Ingredient Spotlight: Niacinamide

Ingredient Spotlight · Cosmetic Active

The Niacinamide

The do-it-all vitamin. Vitamin B3, or PP, niacinamide soothes, evens tone, strengthens the barrier and regulates sebum: one of the most versatile and best-tolerated actives in skincare.

The portrait of a discreet vitamin that suits every skin.

SoothingEveningBarrierRegulatingAnti-Aging
Shop our niacinamide treatments
Common name
Niacinamide, nicotinamide, vitamin B3, vitamin PP.
INCI name
Niacinamide.
Family, type
Water-soluble B-group vitamin; multifunctional active.
Found in nature
Brewer's yeast, whole grains, legumes, peanuts, meat and fish.
How it's obtained
Synthesis from niacin (nicotinic acid), followed by purification.
Typical concentration
2% to 5%; effective from 2%, while above 5% the gain is small and the risk of tingling increases1,2.
Organoleptic properties
Appearance: white crystalline powder; Scent: neutral.
Physical characteristics
Water-soluble, very stable to heat, light and oxidation; precursor of NAD+, a coenzyme essential to cellular energy1.
Benefits
Soothing, evening, barrier-strengthening, sebum-regulating, anti-dark spot, anti-wrinkle, anti-redness.
Cosmetic indications
All skin types, especially sensitive, combination to oily, redness-prone or spot-prone skin; eye area.

Did you know?A little history

"PP" stands for pellagra preventive: it's the vitamin that, in the 1930s, ended pellagra, a deficiency disease that ravaged the skin of populations living on corn.

Its skincare career began in the 2000s, when clinical studies showed that at 2% to 5% it reduces wrinkles, dark spots, redness and loss of elasticity within twelve weeks, without irritation2.

Since then, niacinamide has become one of the most studied actives in the world, and one of the most loved, because it gets along with everything and suits everyone.

General useNiacinamide in everyday life

In the body, vitamin B3 is the precursor of NAD+, the coenzyme that fuels hundreds of energy reactions in every cell. On skin, it recharges this cellular fuel, which explains the diversity of its effects: more energy to make ceramides, repair DNA or regulate pigmentation1.

Compatible with everything: contrary to a common myth, niacinamide pairs perfectly with vitamin C, fruit acids or retinol-like actives. It even makes them easier to tolerate.

Cosmetic useIts properties on skin

  • StrengtheningIt stimulates ceramide synthesis and strengthens the skin barrier, reducing water loss1.
  • SoothingAnti-inflammatory, it calms redness and reactivity in sensitive skin.
  • EveningIt slows the transfer of melanin to the epidermis and fades dark spots2.
  • Sebum-regulatingIt reduces sebum production and the look of enlarged pores.
  • Anti-wrinkleIt improves elasticity and smooths fine lines by stimulating collagen and structural proteins2.
  • Anti-dark circleBy improving microcirculation and skin thickness, it brightens the eye area.

FormulationNiacinamide at Yon-Ka

Vitamin PP

Niacinamide

We use it under its historic name, vitamin PP, as a key active in two repairing treatments: the Nutri-Contour eye care and Elixir Vital serum, where it accompanies vitamin B5.

Key active in: Nutri-Contour · Elixir Vital

In cosmeticsUses

  • Repairing, multivitamin serums;
  • Anti-dark circle eye care;
  • Soothing creams for sensitive skin;
  • Dark spot and evening care;
  • Mattifying care for combination skin.

The Yon-Ka approach

For us, vitamin PP is part of a repairing cocktail: in Elixir Vital, it joins vitamin B5 and beech bud peptides to revitalize tired skin; in Nutri-Contour, it nourishes the eye area with hazelnut oil and chamomile.

The science of the active, the sensoriality of the plant.

How to useAdding it to your ritual

  1. In the evening, as a course
    Elixir Vital on face and neck after Lotion Yon-Ka, for 4 weeks, at each change of season or after a tiring period.
  2. The eye area
    Nutri-Contour morning or evening, tapped gently around the eyes.
  3. With everything
    Niacinamide combines with your other products, vitamin C and fruit acids included.

Good to knowStorage and precautions

One of the most stable actives in skincare: no special storage needed.

Very well tolerated, including by sensitive skin and during pregnancy. At high concentrations (above 5%), slight temporary tingling or redness may occur in some people1; our formulas stay within effective, gentle doses.

Go furtherSources

  1. Gehring W. Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004; 3(2): 88-93. PubMed
  2. Bissett D.L., Oblong J.E., Berge C.A. Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance. Dermatologic Surgery, 2005; 31(7 Pt 2): 860-865. PubMed
  3. COSMILE Europe (Cosmetics Europe), cosmetic ingredient database, Niacinamide. cosmileeurope.eu
  4. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Niacin – Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
Selection

Our niacinamide treatments

The Yon-Ka formulas where vitamin PP is a key ingredient.

Explore all ingredients

The Phyto-Aromatic
Skincare Experience

www.yonka.com