PRODUCT REVIEW: GLOW RECIPE WATERMELON GLOW NIACINAMIDE SUNSCREEN SPF 50 - What does Niacinamide do for the skin? Can I use Niacinamide on my skin everyday?
GLOW RECIPE WATERMELON GLOW NIACINAMIDE SUNSCREEN SPF 50
I’ve been on a real sunscreen kick this year. And it’s not entirely because I’m obsessed with facial sunscreens. That’s true. But my insatiable hunger is being fed by what seems to be the biggest marketing obsession with sunscreen in my entire 30-year beauty career.
Sunscreens have always been somewhat of an afterthought. Wherever I’ve worked, the junior marketers have usually been responsible for the suncare category. Or it was lumped in with men’s grooming – also a small, insignificant business compared to the broader skincare and makeup markets.
So it seems that facial sunscreens are finally getting their day in the sun! Over the last several weeks I’ve reviewed some of the coolest, most innovative sunscreens for face that I’ve ever seen. And that includes one that I consider the most groundbreaking facial sunscreen in a generation: the Pavise Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30 Sunscreen.
The new Pavise Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30 is the first-ever 100% mineral sunscreen that’s transparent on all skin tones – including the most melanin-rich skin of color through skin type VI on the Fitzpatrick scale. Catch my Pavise Dynamic Age Defense review on the blog here.
Glow Recipe, one of my favorite skincare brands, recently introduced a hybrid facial sunscreen that combines both mineral and chemical UV filters. The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 is such a pleasure to use that it’s quickly become a personal fave in my anti-aging skincare routine each morning.
THE BEST SUNSCREENS FOR FACE
As I said, this has been the most exciting season of sunscreens in my career – extending as far back as my days as a cosmetics department manager at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills. And while Barneys has met its demise in the creative destruction of the retail industry, it’s amazing to see sunscreen break through as a powerful skincare category all its own.
Even so, I don’t think marketers have yet acknowledged the fact that a facial sunscreen is the most effective and best anti-aging cream they could possibly offer their customers. As I’ve said previously, I find it lamentable that a sunscreen for face isn’t at the top of every anti-aging category on beauty brand websites. Just look at Dr. Barbara Sturm, one of the hottest skincare brands today.
If you navigate to the “anti-aging” category of the Dr. Barbara Sturm website here, you’ll find more than two dozen products marketed as anti-aging. No where in sight is her facial sunscreen, the $150 Sun Drops SPF 50. Instead, you find questionable anti-aging creams like the $395 Super Anti-Aging Night Cream and $100 Super Anti-Aging Cleansing Cream – a product that literally washes off your face and down the drain. That’s more anti-reality than anti-aging!
Did you know that more than 80% of the signs of skin aging are the result of UV damage? The phenomenon is classified as photoaging, the medical term for the premature skin aging resulting from unprotected sun exposure.
SKINCARMA FAVE: CERAVE HYDRATING SHEER SUNSCREEN SPF 30 FOR FACE AND BODY
“30 percent of women and less than 15 percent of men regularly use sunscreen on both the face and other exposed areas of skin.”
A scientific paper published in 2013 by the National Library of Medicine at the NIH outlined the effects of UV exposure and resultant photoaging on the skin. The study concluded that, “Clinical signs of aging are essentially influenced by extrinsic factors, especially sun exposure. Indeed UV exposure seems to be responsible for 80% of visible facial aging signs.”
That was more than 10 years ago. Multiple studies have taken place since. And even so, skincare marketers continue to ignore and downplay the fact that their own facial sunscreens are the best anti-aging creams, lotions and potions they offer!
There is one important thing they’re responding to, however. And it’s among the top reasons people give for not wearing a facial sunscreen consistently. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, only “about 30 percent of women and less than 15 percent of men regularly use sunscreen on both the face and other exposed areas of skin.”
Why don’t people wear sunscreen? Well, in survey after survey, consumers express their overall displeasure with how sunscreen looks and feels on their skin. Despite knowing the dangers of unprotected sun exposure, most notably skin cancer, this discomfort and dissatisfaction deters the overwhelming majority of people from wearing a sunscreen every day.
Which is why I have to give it up to brands like Glow Recipe, CeraVe and Skin Proud for introducing sunscreens that are such a pleasure to use that consumers may just enjoy them enough to wear them – and prevent the premature (and unnecessary!) signs of skin aging.
ONE OF MY FAVE NEW SUMMER SUNSCREENS!
Before I get into my detailed review of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 just below, I wanted to explore some of the most frequently asked questions specific to this brightening facial sunscreen, including the importance of antioxidants for the skin...
1. What does Niacinamide do for the skin?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that has numerous benefits for the skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, Niacinamide can help strengthen the skin barrier, reduce inflammation, regulate oil production, brighten the complexion, and improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.
It is also often used in skincare products due to its ability to boost hydration and reduce redness and irritation in the skin.
And perhaps most importably, it delivers superb antioxidant protection against environmental damage. As such, Niacinamide is an excellent addition to a facial sunscreen as the combination of antioxidants and UV filters delivers even better protection from photoaging.
Explore my top picks of the best Niacinamide serums on the blog here.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, “Niacin”; CNN Underscored, “The best skincare ingredients for each skin type”; Paula’s Choice, “Niacinamide”
2. Can I use Niacinamide on my skin everyday?
Yes, Niacinamide can be safely used on your skin every day and even twice daily in both your morning and evening skincare routines. In fact, it is often recommended to use products containing Niacinamide regularly for optimal results. And, the best anti-aging skincare routines feature a Niacinamide serum! Among the best Niacinamide face serums is the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster serum. (Catch my review of it on the blog here.)
According to the online science, health and wellness resource Healthline, daily use of Niacinamide can help improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation, reduce inflammation and redness, and regulate oil production.
Explore my top picks of the best Niacinamide serums on the blog here.
Sources: Healthline, “Niacinamide for Skin: The Complete Guide”; Paula’s Choice, “Niacinamide for Skin”
3. What can't you mix Niacinamide with?
According to most sources, as an anti-inflammatory that calms irritation, Niacinamide can be mixed with most other common skincare actives – including Retinol and other retinoids, AHA’s, Salicylic Acid, and peptides.
Which leaves one stone unturned: Can Niacinamide and Vitamin C be used together?
There has long been conflicting information about whether Niacinamide and Vitamin C mix and what happens when you combine them. According to an August 2022 article in In Style magazine titled, The Dos and Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients, “Although they’re both antioxidants, vitamin C is one ingredient that’s not compatible with niacinamide.” The article cites Dr. Shari Marchbein, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, who states, “Both are very common antioxidants used in a variety of skincare products, but they should not be used one right after the other. Their potency is significantly diminished when used together, unless the application is spaced by at least 10 minutes between each serum.”
I’m not familiar with Dr. Marchbein or the depth of her ingredient expertise. But I am familiar with Paula Begoun and her decades spent dispelling skincare myths. And perhaps the greatest of these myths is that Vitamin C and Niacinamide shouldn’t be used together.
In an article titled, Can You Use Niacinamide With Vitamin C? on the Paula’s Choice website, more than a dozen clinical studies are cited supporting the fact that not only can Vitamin C and Niacinamide be used together, but they make each other better. What’s the fuss about? Well, according to the article, “The studies showing incompatibility between niacinamide and vitamin C date back to the early 1960s (yes, that far). These studies were off from the start because they used non-stabilized forms of both ingredients, whereas both ingredients are typically stabilized when used in modern-day cosmetics formulas.”
Personally, I used both Vitamin C and Niacinamide twice daily and have only great things to say.
Explore my top picks of the best Niacinamide serums on the blog here. Explore my top picks of the best Vitamin C serums on the blog here.
Sources: Mayo Clinic - Niacin; Paula’s Choice - Can You Use Niacinamide With Vitamin C?; In Style - The Dos and Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients
4. Which antioxidant is best for anti-aging?
There really is no “best antioxidant for anti-aging” and the overall health of your skin. The options are numerous. Funny, we aren’t usually in the habit of thinking about antioxidants as “anti-aging”. But we are conditioned to understand the nutritional benefits of including fruits and vegetables in our daily diet. And one of the most important reasons for this is that the fruits and vegetables we consume are the main sources of antioxidants for our bodies.
There are several antioxidants that have been found to have significant anti-aging benefits. In an article titled, The 14 Best Anti-Aging Vitamins and Supplements, the online science, health and wellness resource Healthline states that some of the best antioxidants for anti-aging include Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lycopene. These antioxidants can be obtained from dietary sources such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts – or from nutritional supplements.
Can antioxidants help reduce the signs of skin aging? Yes! In fact, the best antioxidants for signs of aging include many of those that are beneficial for your overall health, including vitamins and plant extracts. Among the most potent and best anti-aging antioxidants are Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, Resveratrol and Green Tea Extract.
Sources: Healthline - The 14 Best Anti-Aging Vitamins and Supplements; PubMed Central, National Library of Medicine, NIH - Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging; Better Health Channel - Antioxidants
5. Product Review
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 Review
Without a doubt, the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 has become one of my favorite facial sunscreens of 2023. It’s right up there with several new super-lightweight sunscreens that I reach for each morning.
My absolute faves lately are those milky, fluid sunscreens that tend to be the best facial sunscreens for oily skin and all skin types in summer. Among my favorite sunscreen finds this year are the CeraVe Hydrating Sheer Sunscreen SPF 30 for Face and Body and the Skin Proud Serious Shade Sunscreen SPF 50.
They’re both ridiculously light and reminiscent of two cult classic J-beauty sunscreen fluids: the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ and Skin Aqua Super Moisture Milk – which I’ve reviewed on the blog here.
While Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 has been out for about a year now, I’ve only recently had the opportunity to put it to the test. And I regret not discovering it sooner.
I’m a day-one fan of the Glow Recipe brand so it’s kind of crazy that I’m late to the party. Their fruit-inspired skincare is such a delight – and the products always infuse a bit of joy into my skincare routine.
Who else could make Salicylic Acid fun?
For real. Have you tried the Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum? As I said in my product review here, it’s one of the most pleasurable (and gentle!) exfoliating and pore-clearing treatments that I’ve ever come across. With its blend of mild acids and pore-clearing actives, Strawberry Smooth is the ideal daily pore maintenance treatment.
I don’t mean to give the impression that the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 is as fluid as those others. In fact, it’s slightly thicker, but only slightly. That’s because it’s a hybrid sunscreen, with 12.1% Zinc Oxide added to its three chemical UV filters: Homosalate, Octocrylene and Octisalate.
THE FIRST 100% MINERAL SPF TRANSPARENT ON ALL SKINS!
In my experience, conventional sunscreen fluids are all-chemical. And I have no issues with chemical sunscreens. Sure, I prefer a mineral sunscreen, but on a hot summer day, they’re just so thick!
Like most super-lightweight sunscreens, the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen is ideal for oily skin. And by that I mean people who have oily skin year-round and those of us whose skin tends to be oily in the summer heat. Here in Brooklyn, we’re all oily in August!
And I bet you’re now wondering, Is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 oil free? The straight-up answer is no, not exactly. While there are no plant oils in the formula, there are derivatives and esters of plant oils, including Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Sorbitan Olivate.
So it’s solid enough for an oily skin type. Interestingly, one of the ingredients that helps to moderate skin’s oil production is Niacinamide. Used consistently, the form of Vitamin B3 helps control surface oil and, more importantly, clear out pores to prevent them from clogging and leading to acne blemishes.
I use a Niacinamide serum twice daily and make no secret of the fact that the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster is my favorite skincare product. I literally go through two bottles of it a month.
So it’s interesting that one of the features that Glow Recipe markets about their new sunscreen is the Niacinamide in the formula. After all, they put it in the product name. While I love that, I don’t love the fact that it’s more marketing spin than skin benefit. By my estimation, there’s only about a 0.3% concentration of Niacinamide in the formula – far below the recommended 2% concentration in order to benefit from all that Niacinamide has to offer.
The super low concentration doesn’t mean that it has no benefit for the skin; it does. But I think it’s a touch misleading to push it as the product’s key active ingredient.
I’m also not sold on the “glow”. While my skin looks radiant when I apply it, it doesn’t glow any more than it normally would. For a true glow in a sunscreen, I’d recommend The INKEY List’s Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF 30. Now that stuff makes you glow. All. Damn. Day.
6. Pros & Cons
What I like about it: The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 is a true pleasure to use. It super lightweight texture and low level of oil derivatives makes it ideal for oily skin and all skins on a hot summer day. I also love its subtle, nondescript fruit scent. (I simply can’t put my finger on it!)
What I don’t like about it: I would like to see it live up to its name, with a higher concentration of Niacinamide. And while I love that subtle scent, even the low level of fragrance may be problematic for very sensitive skin.
Who it’s for: All skin types, except very sensitive skins.
SHOP THE BLOG: Want to try it for yourself? Purchase the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 for $35 here.
The Ingredient List of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50:
sunsc 0 1
sii|h 0 0, Cetearyl Olivate emu, Polyhydroxystearic Acid emu, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate emu|surf, Lauroyl Lysine vc, Phenyl Trimethicone emo, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Sorbitan Olivate emu, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate surf|emu, Xanthan Gum vc, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Polyester-8, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Menthone Glycerin Acetal, Lactic Acid exf|h|buff, Arachidyl Alcohol emo|vc, Chlorphenesin pres|amic, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract aox, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate emu|surf, Coco-Glucoside surf, Behenyl Alcohol emo|vc, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate chel, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice so|h, Silica vc, Dimethicone Crosspolymer vc, Arachidyl Glucoside emu|surf, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Fragrance (Parfum) 
perf, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate aacne|so, Phenoxyethanol pres, Copper Gluconate so
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