In this post, I share 4 reasons your niacinamide product could irritate your skin.
Before I get to the reasons, a quick note about niacinamide ~ Niacinamide is generally a non-irritating ingredient. It works well on most skin types. The chances of your skin being sensitive to niacinamide are very low. It is possible, but the chances are very low.
If your skin is sensitive to niacinamide, stop using it. But before you rule out niacinamide, check if the product you are using is doing something incorrectly. Keep reading below to find out more about how to check.
Are you squeezing out too many drops of the product?
Too much does not translate into more benefits with niacinamide. Too much niacinamide product will irritate your skin and make it red and inflamed.
Are you using too much of the product?
You only need two to three drops of niacinamide.
Maybe it’s something else in the product that is irritating?
Fragrance, essential oils, and denatured alcohol are some common culprits.
Check if your product has any of these.
Check if your product has other ingredients besides those you know you are sensitive to.
How much niacinamide does your product use?
It is common to have products with niacinamide between 10% and 15%. Because this is such a popular ingredient, manufacturers add huge amounts of it as it attracts more consumers.
But the reality is, with niacinamide, more does not mean better. Studies show that the sweet spot for niacinamide in skin care is between 2 and 5%.
Between 2 and 5% is what has been tested and studied to get the desired benefits for the skin.
Why then use more? Studies show that too much niacinamide irritates and inflames the skin.
Don’t get taken in by higher percentages of niacinamide. Most manufacturers charge huge dollars for this high amount of niacinamide.
Are you using niacinamide multiple times in one go?
Let me explain…
Niacinamide is a popular ingredient in skincare. You can find niacinamide serums. Serums usually contain niacinamide as the primary ingredient. You can also find niacinamide in many moisturisers and cleansers. In these products, it is present not as a primary ingredient but as one of the supplemental ingredients.
You may be using a niacinamide serum and then topping it off with a niacinamide-containing moisturiser (without realising it contains niacinamide).
Imagine this…You use a cleanser (without realising it has niacinamide), followed by a niacinamide serum, then top it off with a moisturiser (without realising it also has niacinamide). That’s a whole lot of niacinamide in one go !!!
So check your product ingredients.
Too much of niacinamide will irritate your skin.
If none of the above four reasons apply to your case, stop using the product. If used correctly, niacinamide will work well on most skin types. Having said that, one needs to listen to one’s skin. If it isn’t working well for you, stop using it. There are plenty of alternatives.
One quick note: Niacinamide can cause redness if used incorrectly, but it will not make your skin purge.