The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Solution Review - The Beauty Wonk (2024)

Niacinamide is THE ingredient that WORKS for everyone – you can be dry, oily, combination, normal, acne-prone, and a million other things. There’s a high chance you’ll see positive results after including this ingredient in your skincare routine.

I have oily skin with an uneven skin tone. I desperately needed something that could control the oil production and even out my complexion. And I ordered The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Solution to see if it’s actually worth the hype!

I was not using any serum before I started with The Ordinary’s Niacinamide. My routine before this was the usual cleanse, moisturize, SPF, and exfoliate (3x a week). And this serum was a game-changer for my skin – it had never looked better.

BTW, I was exfoliating my face with The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution.

The product is transparent and is slightly heavier than water. It feels very lightweight and non-sticky on the skin. The texture is slightly viscous and it foams on application so make sure you apply the ordinary niacinamide serum on dry skin and don’t go overboard with the quantity.

This serum doesn’t have any added fragrance and the smell isn’t really detectable.

Another favourite Niacinamide based serum of mine is Tiam Vita B3 Source. It has 10% Niacinamide but the texture is watery and more elegant.

In your skincare routine, you can use the ordinary niacinamide serum after cleansing and toning (optional). I tend to use it once a day, either morning or night but it can be used twice a day too. If you’re oily, acne-prone my post on The Ordinary Skincare Routine for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin might be helpful for you.

All you have to do is take 2 drops of the niacinamide serum in your palms and pat in on the skin. It gets absorbed quickly leaving no residue or sticky feeling behind.

As mentioned before, Niacinamide is compatible with almost all the actives so you don’t have to worry about layering with different acids. Just find the combination that works the best for your skin and stick to it.

I have been using this product for 3 months now and it has worked extremely well for my skin. I was facing skin issues like blemished skin, excess oil production, and enlarged pores. And with consistent use of the ordinary niacinamide serum, my pores appear smaller and my skin has a beautiful glow to it.

While it did help me in evening out my skin tone, I didn’t see faster results with stubborn acne spots. But my skin always felt soft and supple.

The ordinary niacinamide serum combined with the ordinary glycolic acid has been worked really well for my skin. Since Niacinamide increases cell turnover, you might experience purging when you have just started using it. If that happens, keep going and it should clear up within 3-4 weeks.

Some skin types can’t tolerate a high percentage of Niacinamide so if you’re one of them, go for a lower concentration.