Niaminicide and Zinc: Revealing Your Most Radiant Skin

When it comes to skincare ingredients, it’s hard to know which ones will be effective, and which will end up wasting your time and money. We are confident that Niacinamide and Zinc are two that you won’t regret trying. 

Each ingredient on its own is a powerhouse, and when combined, they produce positive results for almost every skin concern, without the irritation that can come from using powerful ingredients on your skin.

If you’re thinking, “Wow, that sounds like the superhero of skincare!”, you would not be wrong.

But what is Niacinamide (besides being hard to spell), what is Zinc, and what exactly are the benefits of using them? Let’s take a closer look at these active ingredients and how they work to deliver such transformative results. 

What is Niacinamide?

Niacinamide (sometimes called Nicotinamide) is a water-soluble vitamin that derives from the Vitamin B3 family. Although it is not naturally produced by our bodies, this essential nutrient improves and supports the proper function of our bodies, brains, and skin. Its ability to encourage the production of collagen and elastin molecules makes it an anti-aging powerhouse.

To experience all of the benefits Niacinamide has to offer, you can add some whole foods with the nutrient into your diet. In food, it’s called Niacin, and some rich sources of it can be found in:

●     Meat: liver, chicken breast, tuna, pork, beef, and salmon

●     Peanuts

●     Avocado

●     Brown rice

●     Mushrooms

●     Green peas

●     Potatoes

Niacinamide has become popular for its skincare benefits and is gaining popularity by the day it seems. Its powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and skin-restoring properties are hard to ignore, especially when people are seeing positive results so quickly.

What are the benefits of Niacinamide for your skin?

Some of the improvements you may notice after adding a topical Niacinamide to your daily skincare routine are:

A brighter, more radiant complexion: With consistent use, Niacinamide helps even out your skin tone, reduces the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and smooths rough texture.

Calmer skin: Is calm skin a thing? We think so! If you’ve suffered through the effects of inflammation such as rosacea, acne, or irritation, you know what we are talking about. The soothing properties of Niacinamide can bring the relief you need. Calm skin is happy skin.

A stronger skin barrier: You may not feel this one specifically, but it’s one of the most valuable benefits! Niacinamide works to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier, meaning that it keeps precious hydration in, and harmful pollution and toxins out.

Smaller pore size: It has been argued that pores don’t actually change size. While that may be true in some sense, Niacinamide doesn’t care. As it tightens your skin, pores seem to disappear, along with fine lines and wrinkles!

Fewer wrinkles: Speaking of wrinkles, the collagen boost that Niacinamide encourages makes them a thing of the past, or at least significantly improves them!

Less sun damage: While it’s reversing the signs of any current sun damage, Niacinamide is hard at work preventing future damage as well. We told you; Powerhouse.

No more shine: Along with the benefits above, Niacinamide regulates oil production, mainly because it has restored your skin to its well-balanced self. Happy skin has no need to overproduce oil to try and protect itself.

What is Zinc?

Zinc is a trace element that plays a crucial role in lots of biological processes, inside and out. You’ve probably heard about it being beneficial in your food and sunscreen, but what about your skin?

What are the benefits of Zinc for your skin?

Zinc is commonly used as an alternative to chemical SPF products to effectively block UV rays. Its skin benefits reach further than strict protection though! When added to your skincare routine, zinc can: 

Reduce inflammation: its potent anti-inflammatory properties help reduce redness in irritated skin. It also prevents dead skin cells from sticking together, which reduces clogged pores that lead to irritation. Crazy, but true!

Regulate oil production: it does this by controlling sebum production, which is a wonderful compliment to the benefits that Niacinamide offers. No more excess oil!

Promote healing: Zinc accelerates your skin’s natural healing process and reduces the likeliness of scarring. 

Age you in reverse: Ok, that’s a bit dramatic, but its anti-aging properties definitely help! Zinc works to balance the proteins in the skin, which can plump up skin cells and reduce the appearance of texture, fine lines, and wrinkles. 

What are the benefits of combining Niacinamide and Zinc in skincare?

If each of these ingredients are this amazing on their own, can you imagine the magic they could work when combined in one skincare product?

Thankfully you don’t have to wonder. We’ve combined them into a powerful serum that we just love. 

Before we go any further, it’s important to know that not all skincare ingredients play well together. We will talk about a couple of them below.

Niacinamide and Zinc, however, make an excellent team. When used consistently, they can radically transform the feel and appearance of your skin, allowing your healthiest skin to radiate through! In addition to simplifying your skincare routine by combining the two, Niacinamide and Zinc together:

Are gentle on your bank account: When you can combine 2 ingredients like this and get such fantastic results, there’s no need to spend more buying them separately! 

Can be extra effective as an acne treatment: In addition to being full of antioxidants, Niaminacide and Zinc limit the sebum production which exacerbates severe acne.

Help develop ultra-resilient skin: When the natural barrier of your skin is in top shape, not only does it stay more consistently hydrated, but toxins, pollution, and UV rays can’t damage it as easily.

Enhance the overall health and appearance of your skin: When Niacinamide and Zincand join forces, they work to build a foundation of health for your skin. Think of it in this way: instead of trying to “fix” your skin, you are taking stress off of it and allowing it the space to do what it already does super well. Your skin was made to regenerate healthy cells, maintain a protective layer, and keep plump healthy cells near the surface. Those goals get interrupted when your skin is hit with unexpected foes it needs to defend against, and understandably, it gets stressed and worn down from the effort. Niacinamide and Zinc are like a healing therapist that comes along and takes the stress off, allowing your healthiest skin to radiate through.

Are Niacinamide and Zinc good for all skin types?

Yes, they are! Zinc has been used in sensitive skincare for decades (think diaper rash cream), and Niacinamide serum shows very little to no irritation when used on any skin type, from oily skin and acne-prone skin to dry skin.

That being said, Niacinamide is a powerful ingredient, so while it may be gentle enough on its own, mixing it with other strong ingredients can cause irritation. Proceed with caution if you are mixing Retinol and active Vitamin C and you have sensitive skin. 

How long until I start seeing results?

As with any new addition to your skincare routine, you will want to give this combo some time to do its best work. The exact amount can vary per person, although it is common to notice that your skin is more radiant within 2-4 weeks of daily use!

After 8 weeks, you may start to notice deeper benefits as your skin rejuvenates fresh layers of cells. Your skin texture may look smoother, and those pesky lines around your eyes may be drastically reduced.

After 6-12 months of consistent use, the Niacinamide and Zinc team may have strengthened your skin’s natural barrier drastically, reducing the irritation you once had. At this point, you should see significant improvements in your skin.

Of course, your personal results may vary, depending on the condition of your skin, lifestyle, and the consistency with which you use your skincare.

If you have been using it consistently for a few months and still don’t see any changes, consult with a dermatologist to see if there are any underlying factors preventing Niacinamide from improving your skin.

Are there any side effects I should watch out for?

There have been rumors that Vitamin C and Niacinamide can cancel out each other’s effects when mixed, but recent studies have shown that’s not the case, so you should be safe to use both if your skin tolerates it well.

If you have a history of allergies or inflammatory skin conditions, there is a small chance that Niacinamide could trigger it. If this is the case, try doing a patch test before applying the Niacinamide serum all over your face.

To do a patch test, apply a dime-sized amount to a conspicuous patch of skin; the underside of your arm will work. Wait for 24 hours, and if there is no reaction, you are probably safe to apply as normal.

On the rare occasion that you notice any skin irritation after starting to use Niacinamide, try scaling back to using it once a week until your skin gets used to it.

Try Our 10% Niacinamide + Zinc Treatment Serum

Niacinamide and Zinc may not be the answer to all of your problems, but they will absolutely uplevel your skincare routine!

Ready to experience the transformative power of Niacinamide and Zinc for yourself?

Grab our 10% Niacinamide + Zinc Treatment Serum for a healthier and more balanced complexion.

We hope this post was helpful, but if you have any questions about whether certain skincare ingredients work well together or need to be avoided, contact us. Our team of skincare experts at Cosmedica Skincare will make sure that you have the right skincare routine for your specific skin’s needs.

After all, having beautiful skin that is glowing and healthy shouldn’t be that hard when you have effective products to use, like the ones we offer at Cosmedica Skincare.