face serum – That Madras Mom

Lately, you could see the whole skincare world talking a lot about active ingredients. The most commonly talked about is Niacinamide.

Niacinamide also known as nicotinamide is a form of vitamin B3. An essential nutrient whose deficiency could lead to disorders of skin,kidney and brain. Taking niacinamide can prevent the deficiency.

The ingredient has much more to offer when it is used in the general skin department. Applying niacinamide topically is proven to help in treating skin conditions like eczema and acne.

Benefits of niacinamide

Niacinamide is mainly recommended for people who have puffy skin and rosacea. The anti-inflammatory properties aid in reducing the redness.
Skin immunity can be boosted as niacinamide helps in building keratin, the protein that keeps skin firm and healthy.

The lipid barrier that niacinamide helps in building aids in retaining moisture of the skin. This is much beneficial for people who have eczema or mature skin.

When you skin is smooth and moisturized due to topical application of niacinamide it helps in minimizing the pores.

Retention of moisture isn’t beneficial only when the skin is dry. Regulation of the amount of oil that the sebaceous glands produce is one of the most important benefits of using niacinamide.

Concurrent rebuilding of healthy skin cells and also protecting skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation is a benefit of niacinamide as well.

5% concentration of niacinamide in application can help in treating pigmentation and also fight against signs of ageing like fine lines and wrinkles. The application also helped in fading dark spots. The results cannot be visible instantaneously but over a period of four weeks.

Niacinamide helps in treating aggressive acne conditions like pustules. The application over a period of time helps in improving skin texture and lesser number of lesions on the skin.

Niacinamide helps protect skin against environmental stresses like dust, pollution and sun damage. It also offers protection to regenerate the healthy skin cells.

FOOD over supplements

Instead of directly taking a supplement to lessen the deficiency it is always best to try improving intake of vitamins through food. Some sources of vitamin B3 are eggs,fish , milk and green vegetables. So next time don’t reject when your offered an extra portion of any of these over the table.

Ingredients that you can include in skincare routine along with niacinamide

Vitamin C, Kojic acid and hyaluronic acid are ingredients that can be paired with niacinamide in your skincare routine for clear skin.

How to use ?

Niacinamide can work wonders on your skin post cleansing, cause that is when your skin is free of impurities and oil.

Post that you can apply moisturizer and sunscreen before heading out.

The ingredient niacinamide can be included in your AM and PM skincare routine.

Here are some of my tried and tested niacinamide products

NYKAA SKINRX 10% niacinamide

This is mainly used for spot correction. The serum is composed of 10% niacinamide, 1% zinc and 1% alpha arbutin for spot correction of dark spots, blemishes and pigmentation.

The serum can be used in AM and PM routine.

Price: 799 quantity: 30 ml

Click here to buy

Minimalist 10% NIACINAMIDE serum

The serum is oil free and also has aloe vera juice as one of its ingredients for additional benefits. This serum is comparatively light weight and does not leave an oily residue post application.

Price: 599 quantity: 30 ml

Click here to buy :

Dot and key 10 % niacinamide spot corrector skin clearing serum

This formulation has 10% niacinamide, 1 % zinc and 1% hyaluronic acid. The serum also has sunflower seed extracts, pomegranate extracts and wheatgerm oil for additional benefits.

Price: 565 quantity : 15 ml

Click here to buy:

Few other popular niacinamide serums are listed below. I haven’t personally tried them out.