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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

You can change your skin’s destiny.™

NIACINAMIDE IS THE GAME CHANGER YOU NEED TO DEFEND AGAINST SKIN DAMAGE AND MAINTAIN OPTIMAL SKIN HEALTH - THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE ORDINARY, SOBEL SKIN RX AND MORE

NIACINAMIDE IS THE GAME CHANGER YOU NEED TO DEFEND AGAINST SKIN DAMAGE AND MAINTAIN OPTIMAL SKIN HEALTH - THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE ORDINARY, SOBEL SKIN RX AND MORE

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I love fall! When I was a kid, it was always my favorite season. The smells of the fallen leaves, pumpkin spice, and warm apple pie. The best off all? The cool, crisp, clean air!

And nothing beats snuggling under the blankets on a Saturday morning, not wanting to get out of bed. Orpheus and I really dragged it out this morning. Sure, we got up at the usual 5 a.m. for his breakfast, but then went right back to the comfort of the bed until 8 — reading and catching last night’s shows. He, of course, went back to sleep!

I spend the entire fall season exploring new, richer skincare treatments that will protect my skin in the harsh, cold winter months ahead. Every day seems like Christmas — with new, pampering facial oils and thick, lavishing night creams that feel like butter!

I’ve just published three articles in my series of winter moisturizers and hydrators. It kicked off with Winter Moisturizers Part 1, followed by Winter Moisturizers Part 2 and last week’s piece titled, Favorite Face Mists for Keeping Skin Hydrated in the Cold.

Oh, I almost forgo! One of my favorite things about the fall season is hot soup! I taught myself how to make soup last autumn and made my first homemade chicken soup since February this past week. I like it simple: chicken, carrots, celery, onions and rice. Period!

Funny, come to think of it, a can of Campbell’s Chicken and Rice soup was my favorite as a kid. It was the first thing I ate when I got home from high school in the early afternoon — just in time for my afternoon soap operas. (Yes, I was an avid General Hospital fan!)

Ahh, the delights of fall…

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The skincare stuff starts here.

Sure my favorite ingredients for homemade chicken soup are as simple as it gets. And unsurprisingly, my favorite ingredients in skincare are just as basic — vitamins! Among the most essential are Vitamin C and Vitamin B3, or Niacinamide.

How funny does it sound to say you have favorite skincare ingredients? But if you’re serious about your skin health and about achieving the healthiest, most youthful complexion without the nips and tucks of a cosmetic surgeon, you have to know what works for you, embrace it, and run with it.

When I was at Kiehl’s in the 2000s, we often joked that nothing works. It wasn’t all that long ago where most skincare was little more than marketing spin. Like the entire category of anti-aging products. Personally, I don’t believe in products that claim to be “anti-aging”.

The entire concept, and even the term anti-aging itself, is a marketing ploy made up by big beauty marketers to sell overpriced skincare based on emotional duress. People will pay anything if they think it will make them look younger with little effort.

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Sadly, most people will pay for “hope in a jar.” It’s all nonsense. No $195 jar of Creme de la Mer is going to do anything that even remotely comes close to slowing the effects of skin aging.

If you want an anti-aging product, you need a really well-formulated sunscreen! Like the the Solara Suncare Time Traveler Ageless Daily Face Sunscreen — one of the best mineral sunscreens for face. (Hey, catch my review of it here.)

So yes, true anti-aging means sunscreen. Sunscreen prevents the leading cause of skin aging: damage from the sun’s UV rays. Beyond that, a proper skincare routine that gives skin all it needs to maintain optimal health, and thus its youthfulness, is an anti-aging routine. And there are a few ingredients that help to achieve that, many of them antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin A (Retinol), Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) and Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid).

Niacinamide is the real game changer. The form of Vitamin B3 is perhaps the most under-appreciated of all skincare ingredients. It’s happens to be the most extraordinary and versatile, with the broadest range of skin benefits — including antioxidant protection, clarifying and unclogging pores, retexturing the skin’s surface layer, strengthening the skin barrier, and brightening the complexion.

If you aren’t employing a Niacinamide serum in your daily skincare routine, you’re missing a vital opportunity to up your game and, yes, fight signs of aging.

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What is Niacinamide and What Does Niacinamide Do for the Skin?

I found a comprehensive article on the form of Vitamin B3 written by the skin experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, titled simply, How Niacinamide Helps Skin. It doesn’t do it justice! They should have titled the article, Niacinamide is the Game Changer You Need to Defend Against Skin Damage and Maintain Optimal Skin Health.

But since they didn’t call it that, I decided to use it for this article!

How Niacinamide Helps Skin

Niacinamide is a skin care ingredient worthy of your attention and your skin will love you for using it. Among a handful of other amazing skin care ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C, niacinamide is a standout because of its versatility for almost any skin care concern and skin type.

As many of you know about us, but for those who don’t, the conclusions we make about any ingredient are always based on what the published research has shown to be true—and the research about niacinamide unanimously demonstrates how special it is. New research keeps showing it’s one of the most exciting skin care ingredients around.

What is Niacinamide?

Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinamide, niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that works with the natural substances in your skin to help visibly minimize enlarged pores, tighten lax pores, improve uneven skin tone, soften fine lines and wrinkles, diminish dullness, and strengthen a weakened surface.

Niacinamide also reduces the impact of environmental damage because of its ability to improve skin’s barrier (its first line of defense), plus it also plays a role in helping skin to repair signs of past damage. Left unchecked, this type of daily assault makes skin appear older, dull, and less radiant.

Why You Should Use Niacinamide

As you might have gathered, we’re very impressed with all that niacinamide can do for skin when applied via skin care products like toners, serums, and highly concentrated leave-on treatments. Niacinamide is uniquely compatible with any of the products in your skin care routine, including those that contain retinol, peptides, hyaluronic acid, AHAs, BHA, vitamin C, and all types of antioxidants.

You can use multiple niacinamide-containing products in your routine, and it will still be non-sensitizing as this ingenious B vitamin is well tolerated by all skin types. It’s even suitable for use by those with sensitive or rosacea-prone skin.

Other helpful benefits of niacinamide are that it helps renew and restore the surface of skin against moisture loss and dehydration by helping skin improve its natural production of skin-strengthening ceramides. When ceramides become depleted over time, skin is left vulnerable to all sorts of problems, from persistent patches of dry, flaky skin to increasingly becoming extra-sensitive.

If you struggle with dry skin, topical application of niacinamide has been shown to boost the hydrating ability of moisturizers so skin’s surface can better resist the moisture loss that leads to recurrent dry, tight, flaky skin. Niacinamide works brilliantly with common moisturizer ingredients like glycerin, non-fragrant plant oils, cholesterol, sodium PCA, and sodium hyaluronate.

How does niacinamide help pores? Great question, although the answer here isn’t certain. Simply put, research hasn’t come to a full understanding about how this B vitamin works its pore-reducing magic, but it does! It seems that niacinamide has a normalizing ability on the pore lining, and that this influence plays a role in keeping debris from getting backed up, which leads to clogs and rough, bumpy skin. As the clog forms and worsens, the pores stretch to compensate, and what you’ll see is enlarged pores. By helping things get back to normal, niacinamide use helps pores return to their normal size. Sun damage can cause pores to become stretched, too, leading to what some describe as "orange peel skin". Higher concentrations of niacinamide can help visibly tighten pores by shoring up skin’s supportive elements.


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Paula’s Choice | 10% Niacinamide Booster

There are few skincare ingredients that I consider as indispensable as Vitamin C, among them Niacinamide. But I only began to incorporate it into my regular skincare routine relatively recently.

While I had heard of Niacinamide over the years, I had never paid much attention to the form of Vitamin B3 until Paula's Choice introduced their 10% Niacinamide Booster serum maybe three-four years ago now. It was the first serum of its kind on the market, and I bought it that very same day.

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Four years later and a 10% concentration of Niacinamide is considered the gold standard.

Paula’s Choice recently introduced their Niacinamide 20% Treatment with double the concentration of the brand’s original, phenomenally popular serum. (Psst…I review it in this article next!)

I use a Niacinamide serum religiously — every single day, twice a day, in both my AM and PM routines. Generally, with Niacinamide you can’t overdo it.

As the Paula’s Choice Research Team asserted in their article How Niacinamide Helps Skin, “You can use multiple niacinamide-containing products in your routine, and it will still be non-sensitizing as this ingenious B vitamin is well tolerated by all skin types.”

In addition to being the best Niacinamide serum, The Paula’s Choice Niacinamide booster is one of the most well-rounded anti-aging serums available. It goes far beyond just the brightening potency and pore-flushing benefits of Niacinamide alone — with Ascorbyl Glucoside (a form of Vitamin C) and Sodium Hyaluronate (a form of Hyaluronic Acid) at very high levels.

Contrary to the popular skincare myth that Vitamin C and Niacinamide don’t play well together, Vitamins B3 and C are actually BFFs!

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Considered a stable form of Vitamin C when combined with Glucose, the Ascorbyl Glucoside in the 10% Niacinamide Booster serum converts to Ascorbic Acid (the pure form of Vitamin C) when absorbed by the skin.


CAN VITAMIN C AND NIACINAMIDE BE USED TOGETHER?

The answer is a resounding yes! They actually work very well together and can form the core of a healthy, anti-aging skincare routine. Read more about this power pair in the article, Can Niacinamide and Vitamin C Be Used Together?


While it’s a true powerhouse for skin, the 10% Niacinamide Booster has also got a super watery texture (as light as water itself!) that makes it relatively easy to layer into any skincare routine. And, it works perfectly in the “Skincarma ABC” step at the heart of the most effective skincare regimens; that is, Vitamin A (Retinol/Bakuchiol), Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) and Vitamin C. You can’t go wrong if you stick to that — and it’s easy to remember at night when the last thing you want to think about is the application order of multiple serums.

At $44, the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster is one of the priciest options, but as you can see, it’s well worth the money.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster for $44 here.


WATCH VIDEO REVIEW OF

THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUMS FOR CLOGGED PORES AND A BRIGHTER COMPLEXION

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


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Paula’s Choice | Niacinamide 20% Treatment

Very few of us are lucky enough to have no real pore problem. In fact, aside from Nicole Kidman, I don’t know anyone who has invisible pores. For most of us, our pores are quite visible and are even more so as they become clogged, congested and loaded with gunk throughout the day.

By the time I get home in the early evening, my pores can be the most prominent feature of my face! During my morning commutes into the City, I imagine my pores drawing in all kinds of filth and pollution as I’m standing on the subway platform. I can’t wait to get home to wash my face.

As we age, our pores tend to stretch and sag under the weight of gravity like the rest of the body. That makes them appear larger and more prone to trapping dirt, debris and sebum. It’s a vicious cycle.

But clogged pores can be hell at any age!

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The first thing to understand is that you can’t shrink the size of your pores — you can only minimize how large they appear to the world you face each day.

One of the most common questions I get in my DM’s and in my IG Live sessions has to do with pores. How do I keep them from getting clogged? How do I make them look smaller?

The answer is simple: Niacinamide (Vitamin B3). It bears repeating, if you aren’t using a Niacinamide treatment, you aren’t effectively treating your pores.

When it comes to pores, there is no greater expert than Paula Begoun, my skincare muse. From the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, “Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinic acid, niacinamide is a very effective skin-restoring ingredient that offers multiple benefits for aging and blemish-prone skin. Among these benefits is the ability to visibly improve the appearance of enlarged pores.”

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Paula’s Choice was the first to come to market with what I consider to be the OG of Niacinamide treatments, the 10% Niacinamide Booster — the best Niacinamide serum for brightening the complexion. So I was crazy excited when the brand introduced a double concentration, the Niacinamide 20% Treatment.

With its 20% concentration of Niacinamide, the Paula’s Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment  is the best serum for clogged pores and a rough skin texture.

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According to the brand, the Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment is a “highly concentrated niacinamide (vitamin B3) serum that effectively tightens and minimizes the look of sagging pores and rough bumps caused by age or sun damage.”

So, while the 10% Niacinamide Booster is an effective skin brightening and treatment for clogged pores, the Niacinamide 20% Treatment goes beyond those two benefits to help smooth roughness in skin’s surface layer. Think of it as a gentler retexturizer than the more potent resurfacing Glycolic and Lactic Acids.

The Niacinamide 20% Treatment is a much thicker formula than the 10% original, with a pulpier texture that’s more like a conventional serum. Two small drops twice daily does the trick.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Paula’s Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment for $48 here.

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The Ordinary | Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

I’m a long-time fan of Deciem’s The Ordinary. The democratically priced skincare brand for everyone literally revolutionized skin care.

The Ordinary was one of the first brands that offered a broad range of single-note products — that is, products focused on one primary active ingredient. In doing so, they met the curiosity of consumers to learn about ingredients and how they benefit their skin. Ingredients like Niacinamide. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that the majority of skincare fanatics first discovered Niacinamide through The Ordinary!

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I first began my own not-so-ordinary journey with the brand about four years ago, just as The Ordinary was bursting onto the skincare scene. Early favorites of mine were the Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% serum, the 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder — and the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%.

While I’m a fan The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, admittedly it’s not my go-to Niacinamide serum. That distinction always has, and always will, belong to the OG Niacinamide serum – the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster serum.

Why? Because it’s much, much more than a Niacinamide treatment. It’s a perfectly well-rounded anti-aging product with antioxidant Vitamin C, humectant Sodium Hyaluronate and nourishing phospholipids. IMO the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster the best anti-aging serum ever!

But, that’s not to say that The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% isn’t a solid, pro-skin health treatment — because it certainly is. It’s among the best face serums with Niacinamide and best Niacinamide serums for clogged pores. At just $5.90, it’s also the most accessible. In fact, you can purchase nine bottles of it for the price of a single bottle of that Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster.

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As with most of The Ordinary’s products, it’s a basic, daily treatment. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is an effective Niacinamide serum with added zinc that effectively flushes out pores, brightens the complexion, and delivers antioxidant protection to the skin.

Perhaps what’s most unique about The Ordinary’s version is the inclusion of one percent Zinc PCA. Zinc is believed to have a potential benefit for acne-prone skin, though the science is unsettled. Whether or not zinc in any form can help relieve blemish prone, Zinc PCA does have proven benefits for the overall health of the skin.

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In fact, the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team rate it among the best ingredients for the skin. They describe Zinc PCA as, “a synthetic skin-conditioning ingredient derived from zinc. Research has shown it has anti-aging benefits due to its ability to thwart destructive enzymes in skin that can damage its surface and lead to an aged, wrinkled appearance.”

In terms of zinc’s effect on blemishes, there’s an insightful article from the team titled, Does Zinc Help With Acne? — which you can read here.

Whether or not zinc has a direct benefit for acne-prone skin, the high level of Niacinamide in The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% certainly does. One of the most versatile and broadly pro-skin health actives, Niacinamide is highly effective at keeping pores clear. And clear pores don’t clog — a leading cause of acne.

The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a relatively simple, effective treatment that seriously amps up any skincare routine with regular, daily (even twice daily use!) — all at an affordable price.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% for just $5.90 here.


WATCH VIDEO REVIEW OF

THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUMS FOR CLOGGED PORES AND A BRIGHTER COMPLEXION

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


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Purito | Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence

And now for my little Purito fermented Niacinamide gem — the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence.

I follow skin care and skincare ingredient trends very closely. And this particular factoid has always stuck with me. In 2017, the most googled skincare ingredient in China was “Vitamin C”. That trend followed worldwide. But get this. The following year, 2018, and well into last year, the most searched term was “Niacinamide.”

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Imagine that! Niacinamide. An ingredient I’d be willing to guess that few of us had ever even heard of before three years ago. Count me among them!

As I’ve said, the first time I’d ever really became aware of Niacinamide was when Paula Begoun’s namesake brand introduced what I consider the best Niacinamide serum — the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster.

Cherished for its undeniable brightening efficacy, Niacinamide has not been popular in skincare products — not in A-beauty, J-beauty, K-beauty, C-beauty or Western beauty until quite recently. Now, it’s everywhere and in everything. And that’s a good thing for skin health.

For brightening, in particular, K-beauty has relied on plant extracts including Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Kojic Acid and Ellagic Acid —  an antioxidant found in pomegranates, raspberries and strawberries.

To this day, the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence is among the best Niacinamide serums for brightening the complexion that I’ve come across since that Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster.

First, it’s a clean formula devoid of toxic irritants. Second, like the Paula’s Choice option, it’s a super watery formula — which means it’s extremely easy to layer into any and every skincare routine to boost your regimen’s pro-skin health benefits.

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Purito’s Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence contains just 12 ingredients, three of which are nutrient-dense fermented actives — Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Lysate and Lactobacillus Ferment.

If you’re familiar with Estée Lauder’s iconic Advanced Night Repair or K-beauty sensation Missha’s Time Revolution Night Repair Probio Ampoule, then you know the benefits of ferments like Bifida Ferment Lysate. In all, Purito’s claims a 92% concentration of fermented ingredients — an extraordinarily nourishing level for the skin.

The second ingredient in the Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence INCI is the power brightener and antioxidant powerhouse, Niacinamide — a 5% concentration of the vitamin according to Purito. There are also two nourishing amino acids and soothing Allantoin.

It’s seriously good stuff! And at around $20, it doesn’t get much better than this.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence for $14.76 here.



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Sobel Skin Rx | 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum

I’m a huge fan of Dr. Howard Sobel’s new clinical skincare range, Sobel Skin Rx. Several weeks ago, I crafted a sweeping brand review of the collection titled, Dermatologist Skincare Brand Sobel Skin Rx - Some of the Best Anti-Aging Face Products for Healthy, Youthful Skin. (You can still catch it here.) Sobel Skin Rx is a collection of clean skincare with highly concentrated levels of actives — exactly the kind of products you’d expect to find at a derm’s office.

Says Dr. Sobel, “Sobel Skin Rx is all about the active ingredients. You’ll find them at the very top of all of our ingredient lists, so you know that the product you’re getting is the real deal and not just hype.”

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Reminiscent of Dr. Sobel’s original DDF Skincare Aloe Toning Complex, the Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum is my fave product from his new seven-product range.

The 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum is actually quite a uniquely sensorial experience. It has a thick, pulpy gel texture that feels really elegant on the skin — and feels more luxurious than any other Niacinamide serum I’ve ever tried.

As the name implies, the 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum has a 15% concentration of Niacinamide, which is between my favorite Niacinamide serum, the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, and the new Paula’s Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment.

The Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum is a tight, clean formulation with just 11 ingredients, including soothing Allantoin, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Chamomile Extract and even Bisabolol — the active component of chamomile with the ability to eliminate and prevent irritation.

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Interestingly, this skin-soothing complex of Allantoin, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Chamomile Extract is a feature of several of the Sobel Skin Rx formulas — and it gives the formula a wonderfully, fresh and crisp herbal aroma.

Dr. Sobel’s soothing complex is certainly welcome since higher concentrations of Niacinamide can cause flushing, or mild redness, in some people. Personally, I’ve never experienced any reaction when using Niacinamide — and that includes the new 100% Niacinamide Powder from The Ordinary that I review next.

The Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum is a cool (and cooling!) formula and a product that I always look forward to using, which says a lot.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum for $75 here.


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SKINCARMA….

GIVEAWAY!

Enter for a chance to win the Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum, one of the most unique Niacinamide treatments I’ve tried — and a personal favorite! ($75 value) 

Share why you want to win in the comments below. Then, return to the Skincarma IG page and comment “Done”. Giveaway ends Sunday 12/13/2020.


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The Ordinary | 100% Niacinamide Powder

I hadn’t been so eager about a new product launch from The Ordinary since the Squalane Cleanser!

But, in the midst of what seems like non-stop madness with the pandemic, there have been a few real moments of joy for me — and two of them came just days apart the week it launched.

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I brought Orpheus to his annual check-up at the vet on that week — in what was actually his first check-up in 18 months. I was scared as hell that there was gonna be something wrong. He’s getting up there (14 years!) and I’ve long been worried about potential kidney disease, the number one ender of a cat’s life. And guess what. He’s 100% healthy! Phew.

The second moment of pure joy came with the arrival of The Ordinary’s new 100% Niacinamide Powder. Yeah, I know they’re hardly comparable, but that’s the depth of my affinity for skin care products.

Sure, Niacinamide is one of the best actives for the skin — and one of the most multi-beneficial. At varying concentrations, it can brighten the complexion, clear out pores to prevent clogging and acne, and act as a potent antioxidant that prevents environmental damage and skin aging. At higher levels, as with the Paula’s Choice 20% Niacinamide Treatment, it can even smooth out roughness in the skin’s surface texture.

Like sunscreen, Niacinamide is one of the most reliably effective anti-aging ingredients!

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As with The Ordinary’s 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder, the 100% Niacinamide Powder has a bit of a learning curve. If you’re wondering how to mix it, what to mix it with, and at what level to achieve the right concentration of Niacinamide for your skin, Deciem has an in-depth “Mixing Guide” on the 100% Niacinamide Powder product page on their site.

In terms of their own products, Deciem recommends mixing it with any of the following: Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, “Buffet” + Copper Peptides 1%, Matrixyl 10% + HA and Argireline Solution 10%.

Of course, you can mix it with just about any Hyaluronic Acid serum or peptide serum you have on hand. As long as your skin tolerates the serum well already, you should be good as Niacinamide is well tolerated by the skin to begin with.

Personally, I’ve been mixing a 1/4 teaspoon (the one provided with the product, not a kitchen teaspoon!) of the 100% Niacinamide Powder with my favorite Argireline Solution from The Ordinary. Psst…Argireline is a peptide serum composed of a proprietary solution of Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. It helps to plump the skin to minimize the appears of surface lines and wrinkles.

Once sufficiently dissolved in the palm, the 100% Niacinamide Powder melts right into the serum in a matter of seconds. I spread it over my face. There’s always a bit of a tingling effect, which is actually normal when using either Vitamin B3 or Vitamin C.

I’ve used it for several weeks now, on perhaps two dozen occasions and with multiple serums. From time to time, I’ll use a bit more than 1/4 teaspoon and have never experienced any irritation.

I love the versatility of the 100% Niacinamide Powder — if you want more potency, use a bit more powder. But you don’t have to guess. Deciem explains it rather well, I think.

Here’s what the product page displays:

“Given the powder format of the product, one may wonder how much Niacinamide is in the resulting mixture. From a theoretical standpoint, if ¼ scoop of the powder consists approximately of 0.05g Niacinamide, then when mixed with 4 drops of the selected base, the resulting mixture is estimated to yield a 10-15% concentration of Niacinamide.”

Again, a bit of a learning curve. But if you’re a skincare nerd like me, you love the process.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary’s 100% Niacinamide Powder for $5.80 here.

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That’s it guys! I hope you’ll consider incorporating one of my top Niacinamide serums into your daily skincare routine. Trust me, it’s a game changer for your complexion — and the health of your skin.

Stay bright, stay warm, stay healthy!

🖤 SKINCARMA


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SKINCARMA….

GIVEAWAY!

Enter for a chance to win the Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum, one of the most unique Niacinamide treatments I’ve tried — and a personal favorite! ($75 value) 

Share why you want to win in the comments below. Then, return to the Skincarma IG page and comment “Done”. Giveaway ends Sunday 12/13/2020.



WATCH VIDEO REVIEW OF

THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUMS FOR CLOGGED PORES AND A BRIGHTER COMPLEXION

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


Orpheus loves his #solaraglow too!

Orpheus loves his #solaraglow too!


The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster:

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment:


The Ingredient List of The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%:

Aqua (Water) solv, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Zinc Pca aacne|h, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum h|vc, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, Isoceteth-20 emu|surf, Ethoxydiglycol solv|h|perf 0 0, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amic
Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The Ingredient List of the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence:

The Ingredient List of the Sobel Skin Rx 15% Niacinamide Gel Serum:

Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract,Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract,Bisabolol,Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Phenoxyethnaol, Ethylhexylglycerin.

The Ingredient List of The Ordinary 100% Niacinamide Powder:

Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h
Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

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