Beauty Mythbusters: Can You Really Mix Niacinamide and Vitamin C for Your Best Skin Ever?

We love the chance to do some myth busting when it comes to the use of skincare ingredients that can give us the glowiest, dewiest, and dreamiest complexions ever! This time it’s about confusing claims surrounding two super antioxidants, niacinamide, and vitamin C.

While we know these complexion-brightening all-stars shine on their own, can combining them enhance their skin-stardom effects or create a crash-and-burn on our delicate dermis? Contrary to conclusions based on outdated research, the short and sweet answer is, yes!

Let's shed some starlight on the skin benefits of niacinamide and vitamin C, and set the record straight on mixing these two ingredients – plus how to incorporate them into your skincare routine for the brightest skin on this side of the beauty planet!

As lovers of skincare, we’re always looking for ways to make our skin dewier, smoother, and brighter, and, as a bonus, more youthful! When it comes to the top superstar ingredients to make those desires come true, niacinamide and vitamin C tick those wish boxes.

Though they offer complementary skin-efits, let’s delve a bit into the science behind these potent antioxidants for skin separately before we uncover their magic when mixed. First up is the topical form of B3 known as niacinamide.

So, what is it about this out-of-the-world antioxidant that gets us all starry-eyed? For starters, niacinamide is incredibly restorative! It can help the skin build a healthy lipid barrier, which will ensure that your skin stays moisturized, and won’t lose hydration too quickly. Niacinamide can also help stimulate keratin production, which is a crucial protein that forms our protective skin barrier and keep skin firm and healthy.

Additionally, niacinamide is both soothing and purifying. While it’s known to help expel excess sebum from the pores, it’s also known to help regulate oil production, reduce pore size over time, and calm inflammatory conditions like acne and rosacea. Talk about niacinamide’s multifaceted nature!

While we know niacinamide makes a fantastic ingredient because it’s notably gentle, efficacious, and incredibly versatile, the skin benefits of vitamin C have proven it to be a timeless classic, too. Speaking of checking a beauty wish box for bright, glowing skin, vitamin C-elebrity has us thanking our lucky stars!

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can encourage collagen production for firmer skin, and it increases cell turnover, which means a brighter complexion and a more even skin tone. It also provides protection against UV assailants, and can even scavenge free radicals to prevent the onset of fine lines and wrinkles. This citrus celeb also stimulates elastin production to bring youthful bounce to your skin.

Age spots, brown spots, sun spots… we want all of them gone. Vitamin C decreases melanin formation and protects against UV damage. If you don’t have any spots yet, vitamin C can help keep them away. This powerful antioxidant also fights against free radical damage and related hyperpigmentation, helping to keep your skin dark-spot-free.

As you can see, niacinamide and vitamin C offer a wealth of benefits to each and of their own. Let’s find out if and how well they play together!

Un-thanks to some conclusions based on outdated, poorly interpreted research, there’s been controversy around pairing niacinamide and vitamin C together. Going back to the early 1960s (yes, that far) there were studies suggesting you should avoid combining niacinamide and vitamin C.

These older conclusions were off from the start because they used non-stabilized forms of both ingredients combined at a very high temperature, creating nicotinic acid, which can lead to skin irritation and a recipe for useless ingredients that were incompatible with skin.

Since beauty and skin care (like technology) are ever-evolving and improving by the second, modern-day quality products are formulated using stabilized forms of niacinamide and vitamin C to create a skin-friendly formula. Perry Romanowski, an independent cosmetic chemist, added, “when more stable forms of vitamin C are used, such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, rather than ascorbic acid, it’s not likely to be a problem for skin.”

Further studies like one from the father of cosmeceuticals, Dr. Albert Kligman, also pointed out the cosmetic effects of niacinamide and a stabilized form of an antioxidant like vitamin C may have topical effects, such as an improvement in epidermal barrier function and does not cause skin flushing in contrast to nicotinic acid.

But what’s more is that clinical trials like this 2004 study show that niacinamide can ease inflammation, and may even help to calm down redness and blotchiness. To make these benefits even better, niacinamide is remarkably mild on the skin. It also interacts well with most other ingredients. This means that more often than not, you can combine your niacinamide in the evening with other actives like niacinamide.

Research shows that you’re safe to mix both niacinamide and vitamin C to create a synergistic pairing that provides brightening, anti-aging, and protective benefits for skin. We know how the skin-restoring niacinamide and skin-brightening vitamin C pack a punch of benefits on their own, but together?!

When mixed, these ingredients form a powerhouse combo that addresses uneven skin tone, wrinkles, loss of firmness, and dullness, and essentially, a game-changing complexion. No matter your skin type or concern, you will be seeing stars with skin that progressively becomes more radiant, smoother, more even, and noticeably younger-looking. But beware of conventional cosmetic companies that use vitamin C with a low pH level of around 2 to 3, like ascorbic acid, which isn’t compatible with the more neutral pH of 6 to 7 of niacinamide.

We use a higher quality, more stable version of vitamin C called magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, which has a pH level of 6 to 7 like niacinamide. That means our form of vitamin C can coexist with niacinamide without causing a harmful chemical reaction on your skin. Without further ado, here are some of our cult-faves featuring niacinamide and vitamin C.

#1: Niacinamide Boost

If you want a niacinamide product that packs a serious punch, look no further than our very own Niacinamide Boost!

This supercharged serum isn’t your typical dropper bottle – it comes as a powder. It is activated by water to rejuvenate the skin’s texture, promote firmness, and minimize the appearance of pores with concentrated niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

#2. Bakuchiol Serum

Made with the clinically recommended maximum Bakuchiol concentration, this serum is a must-have for those who are looking for long-lasting hydration. It penetrates deep into the skin for a soft and supple feel without the harshness and irritation of traditional retinol.

#3. Bakuchiol Moisturizer

For moisturizer, try out Bakuchiol Moisturizer. This antioxidant-rich, natural retinol alternative, hydrates without the heavy ingredients that can clog pores. It’s an especially good pick for those who find retinol too irritating; bakuchiol offers all of retinol without the irritating side effects, while niacinamide tones and firms skin.

#4. Lavender Niacinamide Pore Minimizer Tonique

With its stellar reputation as a skin hero, it’s no wonder why we feature lavender oil in several of our toners! This pore-minimizing tonique deep cleans and purifies facial pores while lessening their appearance without stripping or dehydrating the skin.

This hydrating formula features niacinamide, which evens skin tone while firming the skin. The addition of lavender hydrosol refreshes and soothes, while witch hazel balances oil production and reduces inflammation. This toner is the perfect blend for achieving that flawless, glowing skin!

#5. Vitamin C Serum

There’s always space in our routines for another serum, and this one makes our list of all-time favorites. It’s ultra-lightweight with a refreshing aloe base, that easily sinks into thirsty skin to rapidly deliver vitamin C below the surface.

One of the superpowers of vitamin C is its ability to support collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines. That’s why a daily product like a serum makes a visible impact, showing little signs of improvement with each use. Brightening green apple and skin-smoothing broccoli (rich in Alpha Lipoic Acid) play supporting roles to promote more plump, supple skin.

#6. Vitamin C Mask

This baby is active, with loads of vitamin C, niacinamide, and fruit enzymes to enhance radiance. Active ingredients Sodium Ascorbate and Calcium Ascorbate work to create a dramatic improvement in skin tone over time, helping to neutralize dark spots.

Papaya and pineapple enzymes support vitamin C to remove dead skin cells and dull skin for a brighter complexion. Camu camu and turmeric-infused into this formula work overtime to brighten and lighten for a refreshed, youthful result.

#7: Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Potent PM Serum

For a simple, yet effective anti-aging boost, our Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Potent PM Serum uses Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate – the highest-quality, most stable form of vitamin C. While niacinamide and vitamin C often don’t mix well, this stable form creates a synergistic connection between the two actives, supercharging them both against dullness, fine lines, and wrinkles.

When you think about it, vitamin C is naturally found in our skin and bodies, which supports important and well-known functions. If niacinamide and vitamin C weren't compatible, we'd all suffer from skin problems when using these ingredients together.

We invite you to try this cosmic combination for yourself. You might find you’ll become a true believer in wishing upon a star for the glowiest, smoothiest, and healthiest skin on this side of the cosmos —no myths, just facts, and results.