Vitamin B3. In a serum at 4 to 10 percent it evens tone and takes the shine down; in a moisturizer at 2 to 4 percent it is a barrier helper. Higher than 10 percent buys nothing and flushes some people.
Pairs with everything, including retinol and acids. If it makes you red, drop to a lower percentage rather than giving up.
Nothing here is medical advice. Patch-test anything new on the inside of a wrist for three days.
Pick your answers and the shelf shows only what fits.
Ten percent niacinamide with zinc PCA in a water-based serum. Cheap enough to try, and sticky enough that owners complain about what it does under the next layer.
Skip it if you hate a tacky finish; owners call it sticky
The gel version for normal to oily skin, with ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. Takes off oil and everyday makeup, and drier skin tends to object.
Skip it if your skin is dry or stings easily
Three percent of a tranexamic acid form with four percent niacinamide, both stated by the maker, for dark spots and uneven tone. Priced so you can finish a bottle, and many owners do and see nothing.
Skip it if you expect results in a few weeks; owners report none after months
Niacinamide, three ceramides and hyaluronic acid in a thin, oil-free night lotion. The maker marks it PM only, and some owners want more moisture from it.
Skip it if your skin is dry; owners call this too light
Zinc oxide, octinoxate and 5% niacinamide, by the maker's figure, in a thin lotion labeled by the maker as broad spectrum SPF 46. A long-time favorite that still breaks some owners out.
Skip it if you want a mineral-only filter; this also has octinoxate
Encapsulated retinol with niacinamide and ceramides, for night use. Some reviewers call it a gentle first retinol, but the strength is not on the label.
Skip it if you already use a prescription retinoid
A cream face wash with glycerin, niacinamide and ceramide for normal to dry, sensitive skin, fragrance free and dermatologist tested according to the maker. It suits light makeup, and a steady group of owners report burning.
Skip it if you wear heavy makeup; owners use a remover first
A creamy cleanser with glycerin, niacinamide and panthenol, fragrance free and dermatologist tested according to the maker. Many long-time users say it is not the cleanser they knew.
Skip it if you loved the old formula; owners say the new one stings or leaves a film
Ceramide, niacinamide, glycerin and squalane in a light cream, fragrance free and dermatologist tested according to the maker. Pilling under makeup and through the day is the complaint that keeps coming back.
Skip it if you wear makeup over it; owners report pilling
Ten percent niacinamide in a thin, watery liquid you can use alone or mix into a moisturizer. Owners like how fast it absorbs, at $53.00 MSRP for less than an ounce.
Skip it if you want value; this is a small bottle at $53.00 MSRP
A daily body wash with salicylic acid, niacinamide and ceramides, and no scrub beads. The maker sells it for rough, bumpy skin; owners split on how much it changes.
Skip it if you want a sure fix; some owners see no change after months
Niacinamide and a small dose of peptides in a light lotion with no fragrance on the list. A pleasant daily lotion in a pump that gives up near the bottom of the bottle.
Skip it if you want value; $30 MSRP is a lot for 200 ml
The maker's newer ingredient, Melasyl, with 10% niacinamide, sold to visibly reduce the look of dark spots. Some owners see fading; many report no change after months, and the perfume is strong.
Skip it if you want a sure result; owners report no change after months
A scented gel you sleep in, with squalane, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. Most owners wake up plumper, and fans of the old formula are not happy with the new one.
Skip it if fragrance bothers you; owners call this one strong
Dimethicone 1% with ceramides and niacinamide in a thin cream that sinks in fast. Labeled by the maker to help prevent and temporarily protect chafed, chapped or cracked skin.
Skip it if you want a thick cream; owners call this one watery
What the maker calls pure retinol with niacinamide, and it says the serum suits sensitive skin. The list has alcohol denat. high up and fragrance, and owners split between smoother skin and red, swollen faces.
Skip it if fragrance or alcohol bothers you; both are on the list
An esthetician's retinol, stated at 1% encapsulated by the maker, with niacinamide and a tripeptide. Newcomers rate it well; people who used the old formula are its loudest critics.
Skip it if you loved the old version; owners say this one irritates
A fragrance-free eye cream with ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, ophthalmologist-tested according to the maker. Most owners find it pleasant; a steady minority report burning.
Skip it if you want dark circles gone; owners often see no change
A light salon conditioner for fine to medium dry hair, with niacinamide and plant proteins according to the maker. Fine-haired owners like the weightlessness; others ask why it costs $48 MSRP.
Skip it if you want value; reviewers compare it to drugstore conditioners
Moisturizer and sunscreen in one pump, labeled by the maker as broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen. Pilling and a white cast are the reasons to walk past it.
Skip it if you wear makeup over it; owners report pilling and clumps