Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3 at a Glance

• Famous for visibly reducing enlarged pores and improving dull, uneven skin tone
• Boosts skin’s barrier strength and hydration
• Helps mitigate negative effects of environmental stressors
• Also known as niacinamide or nicotinamide
• Stable in the presence of light (which is unique for an antioxidant)

Vitamin B3 Description

Vitamin B3 (also known as niacinamide or nicotinamide) is a unique skin-restoring ingredient that offers a multitude of benefits for skin. It is best known for its ability to help visibly reduce enlarged pores and improve uneven/dull skin tone. It also strengthens a weakened skin barrier.

An advantage of vitamin B3’s antioxidant power is that it can help visibly repair damage from UV light while offsetting other sources of environmental attack (including the negative impact of airborne pollutants). Another helpful benefit is that vitamin B3 helps fortify skin’s surface against moisture loss and dehydration by boosting its natural production of skin-strengthening ceramides. Studies have also shown vitamin B3 has a positive effect on reducing wrinkle depth.

Unlike many superstar anti-aging ingredients, vitamin B3 is stable in the presence of heat and light. It is water soluble and presents as colorless needles or white crystalline powder in its raw material state.

Vitamin B3 offers benefits for skin starting in concentrations as low 0.2%, and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel concluded it is safe in concentrations all the way up to 20%.

Myths about vitamin B3’s incompatibility with other “bio-active” ingredients have been dispelled, and in fact, research overwhelmingly shows complementary effects of combining vitamin B3 with other key anti-aging ingredients.

Vitamin B3 References