2% niacinamide was more effective than petrolatum (Vaseline) at reducing water loss from skin and increasing its hydration levels. Procter & Gamble, whose Olay skin-care line sells several products with niacinamide, published a double-blind study involving 50 women. The subjects used a product containing 5% niacinamide (whether that amount is included in Olay’s niacinamide products was not mentioned) for a period of 12 weeks. Results included an improvement in the appearance of wrinkles, a decrease in skin discolorations, less redness, a reduction in sallowness, and improved elasticity.

Another study by P&G’s found that niacinamide is a helpful ingredient for addressing skin discolorations. It appears that topical niacinamide has an inhibitory effect on the transfer of melanosomes to skin cells, thus it interrupts the process that causes irregular pigmentation to form. Often this ingredient works best when combined with other skin lightening treatments.

In addition to niacinamide’s growing reputation as an excellent barrier-repair and skin-lightening agent, some animal studies and in vitro studies on human fibroblasts (cells that produce connective tissue such as collagen) demonstrated that niacinamide may have a mitigating effect on skin tumors.

There are fewer studies that examined niacinamide’s anti-acne properties. An older study that compared a gel containing 4% niacinamide with the prescription acne medicine Clindamycin found that niacinimide works just as well as the prescription, but without the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Niacinamide is Vitamin B3, and it strengthens the stratum corneum by increasing surface skin renewal and improving the moisture barrier to help reverse the appearance of past skin damage. Niacinamide is a key ingredient in every Olay Pro-X product (Wrinkle Smoothing Cream, Deep Wrinkle Treatment, Age Repair Lotion SPF 30, Hydra Firming Cream, Eye Restoration Complex, and Discoloration Fighting Concentrate).