Niacin - power ingredient for body and skin cells

Niacin

The superstar of the beauty world, now for quite some time, is becoming more and more famous. Not the only one, but one of the most celebrated. But what is it anyway? And what can it do? Who is it suitable for? And are there skin types for which it is not so suitable? We introduce you to the power ingredient in a little more detail.

What it is:

Niacin is authorised in two forms (compounds) in the EU, as nicotinamide (nicotinamide, niacinamide) and as nicotinic acid. It is a water-soluble B vitamin (B3) and is primarily found in foods. In addition, the human body can produce it itself in the liver from the indispensable amino acid tryptophan. The amino acid tryptophan, for example, is converted to niacin in the liver.

Nicotinamide, is a component of the two coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+). Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide have identical vitamin activity but different pharmacological properties.

As an active ingredient in cosmetics, you will often find derivatives of niacin, such as niacinamide or tocopheryl nicotinate. 

From which it is extracted:

In nature, niacin or B3 is found mainly in mung beans, peanuts, mushrooms, dates, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and cashews. Fish (e.g. anchovies, tuna, salmon, mackerel) and meat (lean beef, veal, pork, poultry) as well as offal contain particularly high amounts of niacin. Fun Fact: Coffee and bread are also suppliers of niacin, which, given my coffee consumption, could explain why I don't look as much older as I might have to, despite frequent sunbathing without sunscreen. 

What it can do:

Coenzymes, which influence all reactions in all body cells, contain niacin as an important component. For the metabolism, niacin is involved in energy metabolism as well as in the formation and breakdown of carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids. In order for the cells of our body to divide and send signals for the rest of the (skin/immune/cell) metabolism, they need niacin.

Niacinamide strengthens the skin barrier through its participation in the synthesis of lipids and ceramides, which are essential for the skin's barrier function. It regenerates and moisturises the skin.

According to a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, left-right randomised clinical trial from 2004, topical (i.e. externally applied) niacinamide visibly reduced yellowing, wrinkling, red spots and hyperpigmentation of ageing facial skin (see Int J Cosmet Sci. 2004 Oct;26(5):231-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-2494.2004.00228.x.).

In another randomised, placebo-controlled split-face study from 2008, a significant improvement in skin condition was observed in 64% of the subjects after application of a product containing 4% niacinamide, with a significant difference compared to the control group. The degrees of wrinkles in the tested area were reduced significantly more than before application.

According to a 2011 medical report referring to different studies, niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties and is able to reduce melanosome transmission. It also causes a decrease in pigmentation, inflammatory infiltrate and solar elastosis. Elastosis is the term used to describe changes in areas of the skin due to increased exposure to the sun. Typical characteristics are pronounced wrinkles and a visually coarse skin texture. The face, neck and back of the hands are particularly affected. Elastosis occurs more frequently with increasing age and can also be called actinic, solar or senile elastosis.

Separate double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials were conducted in Japan and the USA with Japanese and Caucasian participants to investigate the effect of 2% niacinamide in different ethnic groups. The result of the studies was that the sebum excretion rate or occasional sebum levels could be significantly reduced after several weeks of application of (only) 2% niacinamide.

Nicotinamide, as a building block of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, also has a skin cancer preventive effect, which has already been shown in two phase 2 studies (J Invest Dermatol 2012; 132: 1497-50).

This is just a small excerpt from all the worldwide studies on the impressive effects of niacin on the skin. We can therefore state that externally applied niacin has the ability to 

• reduce the depth of wrinkles
• Soothe skin damage caused by sun exposure
• Alleviate melasma or hyperpigmentation of the skin
• strengthen the skin barrier
• regulate or reduce the sebum/calcium production of the skin
• Improve the moisture content of the skin

And as a further strength of this active ingredient, its good tolerability, even with very sensitive skin, has been established in all studies.

And because we love niacin as much as many of you do, we are happy about every product that contains this ingredient. Below you will find a few of our niacin-containing products:

                 

Sources:

1.) "Evaluation of anti-wrinkle effects of a novel cosmetic containing niacinamide", Department of Dermatology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka and Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Management of Technology in Medical Science, Kyoto, Japan

(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1346-8138.2008.00537.x)      

2) "A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial of Niacinamide 4% versus Hydroquinone 4% in the Treatment of Melasma", D. J. Tobin(https://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2011/379173/).

3) "The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production", Zoe Diana Draelos 1, Akira Matsubara, Kenneth Smiles
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16766489/)

4.) http://hautpflegewissen.de/wirkstoffe/niacinamid-vitamin-b3/