Shelves and cabinets loaded with skincare product bottles infused with your longing for that quenched, plumped and healed skin? Well if they are not being fruitful and making your regimen complex, we have just that one multitasking solution to make your skincare journey easy!
Long story short, Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid is that dynamic duo imparting hydration boost to your skin and simultaneously, healing various skin concerns. The best part about this pair is that they are available in combination within single product bottles. And hence, unloading and simplifying your skincare customs! Why wait? Let’s get you grooving with the easy peasy yet yielding ingredients!
Why Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid?
If skin healing and hydration had other names, it would be Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid, respectively!Niacinamide is a gem of an ingredient in topical treatments known to protect and heal an array of skin concerns.
- The healing tendency of Niacinamide helps in repairing the protective barrier of the skin securing it from the free radicals present in the environment.
- With its amazing anti-inflammatory properties, this Vitamin B3 derivative calms and soothes the inflamed skin.
- Moving forward, Niacinamide has the ability to visibly minimize enlarged pores with its oil controlling capacity, giving you a conditioned and smooth looking skin.
- Also, Niacinamide is tough on dark spots or pigmentation on the skin. This entitles it to impart that radiant glow to your skin.
Likewise, Hyaluronic Acid has a bundle of good benefits to its reputation. It is included in almost every moisturizing product as ‘Sodium Hyaluronate’ in the labels.
Interestingly, Hyaluronic Acid is present in our bodies naturally boosting collagen and elasticity. But with age, and various other external or environmental factors, its concentration reduces in the body. However, it can be increased with the use of topical treatments.
- Hyaluronic Acid can easily penetrate deeper layers of the skin. And as research suggests, with its ultra potential to hold water 1000 times its weight, it can quickly deliver moisture to the skin deeply.
- Furthermore, it catalyzes the elastin and collagen production in the skin. This gives anti-aging properties to it, reducing visible fine lines and wrinkles on the face making them plump.
- Next comes Hyaluronic Acid’s potential to lock in moisture content in the skin. It looks out for the water coming in and out of the skin.
Before using, Watch out for ingredient concentration
It is important to bear in mind that higher concentrations do not specifically call out for enhanced results. The consequences can be unpleasant as well.
And it goes without saying that the amount of ingredients you inculcate in your skin care regimen definitely affects the results on your skin.
If you are using Niacinamide for the first time, try starting with lower concentrations so that skin could get the hang of it.
As suggested by the dermatologist Dr Li from in the Department of Dermatology & Skin Science at the University of British Columbia, between 3% - 5% is tolerable by all skin types.
Niacinamide at higher concentrations is not easily accepted by the skin and can cause adverse effects like skin irritation, purging or breakouts.
On the other hand, Hyaluronic Acid can easily work with any of the ingredients. Also, being such easy going, it can work well in watering the layers of the skin at any given concentration as it is mild in nature and occurs naturally in the skin.
TIP- try to go for higher purity Niacinamide to avoid purging and breakouts on your skin.
So, it is imperative to understand what all your labels are saying about the amount of ingredients present in them for you to get the desired outcomes.
Layer products scientifically from lower to higher pH.
It is dermatologically advised that while layering ingredients in your skincare routine, always move from lower pH to higher pH. This will avoid acidic ingredients from modifying or altering the pH of the basic or less acidic ingredients.And since we are talking about Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid,
- both have almost a neutral pH (5.0-7.0). Now this makes it easier for you to combine them without the fear of any of them affecting the pH of the other!
- Both the ingredients are essentially water-based, thus can be layered in any order of combination product, if you want to use it at the same point of the day.
- Also, if you wish to use them at a separate point of time, you can start with Hyaluronic Acid in the morning and Niacinamide in the later part of the day sealing it with a moisturizer. The science behind this order is to let Niacinamide perform its restorative functions at night while Hyaluronic Acid makes your skin feel and look hydrated the whole day.
Ways to add both ingredients in your skin care regime
As discussed earlier, either you can layer both ingredients separately in your skin care routine or you can go for one formulation comprising both ingredients if you want to simplify your care regimen! Here’s how.This power couple ingredient; Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid comes in various forms for you to choose from according to your skin concern you wish to treat. These are
1. Moisturizers
Dry skin issues are the most looked up to be treated. Well, moisturizers loaded with Sodium Hyaluronate and Ceramides are the best gifts for your parched dull skin appearance.While Ceramides acts on the protecting the barrier function, Sodium Hyaluronate drenches each and every cell of the skin tissue to give that plump hydrated texture, setting you free from dry and dull skin.
You can easily include such moisturizers in your AM as well as PM routine.
2. Serums
Since Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid are water-based ingredients, these also come in pairs within serum formulation to address a number of your skin woes like,-
Enlarged Pores
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Acne and Skin aging
While SAP imparts goodness of antioxidants into the skin acting on signs of aging, Niacinamide can work with its anti-inflammatory properties to heal acne. This serum combination easily penetrates into the skin to deliver quick results.
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Acne Scars
3. Creams
Skin conditions wherein you develop slightly darker patches than your actual skin color triggered by a number of factors like hormonal imbalance, or longer exposure to sun rays. It is called Hyperpigmentation. And when it occurs due to fluctuations in hormones, it is known as melasma.Anyhow, you can readily treat this with Niacinamide which has the ability to stay tough on dark spots. Skin care formulations with Niacinamide and White Curcumin as active ingredients can give you that radiant glow and let you get rid of those dark spots visibly.
Dry, aging and even acne prone skin can be treated with consistent use of these topical treatments. And since you now know how powerful this combination is, you can inculcate it in your regimen to get the best out of it for your skin. But always remember to read the ingredients before you pick the product.
P.S.
Niacinamide has amazing benefits not only with Hyaluronic acid but also with a lot of other ingredients as well. For example, it can give you great results with retinol and vitamin C to help your skin with aging and acne. So, know, choose and pair and get started with your simplified skin regimen.
