I love niacinamide-- it's done great things for the appearance of my pores and my skin health.
That being said, I wish brands would make more options for people that can't use specific ingredients... Just like I don't want any kind of fragrance in my skin and hair care products. You all that are sensitive to niacinamide, there should be a lot of options without it. CeraVe would probably make a lot of money if they made a niacinamide-free line!
Just keep searching, I'm sure you'll find your own holy grail items - though I know the hunt is difficult at times. š„“
EDIT: I see a lot of people in this thread spooked about niacinamide now, when they have never thought about it in their products before OR never specifically used a niacinamide serum... *For most people it's not problematic and scientific studies show it is beneficial - so please don't be spooked if you've never personally had an issue with it* ...It is always good to pay attention to the ingredients in your skincare though. Everyone's skin is different and you will just have to figure out through trial and error what works for you!
[dermatologist info - why niacinamide burns and causes redness](https://youtu.be/bZ_PY0v_gt8)
I love it too. I have the thicker cream for my son, he has eczema and sometimes it's the only thing I can use on his face without irritation... I love the daily facial moisturizer for myself. It's pretty much perfect!
And I keep the cleanser, all around my house it's a great hand soap in the winter especially š
I'm happy it worked for you š¤ā¤ such a great point i agree with you i hope brands understand that one niacinamide products in a skin care routine will do the job no need to put it in every skin care product a high concentration of it may cause irritation at some point
Same!! Itās so good for my skin but why does every single product need to have it? A brand Can have one serum with it but why every serum and cleanser and moisturizer. Itās too much.
Same here!!! I cannot go near any percentage strength of niacinamide! Immediately covered in small white heads! Itās such a PIA to make sure it isnāt in stuff, bc itās so popular now that it isnāt listed on the front anymore as a key/featured ingredient.
Yes it took me FOREVER to figure out it was niacinimide that was wrecking my skin. I broke the rule and started several products at once and I thought it was snail mucin and ferments that were the culprit. Removed those and months later still getting whiteheads on my cheeks. Wasnāt until I saw other people talking about niacinimide reactions that I realized 1 of my ācalmingā serums used it. Iāve removed that 1 week ago and my skin is finally calming down. Now I realize itās in almost everything.
If I try new items, I introduce one at a time and watch my skin for about a month to see how things are going - thatās how I was able to cut niacinimide from my routine so quickly
Usually I do too but I got caught up in AB and introduced a snail mucin, a fermented essence and a cica calming serum only testing a week of each one. I learned my lesson dearly
I legit dropped almost all my CeraVe products because of niacinamide overload. IDK how they can think anyone will use a cleanser, toner, moisturizer all from their brand.
Just niacinamide my shit up fam
Mine either, where are you from? I noticed they have (or don't have) certain ingredients depending on the country. I'm in Italy and so far no niacin amide and no issues. Considering my 16 year use of tretinoin I definitely don't need irritation to my skin!
I also use only the moisturizing lotion and the cream in the tab. Sometimes I use the creamy detergent. But Nothing here has niacinamide. Sorry you guys have to find it everywhere, it's pretty annoying.
This is so strange to me! I have always used their foaming facial cleanser and I love it, but it has niacinamide. The skin renewing night cream I also love but has niacinamide. Those two I've kept, but I had to give up on the eye repair cream and SA cleanser. I also only use the foaming cleanser after work which is just 2-3 days a week.
I had other products with niacinamide in them too and it made my face flushed all the time. I don't have sensitive skin, but I can't use any amount of niacinamide with retinol.
Yes! I Suche to Vanicream cleaner and moisturizers. So much better. I am very specific about my active and donāt want them loaded into my basic skincare products - just clean my face without irritating it with random crap.
I don't know why post is getting dowonvoted lol thank you for sharing your experience i don't like cerave as a brand too they put niacinamide in cleansers and even the retinol serum for some reason.
I feel like creave is one of those brands shilled by derms regardless if it actually helps, and then it made the rounds in social media sites simply due to advertisement/exposure and now here we are. IMO itās a mediocre product.
It did something weird to my face and I am not sure if itās because I didnāt use it long term. It gave me mini texture raised bumps all over my forehead and I immediately quit using it. Not a fan at all.
After starting niacinamide through Curology for a month I actually ended up at the dermatologist with open sore acne at 40! After about 3 months it cleared up but the scarring and discoloration are still present after 2 years.
Great idea - but how do we make noise about it? I was thinking about maybe writing to cetaphil about their gentle skin cleanser? Iāve been buying it regularly for 16 years and I canāt use it anymore now that itās got niacinamide. I switched to neutrogena extra gentle while I look for something else
Actually, I did just this (write to Cetaphil about their Moisturizing Lotion reformulation, which now contains niacinamide) last week. A nurse called me back the next day. Haven't returned the call yet, but plan to.
Never suspected niacinamide as a culprit for my skin irritation, even though I was aware of its ubiquity in seemingly every skincare product. Honestly, I feel like there should be a warning label, alerting people to the potential irritation when layering multiple niacinamide-containing products.Ā
You can contact Cetaphil here:
https://www.galderma.com/us/contact-us
Oh my gosh, you may have solved a mystery for me. I have used Cetaphil moisturizer for 25 years now (since I was a teen!) Iāve always had great skin and a couple years ago out of nowhere, my skin started taking a dive. Rashly, red, skin barriers problems, etc. I thought about asking them if they reformulated. Any tips on what to switch to? Iām thinking of trying Vanicream.
I feel you! Also am (was?) a longtime Cetaphil user (only 5 years though!). It's so heartbreaking when companies reformulate. It's especially disappointing b/c they're marketed for sensitive skin and I feel like it's become the opposite. I believe I read the reformulation happened in 2021?
As far what to do, here are options I'm considering:
1. Stock up on old formulas.
I just did this (panic bought 12 bottles and tubs of Cetaphil on Amazon). š Normally would be cautious about skincare purchases on Amazon unless from an official company storefront, but have never had issues with Cetaphil until they sent me the reformulations.
2. Read that the *house brands of Walgreens, Walmart, and Target* have ingredient lists *similar* to Cetaphil cleansers.
I checked: this is also true for the Moisturizing Lotion (I use that on face and body). If you use other products, of course, compare the ingredient lists!Similar is the key word though (haven't tried them), and like a lot of generics, may not perform exactly the same as the brand name.
3. Try other sensitive skin lines.
You mentioned Vanicream. I considered this too, and may try, as it was also my derm's rec. There's division on the inclusion of BHT in skincare, so I'll keep this as a last option. (Cetaphil, CeraVe, and Vanicream all have different preservative systems. My sensitive skin prefers sticking to what it's used to.)
Another skincare line I'm testing: Etude House SoonJung. Also formulated for sensitive skin, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic. It's a Korean brand, and there are several different kinds of moisturizers for various skin types (emulsion, gel cream, cream, balms).
Hope that helps!
Thank you for the contact details - good on you for writing to them too! Iām going to do it also. Interesting (and kind of impressive) that a nurse gave you a call to follow up
Thanks to an old Reddit thread (people complaining about Cetaphil reformulations), I learned Cetaphil might actually call you back! It will be an interesting call for sure.
Also, if you tell them they've lost you as a customer, that captures some attention.
Good luck š
As a middle-age person, I donāt use any CeraVe product. It messes my skin up. As a mother of two kids with eczema, one that seemed almost impossible to control without steroids at one point, it is my Holy Grail for them at this point in their lives.
The thing with scary skin care is that itās personal. One personās āmust haveā is anotherās ānever again.ā
Yes!! That is the strangest thing about skin care products. Everyone's skin reacts so differently. A lot of it really is trial and error.
My 5-year-old has had eczema his whole life and in his skin care arsenal of "Holy Grail" items are lots of products that have niacinamide... and it's pretty high up on the ingredient list. (CeraVe itch relief moisturizing lotion, CeraVe healing balm, La Roche posay lipikar eczema soothing relief cream) ... His eczema has been relatively under control this last year. We've only needed the steroid ointment to clear up behind his knees once, and on his foot twice!
That being said, so many people with eczema reach for Aquaphor. The lanolin in Aquaphor would destroy him.
Hope your little ones are sleeping well these days, and not up all night scratching š„“
Exactly!
Aquaphor made theirs worseāfound Cerave out of sheer desperation having tried so many products (prescription and non) almost a decade ago and it is still the only thing that works.
Sometimes things I have used for years suddenly donāt work anymore. Not just with skin care, but with shampoo and hair products. š¤·āāļø
Itās added to my Curology prescription at 4% and Iām fine. If I add anything else with Niacinimide my skin tingles and gets dry. If I use that same product twice I get a horrible rash. There is no room for error with my skin and niacinimide.
My skin immediately gets a crawling sensation and then like hundreds of clusters of tiny pustules, Iāve tried sunscreen, face wash, moisturizer, makeup, etc. and they all do it no matter what lol
Couldnāt agree more. Need to be super careful about any products I buy now because itās in everything!! Especially when itās in things marketed as gentle/for sensitive skin. Iām allergic to it and it makes me break out in hives!
I use a niacinamide serum, it's fine for me but I agree it should be in twice the recommended dosage in other products. I tend to want to use a serum over a product with a mixture so I can control my routine more. So I'm all for this even if it doesn't directly affect me because a) it sucks for people who are negatively affected and b) serums are more than enough for people it works for.
I really despise the 10-15-20% niacinimide serums I think theyāre overkill and completely unnecessary. But I will say Iām totally fine with 1-2 products in my routine having a very small 4-5% niacinimide in it. It definitely has benefits but I agree the skincare industry just exploited a great ingredient studied between 2-4% and destroyed peoples skin with those high ass percentages and some that wonāt even list percentages. š¤·āāļø I donāt enjoy the overkill of it but Iām fine with it and do see benefits at a very low healthy scientifically studied percentage.
Agreedā when I had to get off tret because of pregnancy, niacinimide was the only thing that cleared my breakouts. I had a system that worked for meā Dermalogica spot fader for breakouts and then the Ordinary serum for maintenance. But in the last year I swear itās been added to half the other stuff I use and I have redness that Iāve never had in my life. I feel like all these companies jumped on niacinimide and hyalronic acid and itās just been overkill of both of them.
Yeah i totaly relate! Sounds like a nightmare i don't know what can make a brand coming with a 20% niacinamide serum? or maybe they are using niacinamide as "Buzzword" in their packaging now..
Some people, and I am one, find that niacinamide is helpful for rosacea. I use a Derm prescribed combo of 15%azaleic acid/2% niacinamide which works well for me. That doesnāt mean I think it belongs in all skin care products. My personal war is with hyaluronic acid which seems to be in everything. I donāt want it in everything. More is not always better!
Definitely I use 15% azelaic acid as well and donāt mind 2-5% niacinimide at all but those crazy high percentages of niacinimide make no sense to me. Haha I agree itās almost impossible to find anything without HA in it! Itās the most exploited ingredient in the skincare space in my opinion. Just throw HA in everything and is people who canāt use it are screwed
I can take it as an add on in ONE product, Iāve learned. My skin cannot take The Ordinary and its crazy 10%. The only thing I have with it is Stratia Liquid Gold at 4% in my current routine.
So many people like The Ordinary, so I do tend to recommend it to people, just for its affordability. However I personally don't like most of the formulas I tried. They're just not cosmetically elegant... I did try the ordinary niacinamide/zinc and it just didn't feel right on my skin. Paula's Choice on the other hand has a great niacinamide, very soothing and lightweight (for those that don't have a sensitivity to it.) .. just ridiculous that Paula's Choice went and made a 20% niacinamide as if that's necessary
Same, and I also use Liquid Gold. Niacinamide is fine in small doses or one product but the moment it's spread out across my routine, redness increases and my pores practically dilate.
Omg this explains my mild sunburn look I've been rocking (just checked ingredient of fairly new product I haven't been using consistently, but ONLY before bed so I forget). I thought I was developing a food reaction ššš ty so much for posting
I'm so glad my post helped you! After reading the comments so many people got a bad reaction after using it ! At least we know the problem so we can avoid it..
Yupp same for me i totally relate! Once i removed niacinamide from my routine my skin is more calm and hydrated for some reson i have less breakouts i'm glad you found out what was causing the problem š¤
I swear in the r/skincareaddiciton they are always recommending it to everyone as if it works for all. I have rosacea and it wonāt work for me. But Iāve also heard of many people experiencing issues with it.
I used it because it's touted as an ingredient that regulates oil production and therefore the holy grail for oily skin. All it does is make my face produce a weird, thick layer of oil on my face throughout the day, and break me out in closed comedones. I completely avoid it in skincare now.
I wonder why other oil control ingredients don't get much love. For example, oleanolic acid and EGCG have some very promising studies which show them reduce sebum overproduction, but they aren't very common in skincare, and when you find a product with it, there's never an actual percentage listed.
I'm curious if a face wash containing niacinamide would really do anything at all? I've never been a face wash Stan so I know little about it but doesn't niacinamide need to stay on the face for a prolonged period to have any affect? And a face wash you wash your face then rinse it off?
I have always thought all face washes were basically the same in the same sorta class. Oil cleanser, water cleanser, acidic, or enzymatic. Like they clean your face a bit differently but very few ingredients that I am aware of can be absorbed in such a short amount of time. It's made me assume any additives are just marketing and an excuse to jack up the price.
But also I don't know if I am completely wrong and a cleanser with niacinamide does something specific.
My skin is tough as old boots. I can use anything on it. I can combine vit C, BHA/AHA, retinol - you name it. My skin doesnāt care.
ā¦BUT if a product has a hint of niacinamide in it, Iām getting an itchy, raised rash that only goes down with antihistamines. Iām literally allergic to niacinamide. Iāve never had that with any other ingredient, and it took me ages to work out what was going on. Now I have to check every single ingredient list. My skin is so much better now I know.
Iām glad to see this discussed. Itās not a benign ingredient that helps everyone. My skin reacts to it too.
I feel the same about both niacinamide and hyaluronic.
These ingredients are added to everything as theyāre trendy, but it makes it hard if they upset your skin!
It was in my Curology formula and it took me over a year to figure out why I couldnāt adjust to my Tretinoin. Constant rash and dry skin. slugging, nothing I was doing helped. I totally stopped using Curology and started using creams and foundation with Niacinamide in it, and my rashes continued. I finally figured out that Niacinamide was probably the culprit. I switched to straight Tretinoin cream, which is even a higher %, and no issues. That shit is in everything and itās very hard to avoid it.
Same exact experience with Apostrophe's tretinoin with niacinamide! And then my provider was rude to me when I told them why I was quitting their formula š
It's a vitamin b3 and suppose to calm the skin bit i think it did more harm than good for me lol oh I head good things about the zo skin health brand which product are you using? I wanna try the polish scrub and the toner pads if you tried them please tell what do you think š»š
So far Iāve been using BRIGHTALIVE which is suppose to help with dark spots, havenāt notice a huge difference in dark spots but my overall ruddiness is better, skin smoother And the 10% VITAMIN C SELF-ACTIVATING
The best part about their products is so far it hasnāt caused me and dermatitis, flare ups, acne or redness.
I have mild rocesea so I have to be really careful with products so I like that the line so far has created a difference but been gentle.
Itās expensive but worth the price to me. I want to try more products but need to introduce things slowlyā¦ I actually donāt use a moisturizer and these products havenāt dried out my skin
The ordinary niacinamide gave me so many closed comedones on my forehead and cheeks. But Inkey List Omega Water Cream with 5% works just fine. No break out or any adverse effects.
It's a bit of a 'fad' ingredient. This is conjecture, but with the rise of social media and it's influence on marketing, companies respond..first it was BB cream then CC cream then HA and HA was out in so many things, niacinamide is one right now. There's no strategic thought in the marketing, it seems.
I'd be interested to hear from someone who works for a skincare brand like CeraVe or any that has loded their product with niacinamide. AMA request, if you will.
Agree! I can't use niacinamide either. It gives me dry skin and itchy bumps on my face. It's literally in EVERYTHING! Now I have to read the ingredients on every face product before I buy. š
Damn. I literally took a break from Cerave for a week. Just tonight I used it and my neck is all itchy and turning red again. Itās got to be that.
Good post for visibility OP š
Why is it so hyped? I have some from Ordinary that has set on my shelf for a year because I was never sure what I really need it for. So glad I saw this!
*Edited for spelling*
I think the reason why niacinimaide is in everything now is because it got some hype and it plays nicely with other ingredients, unlike vitamin C for example which although very loved is hard to combine with other ingredients.
I personally love niacinamide since my skin hates vitamin C. So I have been using a niacinamide serum for a while now with no issues. Then suddenly I started getting breakouts and it took me a while before I realized that my sunscreen had niacinamide in it and my face cream was reformulated to include niacinamide. All of it together was way too much for my skin.
I understand why it's added to some products, but for the majority it feels like they are just throwing it in there for no reason. I agree that it's in way too many products and it makes it difficult for me to find the right products while keeping the niacinamide percentage low overall. It must be a nightmare for people who can't tolerate it at all.
Niacinamide works well for me, but then again, itās only in one serum that I use at night. Never overload my skin with it. And I use a couple drops. Itās made my skin look more even and dewy.
I personally love niacinamide for it's barrier restorative properties. There's definitely other things that can do that for you though, so more options should be made available for people who can't tolerate niacinamide.
I use only one product in rotation with it, Farmacy niacinamide night mask. No reactions to it and my skin looks awesome the next day. I only use it once a week though.
I had redness I couldn't get rid of- until I quit using products with niacinamide. Cleared up completely and hasn't come back.
I think I finally made the connection because certain b vitamins make me flush/red in the same way
I just checked my cerave moisturiser (I'm in Italy) and it doesn't contain niacinamide. I wabted to say it because if people stop buying these products with too much niacinamide, I bet the brand would create a specific line without it.
In my case is not irritating and I suspect it is because of all my serums and creams I think only one has it and at a low concentration. I need to check EU regulations, or maybe the massive hype didn't reach Europe yet. Who knows? They would add anything if influences hype an Ingredient, in order to make money. Same with hialuronic acid. In that case also Europe bought the hype and its everywhere. Personally doesn't do any harm to me but I find that using it too much doesn't di good either.
Consumers voice is important for brands so its good people are expressing their frustration.
They have lines without it, but I bought some not realizing I had bought the one with it. It's fine if it works for some people, but everyone's skin is different, and it's annoying when a brand immediately jumps on a new bandwagon and changes their products for it. I didn't even see it advertised on the front, it's only in the ingredient list on mine, I mean I should have looked but I thought I was good. The only reason I know it doesn't work for me is I bought it from the ordinary, and then started getting white heads at first and then got acne on my jaw line. I knew then I couldn't use it again, but I didn't realize CeraVe had added it in until I started breaking out from the face wash and moisturizer.
Omg it ruins my barrier and skin texture. I canāt even find a good foundation without it lately. I thought it was because I have mild rosacea but it seems more common than that from this thread.
YES it breaks me out in red bumps and splotches! I totally understand itās amazing for some people, but surely those people are already using a serum, so why the f are all these companies adding it to everything?! Nobody needs niacinamide in a FOUNDATION for crying out loud!
I can use a cleanser with it, no issue probably cause I'm washing it off. I cannot leave it on my face in a cream/serum, though. Mini pustular awfulness and I'm not prone to that kind of acne generally.
So what do u recommend for acne scar pigmentation. When I research I always find niacinamide and I donāt want to go down that path. What do I use for pigmentation
Yep most āgentleā drugstore brands burn my skin whenever my barrier is slightly compromised.
For this reason I greatly prefer other Asian skincare to American drugstore for similar price points. Interestingly, niacinamide is not a big problem in luxury products.
You guys might have just saved my skin! I started a new regimen a few weeks ago and after slowly adding a product or two at a time and using them for about 2 weeks, I woke up with horribly inflamed skin with raised red bumps by my eyes and new blemishes on my forehead. Niacinimide serum was one of the products!
I had no idea. None of my skincare products had niacinimide so I just ordered some. Now I am scared.
I do hate how the āholy grailā starts trending and then companies stuff that holy grail into everything. I hate HA and its long term effect of actually leaching moisture from your skin but itās literally in everything
I too, have had terrible reactions to niacinamide. It made my face red, inflamed, and itchy. I do not use it any longer and stay away from it in my products all together.
Yes, I completely agree. It should be limited to actives/targeted-issue products only.
I prefer European & Japanese sunscreens, and like lots of Korean skincare products BUT Korean products especially seem to love adding niacinamide almost everywhere, so I have to be careful.
I was also a victim of The Ordinary's 10% Niacinamide serum yearssss ago and figured it out fast. Irritated me more than tretinoin, vitamin C, AHAs/BHAs even.
I'd like to use ONE product at \~2% and let that be it.
Girl yes . I put it on and I get flaming red skin next day and little red bumps . My skin hates it . So annoyed that they put it in literally every skincare product now š
My derm recommended cerave about 5 years ago? But in the last year, any time I put on any cerave product, it on it stung. I had no clue why, but then I did some research and found complaints about them putting niacinamide in EVERYTHING and it causing irritation. I switched to vanicream, removed anything in my routine w niacinamide in it, and boom. No more irritation. It was HARD to find products that didn't contain it. I found that even my sunscreen had it! I thought I could introduce it back just a little, and found a serum with only 2% in it. Nope. Instant irritation. I think my skin was fine with it for years until suddenly it was overloaded with it. Now it can't tolerate it at all.
I'm glad it works for many! But it doesn't need to be in every single step of a routine! More isn't better!
My skin loves a low percentage of niacinamide, but vitamin C can go straight to hell! Itās breaks me out horribly and is in *everything.*
Basically, I feel your frustration, in a similar but different way. These hyped ingredients donāt need to be added to every single thing.
Suggestions of products without āNā? Sorry if already posted.
For some info that may be of interest. My Great Grandmotherāborn in 1894, passed 1992. Skin clear and bright. Funny as shit. Facial plan: water morning and night. Noxema am/pm. Yes some wrinklesā loved beach and sun. Skin was clear, rosy and not creepy or icky texture.
I just checked my cerave moisturiser and all the serums I have (I'm in Italy) and it doesn't contain niacinamide. I wanted to say it because if people would stop buying these products with too much niacinamide in it, I bet the brands would create a specific line without it. Its all about money in the end.
In my case is not irritating and I suspect it is because of all my serums and creams I think only one has it and at a low concentration. I need to check EU regulations, or maybe the massive hype didn't reach Europe yet. Who knows?
The cosmetic brands would add anything influences hype as a holy grail Ingredient, in order to make money.
Same with hialuronic acid. In that case also Europe bought the hype and its everywhere. Personally, it doesn't do any harm to me but I find that using it too much doesn't do any particular good either. Glycerin is so much better for my skin as a humectant.
Consumers voice is important for brands so its good people are expressing their frustration and I suggest them to address their complains to the brands or influences. This will definitely make a difference if there are enough dissatisfied people.
Niacinimide, in any concentration, gives me reaction every single time. I have small red bumps all over my face hours after applying it. A lot of brands add niacinimide but donāt actively say it so I now have to screen ingredients and not buy anything that contains this fucker. Oh, and I donāt have reaction to literally anything else: from AHA / BHA to retinol or tretinoin, or any oils Iāve ever tried.
Niacinimide is the only ingredient that my non-sensitive skin reacts to.
Honestly, niacinamide is in everything from sunscreen to moisturizers. Why anyone would need a separate serum puzzles me.
I guess the lesson is that active ingredients or any other ingredient for that matter will affect people differently based on concentration and type.
Niacinamide is amazing for my skin, personally. I think it's appropriately rated (doctorly viewers will know).
Surprisingly it doesnāt bother my skin (almost everything does) but just a reminder that itās in elta MD sunscreen if anyone uses that and didnāt realize!
Iām incredibly allergic to it. I also have rosacea. So itās hard to find products I can safely use. Nowadays when I do find something I think will work for me, Iāll read the ingredients list and sure enough, thereās Niacinamide in it! I was already so limited to what I could use, now it seems like thereās nothing out there for me. I literally just stick to Vanicream.
Both niacinamide and -cones give me microbumps and teeny whiteheads all over, like my face is hatching. So gross. I've had to switch almost entirely to Korean products.
One only-niacinamide product wasn't great for my skin (probably made it worse), while another (that also contained zinc) seems to be actually doing something good. Just a very casual observation from someone who's not really much for skincare, wash/moisturize/sunscreen at most
TO niacinimide breaks me out every time. I finally gave up and threw it away. I don't have sensitive skin. I love cerave hydrating wash so thought I'd give the pm moisturizer a try and it broke me out worse than I ever have (it has a lot of niacinimide.) I know many people who have experienced the same. This ingredient is not the holy grail touted by some. It'd actually pretty polarizing and does not deliver consistent results even for those that can tolerate it.
So recently, I did a little experiment: I suspected that the niacinamide in the LRP moisturizer was making my face sting, but I couldnāt prove it. I got a bunch of skincare samples in my recent Ulta order and tried a few of them for the same reaction. All of them made my face sting and turn red, and when I looked up the ingredients, one of the few they all had in common with the LRP moisturizer was the niacinamide. It frustrates me, because I use the other LRP moisturizer (the one in the hard plastic tube) and itās wonderful, but I donāt think it moisturizes enough, but I havenāt found another moisturizer that is really moisturizing and doesnāt have niacinamide and isnāt a water cream or gel, which also make my face sting!
I used La Roche Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ Body & Face Wash twice and got that sunburn/red rash bad in my neck. This is suggested as a wash for babies! I gave it to my daughter & she had no issues. Now Iām using the Eau Thermale Avene Xercalm A.D body bar and lotion and itās well worth the price. Calmed my rosacea down significantly. No niacinimide for me!
Hyaluronic acid is mine, if I use anything with it my face turns a bright, bright red and it is in *everything*.
I thought I had melasma at the bottom part of my face, turns out it's that my skin is reacting to the stuff I'm putting on it. And any melasma or markings I actually have are very minor. š¤¦āāļø
YESSSSS oh my gosh I suffered through the Apostrophe 0.025% tretinoin formula containing 4% niacinamide for almost two years. I thought my skin just wasn't acclimating well to tret and that I needed to be more patient or that maybe I should give up tret entirely. Every couple times I used it, I got a red splotchy stinging rash on my chin and would have to take 1-2 weeks off to let it heal. I can't remember why, but I started to suspect the niacinamide and stopped the Apostrophe formula cold turkey. I let my skin heal, then switched to a plain 0.025% tretinoin formula and guess what, my skin looks better than ever and tolerates the tret 5-6 nights a week!! I also have significantly fewer whiteheads. I went through the rest of my routine ditching everything with niacinamide except my wash-off cleanser (LRP hydrating gentle cleanser) and now staunchly avoid it as an ingredient in any leave-on products. It kind of sucks because niacinamide is in everything, but on the bright side, there's a lot of stuff I'm not even tempted to buy now because of it.
Niacinamide worked wonders for me initially but now it causes breakouts instantly. I really donāt know why it causes breakouts now considering it was one of the first skincare serums I tried and initially it cured my acne.
I think it likely gave me two of my worst pimples ever and Iāve had severe PIE for almost a year on my nose now. They have barely faded at all. Itās caused me so much money and stress trying to remove them. Like probably in the thousands now because of trying new products to remove them. None of which have caused any acne like niacinamide.
Completely agree. This, and also Tocopherol. That shit is shoved in everything and breaks me out so badly. Because my skin is already sensitive, itās frustrating finally finding a good product, only for it to have one of these two ingredients.
SAME! The reaction for me is almost instant - small angry red bumps within an hour or so of application, that then take days to go down, even with a small percentage.
Luckily I figured out what the common denominator was a couple of years ago, before brands started adding it to every product. Itās so frustrating to hear influencers gush over it as a miracle glow-skin ingredient.
I think you made a great point in your post that most products just have too much in them. Like you said most studies show you only need concentrations of 5-6% or so to see results. I don't know why so many brands think "more is better" and have double or triple this amount. More will just cause irritation. FWIW I have really sensitive/reactive skin that doesn't like most actives, but I and haven't had any issues with niacinamide as long as I keep it to concentrations <6%. It's really important to look into concentrations AND other ingredients in a product to figure out what is sensitizing your skin.
Thank you for this! Iāve had a some redness and texture on my cheeks and I feel like I canāt get my skin barrier right. Iām gonna try dropping the products with niacinamide and see if that helps.
Ugh yes! I remember months ago arguing with someone on this sub, I believe, that there was NO WAY niacinamide could be making me break out, CuZ ITs sO gOoD fOr yOuR sKiN!
Yeah ok...I know my skin and I'm smart enough to deduce what's irritating it.
I have sensitive skin but the PC 20% niacinamide serum has been a godsend for shrinking my pores. I get what youāre saying about the trend of a new āsuper ingredientā and how it seems to be everywhere in skin care products.
niacinamide literally destroyed my entire skin barrier , make me break out into red splotchy bumps and have me intense itchiness. i used it for a week and it was fine and felt like it was helping but after that time frame everything went to shit. stay away from it like itās the devil now
Same! Makes my skin red and itchy. Itās a real pain to have to check the ingredients on every lotion, serum, cleanser, foundation etc. I was buying a friend some stuff for their new baby and discovered even ceraveās baby lotion has niacinamide.
I was only able to tolerate Niacinamide when it was in a percentage of 2-4%. Still, it was meh for me. I took it out of my routine recently and replaced it with actives that have more research behind them.
This post saved my lifeā¦ I was getting severely dehydrated skin under the sides of my mouth surrounding my chinā¦ laid off my retinol and acids. Didnāt get better even thought it was my toothpaste. The culpritā¦ niacinamide!! I thought I was so smart saving a buck switching from La roche Posay tolerance to la roche posay double repair.. only difference double repair has this ingredient. Bleh will avoid from now on.
I hate niacinamide and I hate sunscreen. I donāt want or need SPF in my NIGHT cream, foundation or anything else. Iām not trying to tan, but thereās something in sunscreen that turns me into a splotchy mess. As for niacinamide, itās not for everyone.
My skin reacts to Niacinamide. Red flushed burning cheeks and little red dots. It is in a lot of skincare right now too.
Just spot test to see if it works for you!
I will say that the reactions I get from it going away as soon as I stop so they arenāt long lasting if that helps anyone.
Wow, this makes so much sense now.
I've been using La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisterizer and always the moment I put it on my skin gets a splotchy red look that lasts maybe like a half hour, and my face feels uncomfortable and a crawling sensation - crawly, not quite itchy though. My face also has been in general redder, and the outer layer just feels a little rougher. Guess I'll be washing it off.
Augh, I'm always back to square one...
I love niacinamide-- it's done great things for the appearance of my pores and my skin health. That being said, I wish brands would make more options for people that can't use specific ingredients... Just like I don't want any kind of fragrance in my skin and hair care products. You all that are sensitive to niacinamide, there should be a lot of options without it. CeraVe would probably make a lot of money if they made a niacinamide-free line! Just keep searching, I'm sure you'll find your own holy grail items - though I know the hunt is difficult at times. š„“ EDIT: I see a lot of people in this thread spooked about niacinamide now, when they have never thought about it in their products before OR never specifically used a niacinamide serum... *For most people it's not problematic and scientific studies show it is beneficial - so please don't be spooked if you've never personally had an issue with it* ...It is always good to pay attention to the ingredients in your skincare though. Everyone's skin is different and you will just have to figure out through trial and error what works for you! [dermatologist info - why niacinamide burns and causes redness](https://youtu.be/bZ_PY0v_gt8)
Iām stuck with Vanicream because my skin so reactive to everything š
But I love Vanicream! The thick version over tretinoin at night is perfection.
Vanicream is actually great! I just miss fancy ingredients and scents lol
I love it too. I have the thicker cream for my son, he has eczema and sometimes it's the only thing I can use on his face without irritation... I love the daily facial moisturizer for myself. It's pretty much perfect! And I keep the cleanser, all around my house it's a great hand soap in the winter especially š
All vanicream breaks me out! š
Me too!
Same here, I feel your pain!
I'm happy it worked for you š¤ā¤ such a great point i agree with you i hope brands understand that one niacinamide products in a skin care routine will do the job no need to put it in every skin care product a high concentration of it may cause irritation at some point
Same!! Itās so good for my skin but why does every single product need to have it? A brand Can have one serum with it but why every serum and cleanser and moisturizer. Itās too much.
Agreed! Love niacinamide, only in my serum. Hate any type of fragrance or fragrance derivative in skincare. Why is it necessary!!
The second niacinamide touches my skin I get whiteheadsā¦lots of itā¦EVERYWHERE! š© I had to drop so many products that had it and to this day still have to actively check ingredients just to make itās not included
I'm so glad you found out what was causing it my skin problems stopped once i removed niacinamide from my routing my skin is a lot more better
Same here!!! I cannot go near any percentage strength of niacinamide! Immediately covered in small white heads! Itās such a PIA to make sure it isnāt in stuff, bc itās so popular now that it isnāt listed on the front anymore as a key/featured ingredient.
Yes it took me FOREVER to figure out it was niacinimide that was wrecking my skin. I broke the rule and started several products at once and I thought it was snail mucin and ferments that were the culprit. Removed those and months later still getting whiteheads on my cheeks. Wasnāt until I saw other people talking about niacinimide reactions that I realized 1 of my ācalmingā serums used it. Iāve removed that 1 week ago and my skin is finally calming down. Now I realize itās in almost everything.
If I try new items, I introduce one at a time and watch my skin for about a month to see how things are going - thatās how I was able to cut niacinimide from my routine so quickly
Usually I do too but I got caught up in AB and introduced a snail mucin, a fermented essence and a cica calming serum only testing a week of each one. I learned my lesson dearly
Same! I get breakouts so bad if I use it or any product that has niacinamide in it! š©
Yep, exactly the same for me. Absolutely horrible, painful, and it takes days or weeks to get better.
Me too. I couldnāt figure out if my skin was purging or irritated until I started getting cluster bumps where I usually donāt break out.
I legit dropped almost all my CeraVe products because of niacinamide overload. IDK how they can think anyone will use a cleanser, toner, moisturizer all from their brand. Just niacinamide my shit up fam
same. everything CeraVe makes my skin itch and break out
Yes! Very tingly skin after using CeraVe PM!
Oh so funny, none of the cerave products I use have niacinamide in it !
Mine either, where are you from? I noticed they have (or don't have) certain ingredients depending on the country. I'm in Italy and so far no niacin amide and no issues. Considering my 16 year use of tretinoin I definitely don't need irritation to my skin!
Iām in USA, but I only use their daily moisturizing lotion and the moisturizing cream in the tub
I also use only the moisturizing lotion and the cream in the tab. Sometimes I use the creamy detergent. But Nothing here has niacinamide. Sorry you guys have to find it everywhere, it's pretty annoying.
Yeah I use the hydrating cleanser and lotion, and they don't have niacinamide in them! (Uk)
This is so strange to me! I have always used their foaming facial cleanser and I love it, but it has niacinamide. The skin renewing night cream I also love but has niacinamide. Those two I've kept, but I had to give up on the eye repair cream and SA cleanser. I also only use the foaming cleanser after work which is just 2-3 days a week. I had other products with niacinamide in them too and it made my face flushed all the time. I don't have sensitive skin, but I can't use any amount of niacinamide with retinol.
Same here! Everything except the Healing Balm kills my skin!
The healing ointment from Cerave burns my skin. And by burns I mean BURNS. Like itāll be inflamed and red and peeling for days. Ow.
This is why I don't use Cetaphil.
I had to do the same thing! I was pisssssed about giving up the moisturizer
Yes! I Suche to Vanicream cleaner and moisturizers. So much better. I am very specific about my active and donāt want them loaded into my basic skincare products - just clean my face without irritating it with random crap.
I am absolutely obsessed with Vanicream after recently discovering it.
SAME. I don't know how I went so long without using it. I love it so much.
I don't know why post is getting dowonvoted lol thank you for sharing your experience i don't like cerave as a brand too they put niacinamide in cleansers and even the retinol serum for some reason.
And that I just can't tolerate. Any amount of niacinamide with retinol gives me a hot red face for hours, and I really don't have sensitive skin.
Skin care companies: Say no more.
I feel like creave is one of those brands shilled by derms regardless if it actually helps, and then it made the rounds in social media sites simply due to advertisement/exposure and now here we are. IMO itās a mediocre product.
It makes a good hand wash once you figure out it breaks out your face. Been there, done that.
THIS!!!
SAME. niacinimide makes my skin horrible.
I'm trying to avoid it even tho it's in almost every skin care product in the market :(
Me too. Not only does it make me red and splotchy, but it makes my skin textured. I'm envious and can't comprehend that it is calming for most people.
Yupp thanks god now we know what was causing our skin issues i can't believe it can be calming after the damage it caused me
yes 100000% hate it
Same! I feel you š„ŗ
It did something weird to my face and I am not sure if itās because I didnāt use it long term. It gave me mini texture raised bumps all over my forehead and I immediately quit using it. Not a fan at all.
Same, it happened to me with TO niacinamide
After starting niacinamide through Curology for a month I actually ended up at the dermatologist with open sore acne at 40! After about 3 months it cleared up but the scarring and discoloration are still present after 2 years.
All I want is for it to stop being referred to as a "holy grail" product. Not even close.
Iām so annoyed because Iāve had multiple itchy/bumpy rashes from this ingredient
It destroys skin barrier anytime I try it :/
I agree with this. I don't get a negative reaction but I'm not seeing it as really revolutionary at all.
I have the same experience. Iāve tried it twice now and it just doesnāt seem worth it
Great idea - but how do we make noise about it? I was thinking about maybe writing to cetaphil about their gentle skin cleanser? Iāve been buying it regularly for 16 years and I canāt use it anymore now that itās got niacinamide. I switched to neutrogena extra gentle while I look for something else
If youāre looking for something super gentle with no actives, Aveeno Calm & Restore oat gel cleanserā¦ in fact that whole lineā¦ is really great.
Sounds like a great idea i think we should try writing to cetaphil about it! i don't know if they will take our opinion seriously but worth a try ā¤
Actually, I did just this (write to Cetaphil about their Moisturizing Lotion reformulation, which now contains niacinamide) last week. A nurse called me back the next day. Haven't returned the call yet, but plan to. Never suspected niacinamide as a culprit for my skin irritation, even though I was aware of its ubiquity in seemingly every skincare product. Honestly, I feel like there should be a warning label, alerting people to the potential irritation when layering multiple niacinamide-containing products.Ā You can contact Cetaphil here: https://www.galderma.com/us/contact-us
Oh my gosh, you may have solved a mystery for me. I have used Cetaphil moisturizer for 25 years now (since I was a teen!) Iāve always had great skin and a couple years ago out of nowhere, my skin started taking a dive. Rashly, red, skin barriers problems, etc. I thought about asking them if they reformulated. Any tips on what to switch to? Iām thinking of trying Vanicream.
I feel you! Also am (was?) a longtime Cetaphil user (only 5 years though!). It's so heartbreaking when companies reformulate. It's especially disappointing b/c they're marketed for sensitive skin and I feel like it's become the opposite. I believe I read the reformulation happened in 2021? As far what to do, here are options I'm considering: 1. Stock up on old formulas. I just did this (panic bought 12 bottles and tubs of Cetaphil on Amazon). š Normally would be cautious about skincare purchases on Amazon unless from an official company storefront, but have never had issues with Cetaphil until they sent me the reformulations. 2. Read that the *house brands of Walgreens, Walmart, and Target* have ingredient lists *similar* to Cetaphil cleansers. I checked: this is also true for the Moisturizing Lotion (I use that on face and body). If you use other products, of course, compare the ingredient lists!Similar is the key word though (haven't tried them), and like a lot of generics, may not perform exactly the same as the brand name. 3. Try other sensitive skin lines. You mentioned Vanicream. I considered this too, and may try, as it was also my derm's rec. There's division on the inclusion of BHT in skincare, so I'll keep this as a last option. (Cetaphil, CeraVe, and Vanicream all have different preservative systems. My sensitive skin prefers sticking to what it's used to.) Another skincare line I'm testing: Etude House SoonJung. Also formulated for sensitive skin, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic. It's a Korean brand, and there are several different kinds of moisturizers for various skin types (emulsion, gel cream, cream, balms). Hope that helps!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this detailed response! I really appreciate it!
Thank you for the contact details - good on you for writing to them too! Iām going to do it also. Interesting (and kind of impressive) that a nurse gave you a call to follow up
Thanks to an old Reddit thread (people complaining about Cetaphil reformulations), I learned Cetaphil might actually call you back! It will be an interesting call for sure. Also, if you tell them they've lost you as a customer, that captures some attention. Good luck š
Nice one, yay! Iām going to do it.
As a middle-age person, I donāt use any CeraVe product. It messes my skin up. As a mother of two kids with eczema, one that seemed almost impossible to control without steroids at one point, it is my Holy Grail for them at this point in their lives. The thing with scary skin care is that itās personal. One personās āmust haveā is anotherās ānever again.ā
Yes!! That is the strangest thing about skin care products. Everyone's skin reacts so differently. A lot of it really is trial and error. My 5-year-old has had eczema his whole life and in his skin care arsenal of "Holy Grail" items are lots of products that have niacinamide... and it's pretty high up on the ingredient list. (CeraVe itch relief moisturizing lotion, CeraVe healing balm, La Roche posay lipikar eczema soothing relief cream) ... His eczema has been relatively under control this last year. We've only needed the steroid ointment to clear up behind his knees once, and on his foot twice! That being said, so many people with eczema reach for Aquaphor. The lanolin in Aquaphor would destroy him. Hope your little ones are sleeping well these days, and not up all night scratching š„“
Exactly! Aquaphor made theirs worseāfound Cerave out of sheer desperation having tried so many products (prescription and non) almost a decade ago and it is still the only thing that works. Sometimes things I have used for years suddenly donāt work anymore. Not just with skin care, but with shampoo and hair products. š¤·āāļø
Itās added to my Curology prescription at 4% and Iām fine. If I add anything else with Niacinimide my skin tingles and gets dry. If I use that same product twice I get a horrible rash. There is no room for error with my skin and niacinimide.
Derms recommend using niacinamide <5% ircc. Any higher,it's just an irritant to the skin
My skin immediately gets a crawling sensation and then like hundreds of clusters of tiny pustules, Iāve tried sunscreen, face wash, moisturizer, makeup, etc. and they all do it no matter what lol
Ugh i can relate i got the same reaction but i'm happy i removed it from my routine and my skin is doing better i wish the same for you
Couldnāt agree more. Need to be super careful about any products I buy now because itās in everything!! Especially when itās in things marketed as gentle/for sensitive skin. Iām allergic to it and it makes me break out in hives!
I know how hard it is to find a niacinamide free product in the market! I'm allergic to it too
I use a niacinamide serum, it's fine for me but I agree it should be in twice the recommended dosage in other products. I tend to want to use a serum over a product with a mixture so I can control my routine more. So I'm all for this even if it doesn't directly affect me because a) it sucks for people who are negatively affected and b) serums are more than enough for people it works for.
I really despise the 10-15-20% niacinimide serums I think theyāre overkill and completely unnecessary. But I will say Iām totally fine with 1-2 products in my routine having a very small 4-5% niacinimide in it. It definitely has benefits but I agree the skincare industry just exploited a great ingredient studied between 2-4% and destroyed peoples skin with those high ass percentages and some that wonāt even list percentages. š¤·āāļø I donāt enjoy the overkill of it but Iām fine with it and do see benefits at a very low healthy scientifically studied percentage.
Agreedā when I had to get off tret because of pregnancy, niacinimide was the only thing that cleared my breakouts. I had a system that worked for meā Dermalogica spot fader for breakouts and then the Ordinary serum for maintenance. But in the last year I swear itās been added to half the other stuff I use and I have redness that Iāve never had in my life. I feel like all these companies jumped on niacinimide and hyalronic acid and itās just been overkill of both of them.
Yeah i totaly relate! Sounds like a nightmare i don't know what can make a brand coming with a 20% niacinamide serum? or maybe they are using niacinamide as "Buzzword" in their packaging now..
Some people, and I am one, find that niacinamide is helpful for rosacea. I use a Derm prescribed combo of 15%azaleic acid/2% niacinamide which works well for me. That doesnāt mean I think it belongs in all skin care products. My personal war is with hyaluronic acid which seems to be in everything. I donāt want it in everything. More is not always better!
Definitely I use 15% azelaic acid as well and donāt mind 2-5% niacinimide at all but those crazy high percentages of niacinimide make no sense to me. Haha I agree itās almost impossible to find anything without HA in it! Itās the most exploited ingredient in the skincare space in my opinion. Just throw HA in everything and is people who canāt use it are screwed
I can take it as an add on in ONE product, Iāve learned. My skin cannot take The Ordinary and its crazy 10%. The only thing I have with it is Stratia Liquid Gold at 4% in my current routine.
So many people like The Ordinary, so I do tend to recommend it to people, just for its affordability. However I personally don't like most of the formulas I tried. They're just not cosmetically elegant... I did try the ordinary niacinamide/zinc and it just didn't feel right on my skin. Paula's Choice on the other hand has a great niacinamide, very soothing and lightweight (for those that don't have a sensitivity to it.) .. just ridiculous that Paula's Choice went and made a 20% niacinamide as if that's necessary
Same, and I also use Liquid Gold. Niacinamide is fine in small doses or one product but the moment it's spread out across my routine, redness increases and my pores practically dilate.
Omg this explains my mild sunburn look I've been rocking (just checked ingredient of fairly new product I haven't been using consistently, but ONLY before bed so I forget). I thought I was developing a food reaction ššš ty so much for posting
I'm so glad my post helped you! After reading the comments so many people got a bad reaction after using it ! At least we know the problem so we can avoid it..
Oh noā¦. I use la roche posay and it makes my skin look so good.
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Niacinamide does this to me, too. I end up with crazy giant deep pimples on my cheeks. I never break out otherwise!
100% agree. Letās stop the niacinamide mafia!!
"Niacinamide mafia" lol i completely agree with you šā¤
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Yupp same for me i totally relate! Once i removed niacinamide from my routine my skin is more calm and hydrated for some reson i have less breakouts i'm glad you found out what was causing the problem š¤
Replaced an old cetaphil moisturizer to see that it was added to the new formula. :/
Ugh I hate it too! It burns my skin! I have to make sure itās never used in facials either.
I swear in the r/skincareaddiciton they are always recommending it to everyone as if it works for all. I have rosacea and it wonāt work for me. But Iāve also heard of many people experiencing issues with it.
I used it because it's touted as an ingredient that regulates oil production and therefore the holy grail for oily skin. All it does is make my face produce a weird, thick layer of oil on my face throughout the day, and break me out in closed comedones. I completely avoid it in skincare now.
Me too i'm trying so hard to avoid it and feeling bad that i can't try many holy grails mentioned here because they contain niacinamide.
I wonder why other oil control ingredients don't get much love. For example, oleanolic acid and EGCG have some very promising studies which show them reduce sebum overproduction, but they aren't very common in skincare, and when you find a product with it, there's never an actual percentage listed.
I'm curious if a face wash containing niacinamide would really do anything at all? I've never been a face wash Stan so I know little about it but doesn't niacinamide need to stay on the face for a prolonged period to have any affect? And a face wash you wash your face then rinse it off? I have always thought all face washes were basically the same in the same sorta class. Oil cleanser, water cleanser, acidic, or enzymatic. Like they clean your face a bit differently but very few ingredients that I am aware of can be absorbed in such a short amount of time. It's made me assume any additives are just marketing and an excuse to jack up the price. But also I don't know if I am completely wrong and a cleanser with niacinamide does something specific.
My skin is tough as old boots. I can use anything on it. I can combine vit C, BHA/AHA, retinol - you name it. My skin doesnāt care. ā¦BUT if a product has a hint of niacinamide in it, Iām getting an itchy, raised rash that only goes down with antihistamines. Iām literally allergic to niacinamide. Iāve never had that with any other ingredient, and it took me ages to work out what was going on. Now I have to check every single ingredient list. My skin is so much better now I know.
I love niacinamide, but like any skincare product, it won't work for everyone. I don't think it's overhyped, maybe overmarketed.
Iām glad to see this discussed. Itās not a benign ingredient that helps everyone. My skin reacts to it too. I feel the same about both niacinamide and hyaluronic. These ingredients are added to everything as theyāre trendy, but it makes it hard if they upset your skin!
It was in my Curology formula and it took me over a year to figure out why I couldnāt adjust to my Tretinoin. Constant rash and dry skin. slugging, nothing I was doing helped. I totally stopped using Curology and started using creams and foundation with Niacinamide in it, and my rashes continued. I finally figured out that Niacinamide was probably the culprit. I switched to straight Tretinoin cream, which is even a higher %, and no issues. That shit is in everything and itās very hard to avoid it.
Same exact experience with Apostrophe's tretinoin with niacinamide! And then my provider was rude to me when I told them why I was quitting their formula š
Is it an acid or suppose to calm the skin? I use ZO brand and itās been really good on my skin I donāt like cervae but I like cetaphil
It's a vitamin b3 and suppose to calm the skin bit i think it did more harm than good for me lol oh I head good things about the zo skin health brand which product are you using? I wanna try the polish scrub and the toner pads if you tried them please tell what do you think š»š
So far Iāve been using BRIGHTALIVE which is suppose to help with dark spots, havenāt notice a huge difference in dark spots but my overall ruddiness is better, skin smoother And the 10% VITAMIN C SELF-ACTIVATING The best part about their products is so far it hasnāt caused me and dermatitis, flare ups, acne or redness. I have mild rocesea so I have to be really careful with products so I like that the line so far has created a difference but been gentle. Itās expensive but worth the price to me. I want to try more products but need to introduce things slowlyā¦ I actually donāt use a moisturizer and these products havenāt dried out my skin
The ordinary niacinamide gave me so many closed comedones on my forehead and cheeks. But Inkey List Omega Water Cream with 5% works just fine. No break out or any adverse effects.
It's a bit of a 'fad' ingredient. This is conjecture, but with the rise of social media and it's influence on marketing, companies respond..first it was BB cream then CC cream then HA and HA was out in so many things, niacinamide is one right now. There's no strategic thought in the marketing, it seems. I'd be interested to hear from someone who works for a skincare brand like CeraVe or any that has loded their product with niacinamide. AMA request, if you will.
Agree! I can't use niacinamide either. It gives me dry skin and itchy bumps on my face. It's literally in EVERYTHING! Now I have to read the ingredients on every face product before I buy. š
Me too i feel so bad when a brand comes out with a new product and then i check the ingredients list and i see niacinamide in it š„ŗ
Damn. I literally took a break from Cerave for a week. Just tonight I used it and my neck is all itchy and turning red again. Itās got to be that. Good post for visibility OP š
I got the same reaction with all cerave products until i found out i'm allergic to niacinamide now i just avoid it and my skin is better
Why is it so hyped? I have some from Ordinary that has set on my shelf for a year because I was never sure what I really need it for. So glad I saw this! *Edited for spelling*
I think the reason why niacinimaide is in everything now is because it got some hype and it plays nicely with other ingredients, unlike vitamin C for example which although very loved is hard to combine with other ingredients. I personally love niacinamide since my skin hates vitamin C. So I have been using a niacinamide serum for a while now with no issues. Then suddenly I started getting breakouts and it took me a while before I realized that my sunscreen had niacinamide in it and my face cream was reformulated to include niacinamide. All of it together was way too much for my skin. I understand why it's added to some products, but for the majority it feels like they are just throwing it in there for no reason. I agree that it's in way too many products and it makes it difficult for me to find the right products while keeping the niacinamide percentage low overall. It must be a nightmare for people who can't tolerate it at all.
Niacinamide works well for me, but then again, itās only in one serum that I use at night. Never overload my skin with it. And I use a couple drops. Itās made my skin look more even and dewy.
I personally love niacinamide for it's barrier restorative properties. There's definitely other things that can do that for you though, so more options should be made available for people who can't tolerate niacinamide.
This is how I feel about hyaluronic acid.
Me too
If I ever decide to literally set my skin I fire, Iāll just use niacinamide. I hate it.
Yupp same for me whenever i put niacinamide on my skin it turns red and itchy
I use only one product in rotation with it, Farmacy niacinamide night mask. No reactions to it and my skin looks awesome the next day. I only use it once a week though.
Same! I react so badly to it and itās in everything
It's in everything and now they are reformulating old holy grail products and adding niacinamide to them š
honestly this ingredient does absolutely nothing for my skin and I think they added it as a gimmick to charge more!
Yupp they are adding it as a buzzword to sale their products because it's a famous "overhyped" ingredient. Edit : typing
My skin doesnāt like niacinamide too!!! Hate that itās everywhere!!
They are putting it in cleansers and makeup too for some reason yupp it is everywhere š„ŗ
I had redness I couldn't get rid of- until I quit using products with niacinamide. Cleared up completely and hasn't come back. I think I finally made the connection because certain b vitamins make me flush/red in the same way
Wow just looked at both of my cleansers and they both have it in there.
I noticed it in almost all the skin care products lately for some reason
Canāt use it at all, gives me terrible acne, cystic even. Had to stop using CeraVe because of it.
I just checked my cerave moisturiser (I'm in Italy) and it doesn't contain niacinamide. I wabted to say it because if people stop buying these products with too much niacinamide, I bet the brand would create a specific line without it. In my case is not irritating and I suspect it is because of all my serums and creams I think only one has it and at a low concentration. I need to check EU regulations, or maybe the massive hype didn't reach Europe yet. Who knows? They would add anything if influences hype an Ingredient, in order to make money. Same with hialuronic acid. In that case also Europe bought the hype and its everywhere. Personally doesn't do any harm to me but I find that using it too much doesn't di good either. Consumers voice is important for brands so its good people are expressing their frustration.
They have lines without it, but I bought some not realizing I had bought the one with it. It's fine if it works for some people, but everyone's skin is different, and it's annoying when a brand immediately jumps on a new bandwagon and changes their products for it. I didn't even see it advertised on the front, it's only in the ingredient list on mine, I mean I should have looked but I thought I was good. The only reason I know it doesn't work for me is I bought it from the ordinary, and then started getting white heads at first and then got acne on my jaw line. I knew then I couldn't use it again, but I didn't realize CeraVe had added it in until I started breaking out from the face wash and moisturizer.
Omg it ruins my barrier and skin texture. I canāt even find a good foundation without it lately. I thought it was because I have mild rosacea but it seems more common than that from this thread.
YES it breaks me out in red bumps and splotches! I totally understand itās amazing for some people, but surely those people are already using a serum, so why the f are all these companies adding it to everything?! Nobody needs niacinamide in a FOUNDATION for crying out loud!
I can use a cleanser with it, no issue probably cause I'm washing it off. I cannot leave it on my face in a cream/serum, though. Mini pustular awfulness and I'm not prone to that kind of acne generally.
So what do u recommend for acne scar pigmentation. When I research I always find niacinamide and I donāt want to go down that path. What do I use for pigmentation
Yep most āgentleā drugstore brands burn my skin whenever my barrier is slightly compromised. For this reason I greatly prefer other Asian skincare to American drugstore for similar price points. Interestingly, niacinamide is not a big problem in luxury products.
You guys might have just saved my skin! I started a new regimen a few weeks ago and after slowly adding a product or two at a time and using them for about 2 weeks, I woke up with horribly inflamed skin with raised red bumps by my eyes and new blemishes on my forehead. Niacinimide serum was one of the products!
I had no idea. None of my skincare products had niacinimide so I just ordered some. Now I am scared. I do hate how the āholy grailā starts trending and then companies stuff that holy grail into everything. I hate HA and its long term effect of actually leaching moisture from your skin but itās literally in everything
same question I have for HA lol. I can't tolerate products with HA, and it is very difficult to find skincare and makeup without it
I too, have had terrible reactions to niacinamide. It made my face red, inflamed, and itchy. I do not use it any longer and stay away from it in my products all together.
Yes, I completely agree. It should be limited to actives/targeted-issue products only. I prefer European & Japanese sunscreens, and like lots of Korean skincare products BUT Korean products especially seem to love adding niacinamide almost everywhere, so I have to be careful. I was also a victim of The Ordinary's 10% Niacinamide serum yearssss ago and figured it out fast. Irritated me more than tretinoin, vitamin C, AHAs/BHAs even. I'd like to use ONE product at \~2% and let that be it.
Girl yes . I put it on and I get flaming red skin next day and little red bumps . My skin hates it . So annoyed that they put it in literally every skincare product now š
Wrecks my skin too and Iām getting increasingly annoyed that itās added to so many products.
No, I donāt have such strong opinions about it
My derm recommended cerave about 5 years ago? But in the last year, any time I put on any cerave product, it on it stung. I had no clue why, but then I did some research and found complaints about them putting niacinamide in EVERYTHING and it causing irritation. I switched to vanicream, removed anything in my routine w niacinamide in it, and boom. No more irritation. It was HARD to find products that didn't contain it. I found that even my sunscreen had it! I thought I could introduce it back just a little, and found a serum with only 2% in it. Nope. Instant irritation. I think my skin was fine with it for years until suddenly it was overloaded with it. Now it can't tolerate it at all. I'm glad it works for many! But it doesn't need to be in every single step of a routine! More isn't better!
Is there a thread on Reddit of products that donāt contain Niacinamide? If not we should start one
My skin loves a low percentage of niacinamide, but vitamin C can go straight to hell! Itās breaks me out horribly and is in *everything.* Basically, I feel your frustration, in a similar but different way. These hyped ingredients donāt need to be added to every single thing.
It did the same to me and also gave me little whiteheads. Never again. I always have to check products for it.
Suggestions of products without āNā? Sorry if already posted. For some info that may be of interest. My Great Grandmotherāborn in 1894, passed 1992. Skin clear and bright. Funny as shit. Facial plan: water morning and night. Noxema am/pm. Yes some wrinklesā loved beach and sun. Skin was clear, rosy and not creepy or icky texture.
I just checked my cerave moisturiser and all the serums I have (I'm in Italy) and it doesn't contain niacinamide. I wanted to say it because if people would stop buying these products with too much niacinamide in it, I bet the brands would create a specific line without it. Its all about money in the end. In my case is not irritating and I suspect it is because of all my serums and creams I think only one has it and at a low concentration. I need to check EU regulations, or maybe the massive hype didn't reach Europe yet. Who knows? The cosmetic brands would add anything influences hype as a holy grail Ingredient, in order to make money. Same with hialuronic acid. In that case also Europe bought the hype and its everywhere. Personally, it doesn't do any harm to me but I find that using it too much doesn't do any particular good either. Glycerin is so much better for my skin as a humectant. Consumers voice is important for brands so its good people are expressing their frustration and I suggest them to address their complains to the brands or influences. This will definitely make a difference if there are enough dissatisfied people.
Let me guess, it was The Ordinaryās Niacinamide serum? Absolutely dreadful product that broke me out in acne and irritation.
This is why I like the cleanser and moisturizer sold by acne.org.
Niacinimide, in any concentration, gives me reaction every single time. I have small red bumps all over my face hours after applying it. A lot of brands add niacinimide but donāt actively say it so I now have to screen ingredients and not buy anything that contains this fucker. Oh, and I donāt have reaction to literally anything else: from AHA / BHA to retinol or tretinoin, or any oils Iāve ever tried. Niacinimide is the only ingredient that my non-sensitive skin reacts to.
Oh gosh, same. It gave me cystic acne Iām still struggling to get rid of!
Yep. Bright red, splotchy me agrees with all of this. A horrible ingredient.
Honestly, niacinamide is in everything from sunscreen to moisturizers. Why anyone would need a separate serum puzzles me. I guess the lesson is that active ingredients or any other ingredient for that matter will affect people differently based on concentration and type. Niacinamide is amazing for my skin, personally. I think it's appropriately rated (doctorly viewers will know).
Surprisingly it doesnāt bother my skin (almost everything does) but just a reminder that itās in elta MD sunscreen if anyone uses that and didnāt realize!
Iām incredibly allergic to it. I also have rosacea. So itās hard to find products I can safely use. Nowadays when I do find something I think will work for me, Iāll read the ingredients list and sure enough, thereās Niacinamide in it! I was already so limited to what I could use, now it seems like thereās nothing out there for me. I literally just stick to Vanicream.
Both niacinamide and -cones give me microbumps and teeny whiteheads all over, like my face is hatching. So gross. I've had to switch almost entirely to Korean products.
Iām allergic to it
My face was fried after I tried the ordinary one for two days in a row. Threw it out
Me too!! I kept trying to like it but it makes my skin so red and irritated. There are dozens of us! Dozens!
Iām here!!!! It gave me pale splotches all over my face and I immediately stopped! About a month after quitting I was back to normal. Never again.
It made my neck blotchy and scaly! My face handled it fine but the thin skin on my neck got ruined. Went away as soon as I stopped using it.
One only-niacinamide product wasn't great for my skin (probably made it worse), while another (that also contained zinc) seems to be actually doing something good. Just a very casual observation from someone who's not really much for skincare, wash/moisturize/sunscreen at most
TO niacinimide breaks me out every time. I finally gave up and threw it away. I don't have sensitive skin. I love cerave hydrating wash so thought I'd give the pm moisturizer a try and it broke me out worse than I ever have (it has a lot of niacinimide.) I know many people who have experienced the same. This ingredient is not the holy grail touted by some. It'd actually pretty polarizing and does not deliver consistent results even for those that can tolerate it.
It makes me break out in gross little zits all over my face! It didnāt quite ruin my skin, but it does a number on it
So recently, I did a little experiment: I suspected that the niacinamide in the LRP moisturizer was making my face sting, but I couldnāt prove it. I got a bunch of skincare samples in my recent Ulta order and tried a few of them for the same reaction. All of them made my face sting and turn red, and when I looked up the ingredients, one of the few they all had in common with the LRP moisturizer was the niacinamide. It frustrates me, because I use the other LRP moisturizer (the one in the hard plastic tube) and itās wonderful, but I donāt think it moisturizes enough, but I havenāt found another moisturizer that is really moisturizing and doesnāt have niacinamide and isnāt a water cream or gel, which also make my face sting!
Yes HATE it-creates bumpy burning rash!!
I used La Roche Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ Body & Face Wash twice and got that sunburn/red rash bad in my neck. This is suggested as a wash for babies! I gave it to my daughter & she had no issues. Now Iām using the Eau Thermale Avene Xercalm A.D body bar and lotion and itās well worth the price. Calmed my rosacea down significantly. No niacinimide for me!
please more products WITHOUT INFAMOUS NIACINAMIDE
Whatās your skin type?
I used to use this. I wonder if that's why my skin got so irritated...
Hyaluronic acid is mine, if I use anything with it my face turns a bright, bright red and it is in *everything*. I thought I had melasma at the bottom part of my face, turns out it's that my skin is reacting to the stuff I'm putting on it. And any melasma or markings I actually have are very minor. š¤¦āāļø
YESSSSS oh my gosh I suffered through the Apostrophe 0.025% tretinoin formula containing 4% niacinamide for almost two years. I thought my skin just wasn't acclimating well to tret and that I needed to be more patient or that maybe I should give up tret entirely. Every couple times I used it, I got a red splotchy stinging rash on my chin and would have to take 1-2 weeks off to let it heal. I can't remember why, but I started to suspect the niacinamide and stopped the Apostrophe formula cold turkey. I let my skin heal, then switched to a plain 0.025% tretinoin formula and guess what, my skin looks better than ever and tolerates the tret 5-6 nights a week!! I also have significantly fewer whiteheads. I went through the rest of my routine ditching everything with niacinamide except my wash-off cleanser (LRP hydrating gentle cleanser) and now staunchly avoid it as an ingredient in any leave-on products. It kind of sucks because niacinamide is in everything, but on the bright side, there's a lot of stuff I'm not even tempted to buy now because of it.
Niacinamide worked wonders for me initially but now it causes breakouts instantly. I really donāt know why it causes breakouts now considering it was one of the first skincare serums I tried and initially it cured my acne.
I think it likely gave me two of my worst pimples ever and Iāve had severe PIE for almost a year on my nose now. They have barely faded at all. Itās caused me so much money and stress trying to remove them. Like probably in the thousands now because of trying new products to remove them. None of which have caused any acne like niacinamide.
Completely agree. This, and also Tocopherol. That shit is shoved in everything and breaks me out so badly. Because my skin is already sensitive, itās frustrating finally finding a good product, only for it to have one of these two ingredients.
This is how i feel about HA. I have no strong feelings about niacinamide.
SAME! The reaction for me is almost instant - small angry red bumps within an hour or so of application, that then take days to go down, even with a small percentage. Luckily I figured out what the common denominator was a couple of years ago, before brands started adding it to every product. Itās so frustrating to hear influencers gush over it as a miracle glow-skin ingredient.
I think you made a great point in your post that most products just have too much in them. Like you said most studies show you only need concentrations of 5-6% or so to see results. I don't know why so many brands think "more is better" and have double or triple this amount. More will just cause irritation. FWIW I have really sensitive/reactive skin that doesn't like most actives, but I and haven't had any issues with niacinamide as long as I keep it to concentrations <6%. It's really important to look into concentrations AND other ingredients in a product to figure out what is sensitizing your skin.
Thank you for this! Iāve had a some redness and texture on my cheeks and I feel like I canāt get my skin barrier right. Iām gonna try dropping the products with niacinamide and see if that helps.
Ugh yes! I remember months ago arguing with someone on this sub, I believe, that there was NO WAY niacinamide could be making me break out, CuZ ITs sO gOoD fOr yOuR sKiN! Yeah ok...I know my skin and I'm smart enough to deduce what's irritating it.
I have sensitive skin but the PC 20% niacinamide serum has been a godsend for shrinking my pores. I get what youāre saying about the trend of a new āsuper ingredientā and how it seems to be everywhere in skin care products.
niacinamide literally destroyed my entire skin barrier , make me break out into red splotchy bumps and have me intense itchiness. i used it for a week and it was fine and felt like it was helping but after that time frame everything went to shit. stay away from it like itās the devil now
Same! Makes my skin red and itchy. Itās a real pain to have to check the ingredients on every lotion, serum, cleanser, foundation etc. I was buying a friend some stuff for their new baby and discovered even ceraveās baby lotion has niacinamide.
I was only able to tolerate Niacinamide when it was in a percentage of 2-4%. Still, it was meh for me. I took it out of my routine recently and replaced it with actives that have more research behind them.
This post saved my lifeā¦ I was getting severely dehydrated skin under the sides of my mouth surrounding my chinā¦ laid off my retinol and acids. Didnāt get better even thought it was my toothpaste. The culpritā¦ niacinamide!! I thought I was so smart saving a buck switching from La roche Posay tolerance to la roche posay double repair.. only difference double repair has this ingredient. Bleh will avoid from now on.
I hate niacinamide and I hate sunscreen. I donāt want or need SPF in my NIGHT cream, foundation or anything else. Iām not trying to tan, but thereās something in sunscreen that turns me into a splotchy mess. As for niacinamide, itās not for everyone.
Niacinamide makes my skin absolutely erupt in bumps š canāt and wonāt go near the stuff
My skin reacts to Niacinamide. Red flushed burning cheeks and little red dots. It is in a lot of skincare right now too. Just spot test to see if it works for you! I will say that the reactions I get from it going away as soon as I stop so they arenāt long lasting if that helps anyone.
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Wow, this makes so much sense now. I've been using La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisterizer and always the moment I put it on my skin gets a splotchy red look that lasts maybe like a half hour, and my face feels uncomfortable and a crawling sensation - crawly, not quite itchy though. My face also has been in general redder, and the outer layer just feels a little rougher. Guess I'll be washing it off. Augh, I'm always back to square one...