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You know an ingredient has "made it" once it starts getting top billing in product names, which is the case with the best niacinamide serums. While the honor has often been reserved for the better-known active ingredients like retinol and vitamin C, this buzzy, hardworking ingredient has maintained a constant presence in our skin-care routines. Why? In short, all skin types can benefit from niacinamide, which has brightening, oil-curbing, and redness-calming properties—just to name a few.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Overall: SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3, $130
- Best for Dry Skin: Merit Great Skin Instant Glow Serum, $38
- Best for Oily Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Water Cream, $100
- Best for Sensitive Skin: First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum, $42
- Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment, $52
- Best for Mature Skin: Alastin Restorative Skin Complex, $230
- Best for Dark Spots: La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Corrector Serum, $45
To help you along, we've curated the best niacinamide serums, creams, and even sunscreens, so you can start reaping the benefits of this powerhouse ingredient, like, right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3
Why We Love It: The B3 mentioned in the name of SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3 is, in fact, niacinamide, which proves how well it plays with other ingredients in this multipurpose, quick-absorbing emulsion. "This lightweight lotion combines 5% niacinamide, a tripeptide complex, and glycerin to deliver hydration without feeling heavy or leaving the skin feeling greasy," Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology based in New York City tells Allure. The result is a more even tone, firmer skin, and a smoother, softer look and feel.
Editor Tip: The formula is specifically designed to target early signs of aging, making it a good option for people in their 20s and 30s.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, peptides, glycerin | Fragrance-Free: No
Best for Dry Skin: Merit Great Skin Instant Glow Serum
Why We Love It: Merit's Great Skin Instant Glow Serum is a bi-phase, lightweight serum that adds a healthy radiance to the skin in flash. Niacinamide softens the skin and evens texture, while cacao seed extract and hyaluronic acid impart that dewy, well-rested glow—even if you have desert-dry skin. Commerce editor Sarah Han was so pleased with her results that she opted to skip base makeup while she was testing it. "Adding a layer of this serum each morning alleviated all…dryness and gave my complexion a big boost," she wrote in her review, and because the fluid is so lightweight, Han has no issue adding additional layers as needed—and no piling happens when she applies her moisturizer and sunscreen.
Editor Tip: It can pill, so let it set for a few moments before applying makeup.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, cacao seed extract | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Oily Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Water Cream
Why We Love It: This formula from celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury was designed with makeup layering in mind, but the Magic Water Cream offers powerful skin-care benefits in its own right, too. For one, it includes glyceryl glucoside and beta-glucan, which can increase the production of proteins critical for skin health. It also contains vitamins C and E, as well as niacinamide to control oil production. "It not only leaves my oily skin looking dewy and fresh, but it also layers extremely well under my makeup," says shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis. "It gives glass-like skin and never feels greasy or slimy." It's also great for combination skin.
Editor Tip: If you want a little more hydration, reach for Tilbury's original Magic Cream, the inaugural product in her skin-care line.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, beta-glucan | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Sensitive Skin: First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum
Why We Love It: While niacinamide is inherently soothing, other brightening ingredients often aren't—and can be too harsh for reactive skin types. First Aid Beauty's Dark Spot Serum stands out in that regard; it pairs niacinamide with licorice root and kiwifruit (natural sources of vitamin C) to effectively yet gently brighten skin. It's mild enough to use twice a day for even more noticeable results (over time).
Editor Tip: For an immediate glow, try the brand's Bronze + Glow Drops with Niacinamide, which imparts a subtle bronzing effect—alongside 5% niacinamide.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, kiwifruit, licorice root | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment
Why We Love It: Niacinamide might be best known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but it's also a powerful agent for minimizing the appearance of large pores, controlling excess oil, and keeping skin clear of blemishes. With a powerful 20% concentration of niacinamide, Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment goes above and beyond to clear and smooth congested skin. Paired with purslane and acetyl glucosamine—two soothing antioxidants—it basically acts like a blurring primer in a bottle.
Editor Tip: The 20% concentration is no joke, so if you have sensitive skin, try patch-testing this before using it all over your skin.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, purslane, acetyl glucosamine | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Mature Skin: Alastin Restorative Skin Complex
Why We Love It: Janet Allenby, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Delray Beach, Florida says Alastin Restorative Skin Complex is one of her favorite products containing niacinamide—partly because this vitamin is so compatible with the other highly effective ingredients in this treatment. Glycerin and ceramides alleviate dryness; a diverse cast of peptides make way for healthier collagen and elastin; and niacinamide protects and brightens your increasingly firmer, plumper skin with its free radical-fighting antioxidant abilities.
Editor Tip: Since it doubles as a moisturizer, this complex is a staple in dermatologists' skin-care routines.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, glycerin, peptides | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Dark Spots: La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Corrector Serum
Why We Love It: Whether you're working with sun spots or post-pimple hyperpigmentation, La Roche-Posay's Mela B3 Serum can help. It's powered by the brand's new, patented molecule called Melasyl, which inhibits pigment production in a completely new and unique way. On top of that, it contains 10% niacinamide to further even skin tone, while lipohydroxy acid (LHA)—a gentle exfoliant—makes quick work of dead skin cells for on-the-spot brightening.
Editor Tip: Unlike many active ingredients, niacinamide doesn't cause sun sensitivity. In fact, Dr. Allenby says that niacinamide is a photo-protectant, so it can actually give sunscreen a bit of a boost—like in the Best of Beauty Award-winning La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer.
Key Ingredients: Melasyl, niacinamide, retinyl palmitate | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Allover Brightening: Dr. Idriss Major Fade Hyper Serum
Why It's Worth It: Created by New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss, MD, the Major Fade Hyper Serum is the third step of her namesake brand, which begins with the Soft Wash cleanser and Major Fade exfoliating mask (a 2022 Best of Beauty Award winner) and ends with a lightweight vitamin C–infused gel-cream. But the serum merits a special highlight for its combination of the best brightening ingredients, including niacinamide, kojic acid, and alpha arbutin. It has a milky texture that feels surprisingly nourishing for a serum, partly thanks to the inclusion of glycerin.
Editor Tip: Since the formula can leave skin sensitive to the sun, follow it up with sunscreen during the day.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, kojic acid, alpha arbutin | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Makeup-Skin Care Hybrid: Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
Why We Love It: Glow Recipe is well-known for its fruit-centric skin-care products. While watermelon does a wonderful job hydrating and replenishing amino acids, niacinamide is the real star of this serum. It's what makes Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops so effective at reducing the look of pores, getting your complexion all glowy, and infusing your skin with antioxidants. This silky serum is a well-loved product of Han's, who says she relies on it to hide evidence of sleep deprivation. Since it doubles as a makeup product, you can mix it with your foundation, use it as a primer, or dab it over makeup as a subtle highlighter.
Editor Tip: Skin looking a little lifeless? Bronze up your complexion with the newer Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops, which can also be worn alone, mixed in with foundation, or even applied to the high points of your face as a liquid bronzer.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, watermelon extract, niacinamide, moringa seed oil | Fragrance-Free: No
We love it so much that it's even been featured in Allure Beauty Box. Subscribe to the box here to get 6+ editor favorites (a $100+ value) every month—for just $25.
Best for Redness: Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum
Why We Love It: If problematic pores and uneven skin tone have got you down, Sunday Riley has a solution. The B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum is a water-based serum that targets oiliness, dark spots, and pesky post-acne marks. Commerce writer Jennifer Hussein fell in love with the formula when she tried it out before launch. "Thanks to three key antioxidants—niacinamide, resveratrol, and EGCG (which is found in green tea)—my complexion is brighter than ever and my rosacea flare-ups have noticeably calmed down," she says.
Editor Tip: The formula also contains Brightenyl, a molecule engineered to brighten skin and reduce sensitivity.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, resveratrol, ECGC | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Fragrance-Free: Eau Thermale Avène RetrinAL Advanced Correcting Serum
Why We Love It: If we had to choose, one of niacinamide's best qualities is its ability to play nice with other ingredients, which is partially why it makes its way onto so many ingredient lists. Take Eau Thermale Avène's RetrinAL Advanced Correcting Serum, a lightweight serum that's formulated with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and bakuchiol, a gentler alternative to retinol, to target skin concerns like texture and dark spots. "This three-in-one serum is the MVP in my routine when I don't feel like doing more than three steps," says associate beauty editor Annie Blay.
Editor Tip: You can use this with actual retinol, too—a good idea, seeing as niacinamide can make retinol more tolerable.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, bakuchiol | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best with Vitamin C: Lancôme Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum
Why We Love It: Lancôme's Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum is like a booster shot for the skin, and niacinamide is one of the key drivers behind it. Along with vitamin C, niacinamide reduces dark spots, while hyaluronic acid plumps the skin, and antioxidant-rich ferulic acid protects the skin from environmental factors. This serum is a multitasking triple threat that picked up a Best of Beauty Award in 2022.
Editor Tip: Each active has its own chamber, and they get combined as you dispense it. "Using it makes me feel like I'm cheating the skin-care system—in a good way," says associate features director Dianna Mazzone Singh.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid | Fragrance-Free: No
Best Sunscreen: EltaMD UV Clear Sunscreen SPF 46
Why We Love It: Carmen Castilla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, recommends EltaMD's UV Clear Sunscreen to her patients with acne and skin that's prone to rosacea. "Niacinamide in this product can help correct unwanted dyspigmentation and also calm acne- and rosacea-prone skin," she tells Allure. This derm-favorite, lightweight formula has earned a permanent spot in many editors' routines—it even inspired Mazzone Singh to pen a love letter in its honor.
Editor Tip: It holds up to sweat, so you can wear it for your next outdoor workout.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Face Mask: Hyper Skin Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask
Why We Love It: Leave dull skin behind with Hyper Skin's Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask. Its ingredient list is almost too good to be true: glycolic acid, salicylic acid, mandelic acid, turmeric, and of course, niacinamide. These skin-care superstars work together to brighten, even skin tone, and target hyperpigmentation, leaving you with radiant skin that's almost too good to be true. "I can honestly say that I saw my dark spots fade and any textured skin smooth out," says Trakoshis, who tested it for a month. Did we mention that it won a 2022 Best of Beauty Award?
Editor Tip: After you rinse it off, you can apply an overnight mask before heading to bed.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, turmeric, glycolic acid | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Budget: The Inkey List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum
Why We Love It: Niacinamide wears many hats, but for The Inkey List's Niacinamide Serum, its favorite use for the ingredient is oil control. This straightforwardly named serum contains 10% niacinamide—an especially effective level, according to Dr. Allenby—which helps prevent breakouts, as well as the redness often associated with them. Incredibly lightweight and nonsticky, it's also made with 1% hyaluronic acid to boost your skin's moisture levels.
Editor Tip: You can mix and match this with other serums for added benefits, like vitamin C serums or salicylic acid serums.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, allantoin | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Frequently Asked Questions
What does niacinamide do?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 with a wide range of benefits, including supporting the skin barrier and minimizing the look of fine lines. "Niacinamide works with your skin's natural chemistry to improve overall skin texture by rebuilding a lipid layer, minimizing the appearance of pores, and preventing UV damage and inflammation as an antioxidant," Seattle-based board-certified dermatologist Brandith Irwin, MD, previously told Allure.
Niacinamide is also believed to reduce redness, discoloration, and even acne, according to New York City board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD. "In topical forms, it has been shown to reduce sebum production," she previously told Allure, noting that it's quite gentle on the skin.
Meet the experts
- Brandith Irwin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Concierge Dermatology & Laser based in Seattle, Washington
- Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology based in New York City
- Carmen Castilla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that's included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best niacinamide serums and creams, we considered each product's performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we've solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We're proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
More on skin care:
- The 22 Best Face Serums for Every Skin Type
- 17 Best Face Moisturizers Allure Editors Have Tested and Reviewed
- 14 Best Moisturizers With SPF That'll Plump and Protect Skin
Now watch Madelyn Cline's gorgeous, glowy 10-Minute Beauty Routine:
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