The Best Niacinamide Products for Your Brightest Complexion Yet (2024)

You know an ingredient has "made it" once it starts getting top billing directly in product names. It's an honor than has often been reserved for the best-known active ingredients like retinol and vitamin C — veteran all-stars that dermatologists have been touting for decades. But lately, one buzzy ingredient, in particular, has been making its way into bold title font on an increasing number of bottles and jars: niacinamide.

Regardless of whether or not niacinamide is mentioned in a product's name, it's being included and shouted out at an unignorable rate in numerous skin-care products with numerous purposes. That's because niacinamide has a number of expert-appreciated benefits. "Niacinamide works with your skin's natural chemistry to improve overall skin texture by rebuilding a lipid layer, minimizing the appearance of pores, and preventing UV damage and inflammation as an antioxidant," Seattle-based board-certified dermatologist Brandith Irwin, MD, previously told Allure.

A form of vitamin B3, niacinamide is also believed to reduce redness, discoloration, and even acne, according to board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD, who is based in New York City and Englewood, New Jersey. "In topical forms, it has been shown to reduce sebum production," she previously told Allure, noting that it's quite gentle on the skin.

With so many reasons to use niacinamide come even more types of products that contain it: serums, creams, body lotions, spot treatments, and so much more. We've narrowed it down to some of the best niacinamide serums, moisturizers, and even sunscreens out there so you can find your ideal way of implementing this universally beneficial ingredient into your skin-care routine.

Ready to feel more confident when reading your beauty products' ingredient labels? Enter, the Allure Ingredient Index. In this comprehensive guide, you'll find everything you need to know about the most in-demand (and under-the-radar) ingredients in your favorite skin-care products.

Carmen Castilla MD, NYC-based board-certified dermatologist, recommends EltaMD's UV Clear Sunscreen to her patients with acne and skin that's prone to rosacea. "Niacinamide in this product can help correct unwanted dyspigmentation and also calm acne- and rosacea-prone skin," she tells Allure. This derm favorite, lightweight formula has earned a permanent spot in many editors' routines — it even inspired associate features director Dianna Mazzone to pen a love letter in its honor.

Lancôme's Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum is like a booster shot for the skin, and niacinamide is one of the key drivers behind it. It works in tandem with vitamin C to reduce dark spots, while hyaluronic acid plumps the skin and antioxidant ferulic acid protects the skin from environmental factors. This serum is such a multitasking triple threat that it picked up a Best of Beauty Award in 2022.

If problematic pores and uneven skin tone have got you down, Sunday Riley has a solution. The brand's newest release, the B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum is a water-based serum that targets oiliness, dark spots, and pesky post-acne marks. Commerce writer Jennifer Hussein fell in love with the formula when she tried it out prior to launch. "Thanks to its three key antioxidants — niacinamide, reservatrol, and EGCG (which is found in green tea) — my complexion is brighter than ever and my rosacea flare-ups have noticeably calmed down," she says.

Niacinamide gets a lot of praise for saving post-acne skin, but it's actually useful in every step of the blemish-fighting process. Take ZitSticka's Goo Getter Spot Clarifying Dots — these hydrocolloid patches use niacinamide, salicylic acid, vitamin C, and tea tree to suck the "goo" out of your pimples and speed up the entire healing process.

CeraVe's PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion isn't built like your average night cream. This formula is lightweight and suitable for most skin types, even those with oily and acne-prone skin. "I recommend this often to my acne patients since the ceramides will help restore/maintain the skin barrier and the niacinamide can help further improve acne," Dr. Castilla tells Allure.

If your New Year's skin-care resolutions include strengthening your barrier and increasing skin-cell regeneration, Olay's Niacinamide + Peptide 24 Moisturizer will help you accomplish your goals. In addition to hydrating with glycerin and hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and peptides encourage cell turnover for brand-new, baby-smooth skin.

Good Days for All C's the Day Serum's bright yellow bottle is a positive omen for good things to come — bright, beautiful skin is in your future. A concentration of 12 percent vitamin C (increased from the original formulation's 10 percent) tackles hyperpigmentation while niacinamide and licorice root minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines.

Leave dull skin behind in 2022 with Hyper Skin's Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask. Its ingredient list is almost too good to be true — glycolic acid, salicylic acid, mandelic acid, turmeric, and of course, niacinamide. These skin-care superstars work together to brighten, even skin tone, and target hyperpigmentation, leaving you with radiant skin that's almost too good to be true. Did we mention that it won a 2022 Best of Beauty Award?

One of niacinamide's best qualities — if we had to choose — is its ability to play nice with other ingredients, which is part of how it makes its way onto so many ingredient lists. Take the Eau Thermale Avène RetrinAL Advanced Correcting Serum for example, which is formulated with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and bakuchiol, a gentler alternative to retinol. These three ingredients team up to target skin concerns like texture and dark spots. "This three-in-one serum is the MVP in my routine when I don't feel like doing more than three steps." says associate beauty editor Annie Blay.

Merit's Great Skin Instant Glow Serum is a bi-phase, lightweight serum that adds a healthy radiance to the skin in flash. Niacinamide in the formula softens the skin and evens texture, while cacao seed extract and hyaluronic acid impart that dewy, well-rested glow — even if you have desert-dry skin. Commerce editor Sarah Han was so pleased with her results that she opted to skip base makeup when she was testing it. "I couldn't stop admiring my skin and decided right away that I could totally skip my usual foundation," she wrote in her review.

The B3 mentioned in the name of SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3 is, in fact, niacinamide, which proves how well it plays with other ingredients in this multipurpose emulsion. "This lightweight lotion combines five percent niacinamide, a tripeptide complex, and glycerin to deliver hydration without feeling heavy or leaving the skin feeling greasy," Dr. Garshick tells Allure. The result is a more even tone, firmer skin, and a smoother, softer look and feel.

“An effective product should have between two and 10 percent niacinamide,” South Florida-based board-certified dermatologist Janet Allenby, MD, has told Allure. The Naturium Niacinamide Gel Cream 5% falls right in that sweet spot — and price, too. The lightweight hybrid moisturizer promises noticeable dewiness without greasiness; in fact, purifying pores is one of its main goals, so even oily skin can enjoy that fresh-faced, balanced glow.

Unlike many active ingredients, niacinamide doesn't cause sun sensitivity. In fact, Dr. Allenby says, niacinamide is photo-protectant, so it can actually give sunscreen a bit of a boost — like in the Best of Beauty Award-winning La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer UV. In addition to soothing redness like the entire Toleriane line does, it helps repair and protect the skin barrier with ceramides and, yep, niacinamide, which just so happens to be a notable barrier strengthener. (We told you it has multiple benefits.)

Yes, it's possible to integrate two powerhouse skin-care ingredients into your routine in a single, non-irritating moisturizer, in this case, Pond's Rejuveness Advanced Hydrating Night Cream. "This night cream incorporates retinol and vitamin B3 — niacinamide — to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration while replenishing moisture with glycerin and ceramides," says Dr. Garshick, who recommends using it every evening. The glycerin and ceramides in it ensure your skin spends the night getting rehydrated and replenished.

Niacinamide wears many hats, but for The Inkey List's Niacinamide Serum, its favorite use for the ingredient is oil control. This simply named serum contains 10 percent niacinamide — an especially effective level, according to Dr. Allenby — which gives the formula its ability to help prevent breakouts as well as the redness often associated with them. Incredibly lightweight, it's also made with one percent hyaluronic acid, so your skin's hydration gets a boost as well.

The undereye area is some of the most sensitive skin on your face, and it's constantly threatening to go into extra-dry mode. Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Eye Cream goes beyond your typical moisturizing eye-cream duties by replenishing the skin barrier with ceramides — and bolstering those ceramides with niacinamide. It essentially creates a seal that ensures hydration is locked in and irritants are locked out.

Glow Recipe is well-known for its fruit-centric skin-care products, and while watermelon does a wonderful job hydrating and replenishing amino acids, niacinamide is the real star of this serum. It's what makes Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops so effective at reducing the look of pores, getting your complexion all glowy, and infusing your skin with antioxidants. Allure commerce editor Sarah Han says she relies on it to hide any evidence of her stress and sleep deprivation.

Alastin Restorative Skin Complex is one of Dr. Allenby's favorite products containing niacinamide — partly because this vitamin is so compatible with the other highly effective ingredients in this moisturizer. While glycerin alleviates dryness and a diverse cast of peptides make way for healthier collagen and elastin, niacinamide is protecting and brightening that increasingly firmer, plumper skin with its free-radical-fighting antioxidant abilities.

This one's for all the wannabe cosmetic chemists out there. The Ordinary Niacinamide Powder lets you mix a potent form of vitamin B3 with the water-based product of your choice, upgrading your favorite formula to one with the seemingly endless advantages of niacinamide. Just add a little scoop to something like a hyaluronic acid serum or a peptide-packed cream to increase its ability to keep shine under control and pores clear.

It should go without saying that the benefits of niacinamide can extend well below the face. Wherever you have skin, you have a use for the vitamin, which is why it's such a key element of The Body Lotion by Nécessaire. The rich yet fast-absorbing formula is much more scientifically sophisticated than what you might expect from such a no-frills moisturizing experience, offering peptides, glycerin, and, of course, niacinamide to impart nourishment, calmness, and strength all over.

Niacinamide joins a team of naturally melanin-inhibiting ingredients like marshmallow root and blueberry in Acaderma's Star Light Spot Corrector, a silky serum that can be used for all-over brightening or here-and-there discoloration. Tranexamic acid gets skin cells turning without irritating exfoliation, making this formula a must-have for anyone who wants to address unevenness without aggravating their skin.

More on skin care:

• This Youth to the People Moisturizer Cured My Fear of Rich Creams
• The 22 Best Face Serums for Every Skin Type
• 17 Brilliant Skin-Care Sets to Gift This Holiday Season

Now watch Madelyn Cline's gorgeous, glowy 10-Minute Beauty Routine:

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