The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is one of the best-selling skincare products from The Ordinary and with its many benefits, it's not surprising as to why. However, like all products from The Ordinary, it doesn't have the most obvious name, so it may be confusing as to what it actually is and who it is best for.

Discover the benefits of The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum, learn whether it's the right serum for you and find out how you can incorporate it into your routine to maximise the effects.

VIEW THE ORDINARY NIACINAMIDE 10% + ZINC 1%

What is Niacinamide?

Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinamide, niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that works with the natural substances in your skin to help visibly improve enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines and wrinkles, dullness, and a weakened surface.

Niacinamide also reduces the impact of environmental damage because of its ability to improve skin’s barrier (its first line of defense), plus it also plays a role in helping the skin to repair signs of past damage. Left unchecked, this type of daily assault makes skin appear older, dull, and less radiant.

The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum is made up of a high concentration (10%) of Niacinamide, also known as Vitamin B3, and additional Zinc (1%). The formulation is oil-free, alcohol-free and silicone-free.

How does Niacinamide help your skin?

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is particularly good for those who suffer from rosacea and redness on the skin as it can help soothe irritation and even out the skin tone.

It's also good for those who are prone to breakouts and have oily skin, as it can calm breakouts, reduces the appearance of spots and rebalances oil levels. 

Other helpful benefits of niacinamide are that it helps renew and restore the surface of skin against moisture loss and dehydration by helping skin improve its natural production of skin-strengthening ceramides. When ceramides become depleted over time, skin is left vulnerable to all sorts of problems, from persistent patches of dry, flaky skin to increasingly becoming extra-sensitive.

If you struggle with dry skin, topical application of niacinamide has been shown to boost the hydrating ability of moisturizers so skin’s surface can better resist the moisture loss that leads to recurrent dry, tight, flaky skin. Niacinamide works brilliantly with common moisturizer ingredients like glycerin, non-fragrant plant oils, cholesterol, sodium PCA, and sodium hyaluronate.

How does niacinamide help pores? Great question, although the answer here isn’t certain. Simply put, research hasn’t come to a full understanding about how this B vitamin works its pore-reducing magic, but it does! It seems that niacinamide has a normalizing ability on the pore lining, and that this influence plays a role in keeping debris from getting backed up, which leads to clogs and rough, bumpy skin. As the clog forms and worsens, the pores stretch to compensate, and what you’ll see is enlarged pores. By helping things get back to normal, niacinamide use helps pores return to their normal size.

When should I use it in my routine?

If you feel like The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum is right for your skin, it's important you know how and when to use it to maximise the benefits. This serum is water-based, and should be applied before any heavier oils and creams at both morning and evening times to feel the full effects.

You can browse through the Regimen Guide as set out by The Ordinary, to see how all of their products work alongside each other and how best to build your routine.

What else do I need to know?

When building your routine, it is possible to find ingredients which are both beneficial to your skin, but when applied together they can counteract with each other for adverse effects. This is the case with Niacinamide and Vitamin C.

Vitamin C has many benefits on the skin, including improving uneven skin tones and fighting against pigmentation, so you may want to use both of these ingredients. However, Niacinamide can minimise the benefits of Vitamin C when applied together.

You can still use both of these ingredients, however, it's important you apply them at alternate times. We recommend you apply The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum in the morning and your Vitamin C product in the evening.

If you're suffering from inflamed skin, pigmentation, and breakouts, the Niacinamide Serum might just be the best option for you.

You can browse the entire range of skincare products from The Ordinary to begin building a routine that works for your skin.

VIEW THE ORDINARY NIACINAMIDE 10% + ZINC 1%