How to use niacinamide in your skincare routine

Knowing how to use niacinamide comes down to a few simple steps: smooth a niacinamide serum onto clean skin after your toner and before richer creams, in the morning, at night, or both. Start two or three times a week, then move to daily use once your skin is used to it. It layers well with almost everything else on your shelf.

Niacinamide is a water-soluble form of vitamin B3, and you will sometimes see it written as nicotinamide on an ingredients list. In the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng), it is listed as a skin conditioning ingredient, which is why it turns up in so many serums, essences and moisturisers. It is well tolerated across most skin types, from oily to dry, and that is a big part of why it has become a shelf staple. Because it is a single, stable vitamin rather than a blend, it is an easy first active to add when you are still building a routine and do not want to overthink it.

Niacinamide goes on after cleansing and toning, once your skin is clean and slightly damp, and before your heavier creams and sunscreen. A simple order looks like this:

1. Cleanse and pat your skin almost dry.
2. Smooth on a watery toner or an essence such as Rovectin's hyaluronic essence.
3. Apply a few drops of a niacinamide serum, like Anua's Niacinamide and TXA serum, and press it in.
4. Seal everything with a moisturiser.
5. In the morning, finish with sunscreen.

There is no need to overthink the order. As long as niacinamide lands on clean skin and sits under your richer layers, you are doing it right.

Both. Niacinamide is stable in daylight and does not make skin more reactive to the sun, so it is happy in a morning routine and an evening one alike. In the morning, pair it with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. At night, layer it under a richer moisturiser so your skin has something to sink into while you sleep. If your skin is new to actives, once a day is plenty to begin with, and you can move to twice daily later.

Niacinamide is easy-going, so it sits alongside most other actives without fuss. A few combinations worth knowing:

• With hyaluronic acid: niacinamide handles the conditioning while hyaluronic acid pulls in moisture, a gentle pairing for dry-feeling skin.
• With vitamin C: the two are a classic morning duo for the look of an even, fresh tone. Arencia's vitamin C face and eye cream keeps both in one step.
• With retinol: use retinol at night and let niacinamide support the rest of the routine; many find it makes retinol easier to live with. A low-strength option like Dr.Althea's gentle retinol serum is a sensible place to start.

You do not need all three at once. Pick the pairing that matches what your skin is asking for, and give it a few weeks before you judge it.

A few easy slip-ups can make niacinamide feel less pleasant than it should:

• Piling on too much, too soon. More product does not mean more benefit; a few drops is plenty.
• Skipping sunscreen. Niacinamide is a daytime-friendly step, but it is not a stand-in for SPF.
• Chopping and changing. Like most actives, niacinamide rewards steady, regular use rather than a burst and then nothing.
• Stacking it with a long list of strong acids all at once. If your skin feels overloaded, strip the routine back and reintroduce one step at a time.

Choosing your first niacinamide product is mostly about the format that fits your routine, not the number printed on the label.

• If you like to layer and want control over each step, a dedicated niacinamide serum is the flexible choice. Browse the lightweight serums on offer and pick one that suits your skin.
• If you would rather keep things short, a moisturiser that already carries niacinamide does two jobs at once. The medicube Collagen Jelly Cream and celimax's niacinamide face cream both fold it into a single, hydrating step.
• For arms, legs and hands, a body formula such as APLB's niacinamide body lotion spreads the same ingredient over a larger area.

Whichever you pick, add niacinamide at the pace your skin sets. Browse the full range of moisturisers if you want to build around a cream, and keep the rest of your routine simple while your skin gets used to it.