NIACINAMIDE SERUMS TO GET YOUR COMPLEXION GOING AND GLOWING SS21 FROM NATURIUM, STRIVECTIN, ALPYN BEAUTY AND MORE - BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUMS, BEST BRIGHTENING SERUMS
I did a lot of exploring of the City this past week. For the first time this summer, I don’t think it rained once. The rains, when they come, have been torrential.
The subways flood, the streets flood, and unless you’re darting about in an Uber, it’s just not a good time — or a good look.
I discovered two super cool vegan restaurants in what couldn’t possibly be two more different parts of New York.
The first, ABCV — or ABC Vegan — is Downtown near Union Square and one of a dozen or so restaurants by famed restaurateur, Jean-Georges. ABCV is one of three restaurants that are an extension of the iconic home furnishings store, ABC Carpet & Home. I bought my first couch there the week after I moved to New York City from Los Angeles. I miss that sleek, chocolate leather piece!
Then, yesterday, a friend and I linked up for our weekly subzero cryofacials from my fave new-age spa, the Kollectiv NYC. There’s nothing like having your face frozen in place, then stepping outside into a hot summer day. It’s a virtually indescribable, crazy amazing feeling! Next Friday, I plan to head back for my first-ever cryobody treatment. I hate the cold but it sounds so intriguing that I kinda just have to do it to say I did it.
According to the Kollectiv, “Cryotherapy, otherwise known as cold therapy, is the use of low temperatures in medical and cosmetic therapy. It is a fast and healthy process that accelerates the body’s natural recovery while improving overall wellbeing and energizing the body. Cryotherapy is a dry, non-invasive process that lowers a person’s skin temperature during a session of up to 180 seconds. The benefits of cryotherapy are triggered by skin cooling.”
After our Friday afternoon spa treatments, my friend and I hopped on the hot AF C-train and headed back to Brooklyn to the Bedford-Stuyvesant, or Bed-Stuy neighborhood. Bed-Stuy is a notoriously rough area of the City that has really experienced an urban resurgence the last few years. After all, it’s become the borough’s mecca of all-things vegan!
Replete with multiple vegan restaurants, cafes and bakeries, one particular thoroughfare, Ralph Avenue, seems to be the heart of Brooklyn veganism.
The most popular of Bed-Stuy’s vegan joints is a cafe called Greedi Kitchen. They have a rather extensive menu that features super creative, vegan versions of common lunch foods like a plant-based crab cake sandwich and several po’boys — the most enticing of which is made from cauliflower.
I couldn’t resist the crab cake on a pretzel roll with its enticing side of air-fried cauliflower bites and french fries. I don’t know what it is about a pretzel roll, but when I see one on a menu, I have to have it!
So my adventures in veganism continue. Post-Covid, I’m determined to be a better version of myself. Calmer, healthier, more creative and open to new things than ever…
The skincare stuff starts here.
I can’t light up my complexion with a subzero cryofacial from the Kollectiv NYC every day. As much as I would love a daily cryofacial, I don’t actually need one. A good brightening treatment is essential for igniting and prolonging your glow — and I use one in each of my skincare routines, twice daily.
If it isn’t already, a well-formulated Niacinamide serum should be your skin’s best friend, too. Of course, Niacinamide isn’t the only powerful active that has the ability to brighten your complexion. There are numerous skin brighteners including, of course, tried-and-true Ascorbic Acid, or Vitamin C.
And while the benefits of topical Vitamin C are broad, including antioxidant defense, collagen building and skin brightening, Niacinamide has the power to do even more. Yes, even more!
Among the most important benefits of the form of Vitamin B are brightening, pore-clarifying, antioxidant defense, sebum control and smoothing a rough skin texture. As I’ve said, there’s simply nothing as effective — and as broadly beneficial for optimizing the health of your skin that a damn good Niacinamide serum.
My most recent deep dive into all-things Niacinamide was published as 2020 came to a welcome close. Titled Niacinamide Is the Game Changer You Need to Defend Against Skin Damage and Maintain Optimal Skin Health, the piece featured five of my favorite Niacinamide serums — some of which continue to be staples in my daily skincare regimen.
NIACINAMIDE IS THE GAME CHANGER YOU NEED TO DEFEND AGAINST SKIN DAMAGE AND MAINTAIN OPTIMAL SKIN HEALTH
If you aren’t employing a Niacinamide serum in your AM and PM skincare routines, you’re missing a vital opportunity to up your game and defend your skin against the aging forces of time, stress and the environment. And, a little daily pore maintenance goes a long way toward pushing your skin health forward.
Niacinamide has played a central role in my own skin health maintenance for about five years now. My journey began with what I consider to be the OG Niacinamide serum, the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster. With a 10% concentration of the active, it’s hands down the best anti-aging serum available in the world today. Have a tried every anti-aging serum in the world? Of course not; I don’t have to. I’ve already found it!
No joke, I go through two bottles of 10% Niacinamide Booster every month.
PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE 10% NIACINAMIDE BOOSTER – THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM
What Is Niacinamide and What Does Niacinamide Do for the Skin?
There’s a comprehensive article on Niacinamide by the skin experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, titled simply, How Niacinamide Helps Skin. An excerpt from the 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.
So, halfway through 2021, I’ve discovered several new Niacinamide serums that stand out to me and that I consider solid formulations, any of which would step up your skincare game were you to incorporate one into your routine.
Let’s take deep dive into some of the best Niacinamide serums for SS21…
Alpyn Beauty | Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum
I’m always up for discovering new Niacinamide serums. And as far as Niacinamide serums go, Alpyn Beauty’s new Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum is intriguing. It’s not a Niacinamide powerhouse like my all-time fave, the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster serum.
With what I estimate to be about a 4-5% concentration of the multi-benefit antioxidant, it’s on the tamer side as far as Niacinamide serums go. Yet, like the OG Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, there happens to be a lot more going on here than Niacinamide.
The Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum is a veritable cocktail of pro-skin health goodness.
If you’re unfamiliar with Alpyn Beauty, the brand prides itself on wildcrafted ingredients harvested in the mountains overlooking Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I don’t know much about Jackson Hole, but I know a good serum when I see one.
The slightly pulpy Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum is loaded with antioxidant botanicals and vitamins, humectants and replenishing plant oils. Nettle Extract (ingredient number seven in the INCI) is rated by the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team (ever my muses!) as, well, an average botanical with skin-soothing properties. But that doesn’t mean it has no benefits for the skin.
What Is Wild Nettle Extract and What Does Nettle Do for Skin?
I did a deep dive and came back up for air with an understanding that Nettle Extract has both nourishing and anti-inflammatory properties and can be beneficial to both skin and hair. It has also been shown to help clear up acne and even eczema, though I wouldn’t make it my go-to solution for either vexing condition.
According to the online science authority Science Direct, in a piece titled, Nettle (Urtica dioica L.) as a source of antioxidant and anti-aging phytochemicals for cosmetic applications, not surprisingly, as a botanical, Nettle Extract possesses superb antioxidant activity on the skin. Its benefits don’t appear to stop there.
Nettle (Urtica dioica L.) is a herbaceous perennial that has been used for centuries in folk medicine. More recently, nettle extracts have also been used in cosmetics because of the many benefits of their topical application for skin health.
Their potential anti-aging action is of particular interest and is primarily ascribed to their antioxidant capacity. Here, using an experimental design approach and a clustering analysis, we linked the phytochemical composition of nettle extracts to their biological activities. This approach confirmed the antioxidant capacity of nettle extracts as well as providing the first evidence of another mechanism for their anti-aging potential involving the inhibition of enzyme activities, such as elastase and collagenase. We attributed these inhibitory effects to ursolic acid and quercetinpresent in the nettle extracts.
Our results also demonstrated the possibility of extracting ursolic acid, quercetin and other phenolic compounds differentially to obtain an extract with a strong antioxidant capacity and anti-aging activities toward both elastase and collagenase. This could be of particular interest for cosmetic applications of nettle extracts.
But what intrigues me even more about the Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum is the inclusion of a botanical extract (at ingredient number eight) called Nephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract — or rambutan, a superfruit similar to lychee.
I’ve never seen Nephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract in a skincare product INCI before. So I googled it…
“Studies have shown that rambutan peel extract strengthens and hydrates the skin while also locking in moisture and giving the skin a radiant glow. Rambutan extract is the ingredient that's oftentimes compared to retinol, the powerhouse ingredient that has the ability to stimulate collagen and promote cell turnover.”
I have no doubt that rambutan has a humectant benefit on the skin — similar to the water-binding properties of aloe vera and even common seaweed.
Like extracts of lychee and other fruits, rambutan extract likely also has a degree of antioxidant activity on the skin, too. As for whether it is a legitimate substitute for Retinol as Bakuchiol has been proven to be remains to be seen. (I’m not convinced.)
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum for $58 here.
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Naturium | Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2%
If you haven’t tried Naturium yet, rest assured I’m just beginning to explore the brand myself. While the name implies that the brand’s products are all natural, they are not.
So what is the brand all about?
Naturium is a clean, affordable (make that super affordable!) skincare brand with the kind of “single-note” serums that have been popularized by brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List. Think products like The Ordinary’s superstar humectant serum Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and the Bakuchiol Cream from The Inkey List — a superb anti-aging cream and one of the best Bakuchiol creams for face with one percent of the Retinol alternative. It costs just $9.99 at Sephora in the US.
PRODUCT REVIEW: THE INKEY LIST BAKUCHIOL CREAM – BEST ANTI-AGING FACE CREAM WITH BAKUCHIOL
I wanted to know more about the Naturium brand so of course I went googling. I found a really solid piece on the brand on the Allure website titled, 9 Naturium Skin-Care Products Our Editors Can’t Get Enough of.
Here is an excerpt:
Because the options are endless, consumers are becoming more discerning, more educated, and as a result, more determined to find products that actually work (and won’t cost them their entire rent check). It makes sense, then, why scientifically-backed, highly-effective, yet affordable brands like Naturium (available at Target) are finding huge success among skin-care newbies and devotees alike.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen the interest in easy-to-digest skin-care education and results-driven products increase on social media,” Susan Yara, co-founder of Naturium, tells Allure. “What seemed to be lacking from the market was a brand that offered the education and the results, paired with elegant, well-rounded formulas and packaging at an accessible price.”
Yara should know — she’s been a popular beauty content creator for years, reviewing hundreds of skin-care products on her YouTube channel and listening closely to what her viewers were looking for to complete their skin-care regimens. “That’s what we offer with Naturium. Everyone that buys from us knows our products will work well, feel great, and fulfill our mantra that skin-care is self-care.” Naturium’s advising board-certified dermatologist Dr. Alexis Stephens supports Yara’s claim. “I like that Naturium makes highly effective, beautifully formulated products feel more accessible to everyday consumers. They use ingredients that are proven to help even skin tone, decongest pores, and encourage healthier skin in general. There’s a product that works for everyone,” Stephens tells Allure.
To kick off my Naturium journey, I thought I would try three of the brand’s most popular serums — you know, the ones we see splashed all over our Instagram feeds. So I copped the Naturium Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Serum 5%, the Tranexamic Topical Acid 5% and, of course, the brand’s Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2%. You know I had to get my hands on Naturium’s Niacinamide serum most of all!
With a solid 12% concentration of my favorite antioxidant, the Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% has a silky, ever-so-slightly sticky texture that’s reminiscent of the Glossier Super Pure Niacinamide + Zinc Serum. And, it makes sense since the two pair Niacinamide and Zinc, though Naturium’s is the better formula.
PRODUCT REVIEW: THE ORDINARY NIACINAMIDE 10% + ZINC 1% – BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM FOR ACNE-PRONE SKIN
Both are solid products as far as Niacinamide serums go — and especially if your skin is oily or acne prone. What makes the two serums ideal for oily, acne prone skin is the same thing that makes The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% well suited for oilier skins. It’s the zinc!
Though anecdotal and more research is warranted, the common mineral zinc has a positive effect on acne-prone skin.
What Is Zinc PCA and What Does Zinc PCA Do for Skin?
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, Zinc PCA is “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.”
There is also some evidence that zinc can have a beneficial effect on the occurrence of acne breakouts. I found an insightful piece on the Coveteur site titled, Zinc Up Your Beauty Routine For Clearer Skin that I found supportive of the theory. An excerpt from the article:
For an ingredient that’s been around in beauty for legit centuries, zinc has recently become somewhat of a cool kid on the skin-care block. Known best for its use in sunscreens and anti-dandruff treatments, zinc in all its various forms is now popping up in everything from trendy skin supplements to clarifying ranges and sensitive skin creams, all claiming to help clear up breakout-prone skin, reduce redness, and restore a vivacious glow to your complexion. But is it for real? Well, that depends on who you ask.
First, a quick primer on zinc: It’s an essential mineral for your health that helps boost your immune system and can help with wound healing. Our bodies don’t naturally produce it, meaning we need to eat zinc-rich foods or supplements in order to get our recommended daily amounts—8 mg for women, and 11 mg for men.
Additionally, zinc is known for being anti-inflammatory, which is where its place in skin care comes in. “Back in the early 1970s, doctor J. C. Fitzherbert first recognized an improvement in patients’ acne when treated with zinc,” says Dr. Morgan Rabach, board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of LM Medical NYC. It was used regularly on patients during that time, but eventually fell out of favor with derms, she notes, when more effective treatments were discovered.
That doesn’t necessarily mean zinc is old news—there are actually some promising studies being conducted that show there’s more to zinc than history has shown. “Zinc and acne is an interesting avenue,” says Dr. Kenneth Howe, a Manhattan dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology and assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai. “There is quite a bit of evidence that both topical and ingestible zinc can be helpful, from studies showing it might be toxic to the bacteria that causes acne, to people with acne [possibly having] lower levels of zinc. But this is all fringe stuff—if you do a standard medical search, you don’t get much.”
Adds Dr. Ted Lain, board-certified dermatologist and chief medical officer at Sanova Dermatology, “The exact method of how zinc helps with acne is poorly understood. However, if zinc does help with acne, it may be related to its effect on sebum production, as an antibacterial agent, and/or as an anti-inflammatory. Zinc is well-known to help a few other inflammatory conditions, like seborrheic dermatitis.”
The vegan, fragrance-free and cleanly formulated Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% is a relatively simple formulation with just 16 ingredients in all. Aside from the Niacinamide and Zinc PCA, there are two effective humectants, Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate, at solid levels — enough to deliver the water-binding benefits your skin needs throughout the day.
I love the Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% for all skin types on a hot summer day. And, of course, with its super lightweight texture and inclusion of Zinc PCA, it’s a terrific option for both oily skin and acne-prone skin.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Naturium Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% for $16 here.
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Algenist | Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil
I’ve been immersing myself in a few cool brands over the past several weeks, among them is the San Francisco-based bio-tech brand Algenist.
If you haven’t caught my YouTube video on Algenist’s super cool Vitamin C mask, you can check it out on my channel here. The Blue Algae Vitamin C Dark Spot Correcting Peel made for the perfect #selfcaresunday pampering treatment as I amped up my complexion’s glow. Hand’s down, Algenist’s Blue Algae Vitamin C Dark Spot Correcting Peel is one of the coolest of the brand’s 2021 introductions — and one of the best brightening masks of the year, too.
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AMPING UP THE BRIGHTENING WITH ALGENIST FOR SELFCARE SUNDAY
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
The Algenist Blue Algae Vitamin C Dark Spot Correcting Peel is an effective face peel formulated with a trifecta of beneficial acids — AHA’s, BHA and PHA. Not too harsh, not too mild. Kinda just right. It’s got pure brightening Vitamin C and, of course, the brand’s patented booster Alguronic Acid. Seriously cool stuff!
Algenist’s new Niacinamide Moisture Veil is the first Niacinamide serum I’ve come across that’s formulated specifically to help regulate skin’s natural oil production over time — in ten days, in fact, according to Algenist.
Algenist’s Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil is infused with the brand’s proprietary Alguronic Acid as well as a “Sebum-Fighting Algae Concentrate” that’s proven to help minimize excess sebum on the skin surface to control shine. On a hot humid summer day — and trust me we’ve had plenty of them here in NYC this year — I’ll take all the oil control I can get.
Of course a Niacinamide serum isn’t top of mind when it comes to soaking up a greasy complexion. I prefer a well-formulated mattifying moisturizer like First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Oil-Control Moisturizer or the Glossier Priming Moisturizer Balance — both of which I consider to be among the best face creams for very oily skin, and all skins in the summer heat.
PRODUCT REVIEW: GLOSSIER PRIMING MOISTURIZER BALANCE – BEST MATTIFYING MOISTURIZER
There’s about a 5-7% concentration of Niacinamide in the Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil formula — in addition to multiple skin-nourishing algae extracts. Algae is an effective humectant with antioxidant activity on the skin, both of which are true pro-skin health benefits for anyone, any time of the year.
The particular form of algae that’s featured in the Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil is listed in the INCI as Parachlorella Beijerinckii Exopolysaccharides. If you know Algenist, you’ll know this as Alguronic Acid — the brand’s signature active ingredient based on a billion-year-old microalgae that the brand’s chemists replicate and regenerate sustainably in its labs.
According to the brand, Alguronic Acid is clinically proven to boost the benefits of other well-known ingredients in their products — and more.
“An extensive study of over 10,000 microalgae species and 10 years of R&D led to the stunning discovery of Alguronic Acid – an exopolysaccharide compound, produced by a unique microalgae species with the extraordinary ability to live and thrive in the world’s harshest and most unique environments, all while protecting and regenerating its cells. This powerful ability of algae and our belief in its incredible potential led to further testing and the discovery of Alguronic Acid’s ability to provide incredible anti-aging skincare properties.”
While I find the brand’s Alguronic Acid fascinating, perhaps what’s most remarkable to me about this particular formula is its amazing velvety texture. It looks (and feels!) like liquid gold on the skin.
Seriously, Algenist’s Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil is one of the coolest and most unique Niacinamide serums to launch in a while — at least since the Paula’s Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment early last year.
If you manage oily or very oily skin, or find yourself combatting excess sebum during the summer months, you might want to give the Algenist Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil a try.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Algenist Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil for $65 here.
StriVectin | Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil with Vitamin B3 and Prebiotics
Here in NYC a change of seasons is always only a matter of weeks away. So while it’s the second week of August and I’m still running the air at night, I know that in less than a month it will be hoodie weather all over again.
And fall is my favorite season. It always was. When I was growing up in Connecticut, I was no fan of the extremes — neither the summer heat, nor the winter chill. On a hot, humid August day, I would say to myself, “I’ll never complain about the cold again.” In the middle of January, I longed for August!
Early October was the sweet spot for me with temperate weather and temps in the 50s.
I loved how the leaves on the maple trees around our house lit up in bright shades of yellow and orange, only to flutter to the ground in a ritualistic demise.
(Raking them on weekends was the unfortunate consequence!)
Today, the crisp autumn air not only means breaking out my favorite hoodies from the furthest reaches of the closet, but reaching for my favorite facial oils, too.
And while this is a mid-August blog article about my favorite new Niacinamide serums, I couldn’t help but include an amazing new Niacinamide-powered facial oil from Strivectin, the brand’s Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil with Vitamin B3 and Prebiotics.
If you’re not entirely familiar with Strivectin, the brand’s formulas are all powered by a proprietary form of Niacin, a variation of Vitamin B3, called NIA-114. This molecular cousin of Niacinamide possesses a lipidic quality that enables the molecule to penetrate the skin barrier more deeply. Similar to Niacinamide, Strivectin’s NIA-114 molecule has the ability to strengthen the skin barrier, brighten the skin, and defend against aging environmental aggressors.
The Best Best Brightening Serums
Strivectin’s Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil with Vitamin B3 and Prebiotics is a rich, nourishing oil that dries down nicely, though I wouldn’t describe it as a dry oil per se.
In addition to the brand’s Niacinamide alternative (listed on the INCI as Myristyl Nicotinate), there’s a healthy dose of skin nourishment in the form of Squalane, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil — all in the top ten.
But what is most intriguing about the Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil is the inclusion of prebiotics to support the skin’s microbiome health. You’ve probably been hearing a lot more about them lately. Prebiotics are essentially food or nutrition for the good bacteria in the microbiome, or probiotics, helping them to proliferate in and on the body’s microbiomes.
What Are Prebiotics and Are Prebiotics Good for Skin?
Prebiotics, probiotics and post-biotics are a legitimate trend in skincare over the past two to three years — with probiotics, or good bacteria, leading the way. So what exactly are prebiotics and what is their benefit to the skin?
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, prebiotic are becoming increasingly important in the maintenance of skin health. The team outlines its unique benefits to the skin and body in an article titled simply, What Are Prebiotics for Skin?
An excerpt from the piece:
Prebiotics are an intriguing group of ingredients making skin care headlines because of the important role they can play in addressing a variety of skin concerns. Their gut-health benefits when consumed orally are well-established through research, and now emerging studies are shedding fascinating light on how topical prebiotics can help when applied to skin.
Prebiotics are essentially foods consumed by probiotics. Probiotics are the good bacteria in and on the body that keep our bodies balanced and healthy inside and out (1).
Experts around the world consider probiotics fundamental to being healthy and youthful, and since prebiotics are the natural partner to probiotics, having both gives you the best of both worlds. As it turns out, the benefits of prebiotics and probiotics in our gut are also apparent when these ingredients are applied to skin (2).
Applying prebiotics to skin helps probiotics thrive so they can:
Keep the surface of skin—its first line of defense—balanced, younger-looking, and strong (3).
Offset factors that lead to redness, dryness, and a weakened surface (4).
Ward off signs of aging skin (4).
Restore a healthy microbiome balance (good bacteria) (2).
What Prebiotic Ingredients Should I Look for In Skin Care?
Look for skin care products with prebiotic plant sugars, such as xylitol, rhamnose, and a large group of ingredients known as fructooligosaccharides (including raspberry oligosaccharides) (4). Glucomannan is a particularly interesting prebiotic due to the way it works with a wide range of probiotics that help control acne (5).
Foods with prebiotics include garlic, onions, oats, barley, wheat bran, asparagus, bananas, and flaxseed as well as a plant fiber known as inulin, found in chicory root (1). Some of these plant extracts or their derivatives are also included in skin care products where you can easily reap the benefits of applying prebiotics to skin.
Serums or moisturizers with prebiotics such as these may already be in your routine (check your ingredient labels to make sure).
Strivectin’s Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil with Vitamin B3 and Prebiotics is a supremely nourishing, balancing pro-skin health treatment and, in my opinion, one of the best that the brand has to offer. I’m really looking forward to incorporating this facial oil into my nightly regimen in the cooler months ahead — as I tug off my hoodie.
If you’ve been eager to try Strivectin out, the Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil is the ideal place to start. And, quite surprisingly, the brand has just relaunched on the Strivectin website! How fortuitous is that?
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Strivectin Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil with Vitamin B3 and Prebiotics for $72 here.
Synergie Skin | Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum
I just discovered this cool clinical science brand from Down Under a few weeks ago. Hey, if I can’t get to Australia, Australia can come to me! Synergie Skin is a range of nerdy, high-potency products in brown glass pharmaceutical bottles with names like XCell B, TriDration B and ÜberZinc — one of the uber-coolest mineral sunscreens I’ve discovered over the past year.
Synergie Skin’s ÜberZinc will definitely be a part of my next sunscreen article, one I anticipate publishing in the fall, around October. (Stay tuned!)
Come to think of it, some of the best sunscreen innovations are coming out of Oceania. This past winter I reviewed one of those — the Skinnies Sungel SPF 30. Based in New Zealand, Skinnies’ waterless sunscreens are truly exceptional and among the best sunscreens for face in the world!
PRODUCT REVIEW: SKINNIES WATERLESS SUNGEL SPF 30 – THE BEST ANTI-AGING SKINCARE IS SUNSCREEN
With really well-formulated skincare that’s certainly pro-skin health, Synergie Skin seems to have nailed it. Nothing could intrigue me more than Synergie Skin’s Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum.
With my undying devotion for the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, it’s a high bar. While I’m not saying I’m ready to give it up for the Synergie Skin Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum, it’s certainly a contender as one of the best Niacinamide serums I’ve come across. But it has its flaws, unlike Paula’s pitch perfect serum.
The brand’s Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum is a relatively uncomplicated formulation, with just about 15 ingredients; regrettably, the final five of which are drying alcohol, caramel color, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool — three fragrant components of sensitizing essential oils.
All of those are in negligible amounts in the formula, however, leaving a whole ton of goodness — starting with the 13% Niacinamide indicated in the product’s name. Thirteen percent is a solid level for delivering powerful antioxidant protection to the skin as well as the brightening and pore-clearing that Niacinamide is best known for.
But there’s more to the Synergie Skin Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum than that.
Ingredient number one is, of course, water. But, amusingly, it’s not just the plain old water you’d find in most water-based serums, including the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster. It’s “purified Australian rain water”! I don’t know what the benefits of that are, if there even are any, but it sure sounds fun.
More seriously are the inclusion of a veritable cocktail of pro-skin health actives, including a trio of moisturizers and hydrators — Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Glycerin and Sodium PCA. There’s also a handful of botanical extracts and even replenishing phospholipids — a type of fat composed of fatty acids, glycerol and phosphate. (Lecithin is a phospholipid.)
Aside from the exceptional level of Niacinamide, what intrigues me most about the formula is its phenomenal texture. It’s slightly oily, slightly water and perfectly layer-able, making it a pleasure to use. And I know that because I look forward to using it, the real indicator of a product’s appeal for me.
I’ve only experienced a handful of products from the brand and if Synergie Skin’s ÜberZinc and Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum are any indication of what the brand has to offer, count me in, Synergie Skin!
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Synergie Skin Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum for $85 here.
That’s it, guys! I hope this helps you find your go-to Niacinamide serum for the summer and beyond. It’s important that you do. Niacinamide is everything when it comes to your skin health.
See you next week!
💟 Carmine @skincarma
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The Ingredient List of the Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum:
so|h, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract so, Nephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Sodium Phytate chel, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Superoxide Dismutase aox, Lactic Acid exf|h|buff, Sodium Levulinate, Potassium Sorbate pres, Lysolecithin emu, Sclerotium Gum vc, Xanthan Gum vc, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Oil perf, Pullulan, Diheptyl Succinate emo, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate aox|sb, Tocopherol (Mixed) aox 0-3 0-3, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi (Bearberry) Extract aox|sb, Taraxacum Officinale (Wild Dandelion) Extract, Vaccinium Membranaceum (Huckleberry) Extract, Prunus Virginiana (Chokecherry) Extract, Salix Alba (White Willow) Extract so, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Flower Extract emo, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract surf, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract so|aox 0 0, Arnica Montana (Arnica) Flower Extract 
perf, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract so|aox|perf, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract exf, Maltodextrin, Silica vc, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate amic|presThe Ingredient List of the Naturium Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2%:
cci|sb|aacne|h, Propanediol solv|h, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Zinc Pca aacne|h, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11 vc, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Hexylene Glycol solv|emu|perf|surf 0-1 0-2, Xanthan Gum vc, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Potassium Sorbate pres, Citric Acid buff, Phenoxyethanol presThe Ingredient List of the Algenist Algae Niacinamide Moisture Veil:
sii|h 0 0, Isododecane emo|solv|perf, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Isostearyl Isostearate emo 1 4, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate emo, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate emu, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate emu, Magnesium Sulfate vc, Sodium Chloride vc, Parachlorella Beijerinckii Exopolysaccharides, Phloretin aox, Fucus Spiralis Extract emo, Tetraselmis Chui Extract emo, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract so, Hydrolyzed Algin, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer emu|surf, Disteardimonium Hectorite vc, Polyglycerin-6 h, Xanthan Gum vc, Triethyl Citrate perf, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract perf, Bergamot/Grapefruit/Orange/Tangerine Fruit Ferment Extract aox, Mica col, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Phenoxyethanol pres, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891) col 0 0The Ingredient List of the StriVectin Super-B Barrier Strengthening Oil with Vitamin B3 and Prebiotics:
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Isopropyl Palmitate, Squalane, Myristyl Nicotinate, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Plankton Extract, Bacillus Ferment, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Quercus Suber Bark Extract, Oak Root Extract, Panthenyl Triacetate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycerin, Naringenin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Fragrance/Parfum, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Hydroxycitronellal.
The Ingredient List of the Synergie Skin Vitamin B 13% Essential Niacinamide Serum:
cci|sb|aacne|h, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Panthenol (Vitamin B5) so|h 0 0, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Sodium PCA sii|h 0 0, Pelargonium Capitatum (Rose Geranium) Leaf Extract, Polysorbate 80 emu|surf 0 0, Phospholipids sii|emo, Aroma (Natural), Hydroxyethylcellulose vc, Alcohol (Grain Derived) amic|solv|vc, Caramel (Natural Colour) col, Citronellol perf, Geraniol perf, Linalool perf
