Niacinamide

Why is it in the product?

The US Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel describes niacinamide and its close relative niacin as working in cosmetics mainly as hair and skin conditioning agents. Its review found niacinamide in shampoos, hair tonics, skin moisturisers and cleansers.¹

The EU's CosIng database records one function for it today, smoothing.² Function names describe what an ingredient is used for in a formula; they are not claims about results, and CosIng's information has no legal value.³

How it appears on a label

As Niacinamide. EU labels must use the common ingredient name from the Commission's glossary, so the spelling is the same from brand to brand.⁴⁵ Some labels add a plain-language note in brackets, as in Niacinamide (Vitamin B3).

Niacinamide is also called nicotinamide. Niacin, or nicotinic acid, is a related form of vitamin B3 with its own name on a label; it is not the same ingredient.¹

In skincare and haircare

• Skincare: serums, moisturisers and cleansers, where it is listed as a smoothing or skin conditioning ingredient.¹
• Haircare: shampoos and hair tonics, as a conditioning ingredient.¹

What to keep in mind

An ingredient list gives no amounts. In the EU, ingredients above 1% are listed by weight, heaviest first, and those below 1% may follow in any order, so a position on the list is only a rough guide.⁴ A percentage printed on the front of a pack is the brand's own statement; the regulated list does not include it.

The review panel concluded that niacinamide was not a significant skin irritant, sensitiser or photosensitiser in clinical testing, and recorded use tests without irritation at up to 5%.¹ How a finished product suits your skin depends on the whole formula.