Niacinamide: the formulator’s ultimate guide to vitamin B3

Welcome to your ultimate guide to niacinamide, the trending skincare ingredient that everyone is talking about! As a cosmetic active, niacinamide has quickly risen to stardom—and for plenty of good reasons.

With proven effectiveness across a range of skin concerns, widespread availability, affordability, and a stellar safety profile, niacinamide is a true standout in the world of skincare. Add to that its compatibility with other ingredients and ease of use in formulations, and it’s clear why niacinamide shines so brightly in the beauty space.

Whether you’re new to niacinamide or a seasoned fan, this essential guide to niacinamide will walk you through everything you need to know about this powerful active. Plus, we’ve compiled a bonus list of beginner-friendly niacinamide skincare formulations you can make at home. Ready to unlock the full potential of niacinamide? Let’s get started!

What is niacinamide?

INCI: Niacinamide

Vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide or nicotinamide, is a high-performance active skincare ingredient, celebrated for its remarkable skin-brightening properties. As you dive deeper into this guide to niacinamide, you’ll discover how this versatile ingredient can transform your skincare formulations.

Vitamin B3 can be found as nicotinic acid or niacinamide. Nicotinic acid is more easily found in plant sources, while niacinamide is usually found in animal products. While you can find niacinamide naturally in various plant and animal sources, niacinamide is usually synthetically produced to ensure full purity and to keep costs down. This means that niacinamide is not a natural ingredient and is not accepted by natural and organic certification standards.

However, we’re making an exception here because even though niacinamide is not technically natural, it is nature-identical and brimming with benefits. When we say “nature-identical,” we’re referring to the fact that synthetic niacinamide has the exact same chemical structure as the niacinamide found in nature.

This means that, whether it’s extracted from plants, animals, or synthesised in a lab, the resulting niacinamide molecule is identical and functions in the same way for your skin. In theory, niacinamide could be derived from plant sources like maize (corn), wheat, or other grains, which contain the precursor compound nicotinic acid. However, synthesising niacinamide in the lab ensures a reliable and cost-effective option for skincare products.

You can find out more about the 4 shades of natural and natural certification schemes below:

Podcast 1: What does natural skincare mean?

Podcast 120: How many beauty certification schemes do we need?

15 certification schemes for sustainable beauty brands

Niacinamide offers so many skincare benefits that it’s hard to turn back once you start using it. Non-irritating and suitable for all skin types, this versatile ingredient can be incorporated into both day and night formulations— and that’s just the beginning.

This guide to niacinamide will also cover how to formulate with this active to maximise its benefits. Here are some of the top skin benefits of niacinamide:

Skin brightening

Niacinamide is a go-to ingredient for skin brightening- it can help reduce hyperpigmentation, even out skin tone, and give your complexion a luminous glow.

It’s also great for mature skin as it can help support collagen and elastin production, which helps minimise the appearance of fine lines.

Strengthens the skin barrier

Niacinamide helps increase the production of ceramides, which form part of the skin’s lipid structure. As we age, ceramide levels in the skin decline, compromising the lipid balance and weakening the skin barrier.

Niacinamide helps to reinforce the barrier and its capacity to prevent water loss and protect itself from external irritants. Find out more about the skin barrier below:

Skin Barrier 101: essential guide for natural cosmetic formulators

Saviour for blemish-prone skin

In addition to bolstering the skin’s barrier, niacinamide can help calm inflammation associated with acne. It also helps control sebum production, tightens pores, and boosts hydration—a welcome relief, especially since many acne treatments can be drying. Find out more about how to formulate for acne-prone skin below:

Formulating for acne-prone skin: The do’s, don’ts and myths

How to formulate with niacinamide

Incorporating niacinamide into your skincare formulations is straightforward, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

• Solubility: Niacinamide is water-soluble, meaning it’s best added to the water phase of your formula. Just stir until fully dissolved.
• Formulation phase: While niacinamide can be heated up to 70°C for emulsions, it’s often better to add it during the cool-down phase, under 40°C, to preserve its efficacy.
• Usage rate: Typical usage ranges from 2% to 4%, though it can go up to 10% depending on your formulation goals. Always check your supplier’s recommendations to ensure optimal results.
• pH: When working with niacinamide, aim for a final product pH around 6. This isn’t a strict rule but serves as a guideline to keep the pH closer to neutral. In very acidic environments, niacinamide can convert to niacin, which might cause temporary redness. However, this reaction requires extreme conditions and is unlikely in typical formulation practice. In practice, lower pH isn’t much of a problem. Formulating with niacinamide at a pH of 5 won’t cause tingling and redness, for example. This skin reaction is often caused by nicotinic acid which remains an impurity from the production process, so it depends more on the quality of the raw material than the pH of the formulation. Find out more about pH below:

What can go wrong if you don’t control your formulation’s pH?

For an in-depth understanding of formulating with niacinamide, including pH adjustments and synergistic combinations with other actives, explore our dedicated Mini Lab on Vitamin B3 available at The Lab at Formula Botanica.

Niacinamide & vitamin C

A common question among beginner formulators is whether niacinamide can be combined with vitamin C. The answer is yes! It’s compatible with most actives.

While pure ascorbic acid can be tricky to stabilise, consider using a stable derivative like tetrahexyldecyl (THD) ascorbate or ascorbyl glucoside for a more reliable formulation. For more insights on vitamin C, check out these posts:

Best forms of vitamin C in natural skincare

4 vitamin C skincare myths every formulator should know

Glow up with niacinamide: 4 must-try formulas

Gel cream

How to formulate a soothing after-sun gel cream

After a day at the beach, skin craves moisture but not necessarily oils, which can trap heat and feel uncomfortable. This silky lightweight skin hydrator is the perfect balance between a cool gel and a moisturising cream. Did I mention it’s the colour of the ocean?

Body serum

How to make a brightening body serum

This creamy lightweight body serum brightens with niacinamide and a stabilised form of vitamin C, plus it gives the skin barrier an extra boost with oat extract. This one’s intermediate level, but it comes together quickly, and is so worth the effort.

Create your own niacinamide products

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to niacinamide! Niacinamide is a must-have for every formulator’s toolkit, especially if you’re just starting out. This versatile, high-impact ingredient is incredibly easy to work with, making it perfect for beginners.

Ready to start crafting your own effective skincare products? Our foundation Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation will guide you step by step, helping you create beautiful, results-driven formulas from the ground up.

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Shauna Rudd

Shauna is a copywriter and content creator at Formula Botanica. Her love of beauty began with creating a make-your-own cosmetics kit for kids. A former aesthetician, Shauna is also an active formulator and perfumer, and a member of the Formula Botanica community.