12 Best Niacinamide Serums For All Your Skin Concerns

Last Updated on April 2, 2024

In the quest for flawless skin, one ingredient stands out for its multitasking prowess: niacinamide. Whether you’re battling dullness, excess oil, or a compromised skin barrier, adding a niacinamide serum to your daily skin regime could be your saviour.

Alongside hyaluronic acid, niacinamide has earned its place as a staple in skincare routines and is loved by enthusiasts and experts alike. So chances are, you’ve already spotted niacinamide on your skincare product labels, from cleansers to moisturizers, and even in sunscreens and face masks.

What is Niacinamide?

Niacinamide is derived from niacin aka Vitamin B3, a vital nutrient for our body that supprots our nervous and digestive systems. It can be found in food sources like nuts, fruits and grains.

Along with overall health, niacinamide is also a key vitamin to keep our skin healthy as strengthens your skin’s protective barrier function and has anti-inflammatory properties. And when you use it topically, it suits all skin types and helps with all major skin concerns.

When it comes to skincare, niacinamide plays a key role in maintaining skin health. It strengthens your skin’s protective barrier, balaced sebum levels and provides a soothing effect. So your skin will love it even it if sensitive or prone to breakouts.

Benefits of Niacinamide Serum For Skin

1. Reduces oil production:

If you have oily skin, adding a niacinamide serum to your skincare routine can be game-changing. By regulating the production of sebum, the skin’s natural oil, niacinamide helps reduce greasiness, prevents pore clogging and minimizes the likelihood of pimples and whiteheads.

2. Minimizes the appearance of pores

With its ability to regulate sebum levels and prevent clogged poress, niacinamide can also help reduce the size of enlarged pores over time, leading to a smoother complexion.

3. Soothes irritations:

Niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties so it can soothe irritated skin and is even suitable for sensitive skin types.

4. Strengthens skin barrier

Niacinamide helps our skin produce ceramides which are essential for retaining moisture in the skin and improving barrier function.

5. Reduces acne scars

Serums with at least 5% niacinamide can also fade dark spots and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation caused by acne. They can help your skin look brighter and more even-toned.

6. Treats active acne

Niacinamide is a popular spot treatment since it reduces the size of acne by soothing inflammation and controlling sebum production.

7. Reduces signs of ageing

Niacinamide is also helpful in maintaining healthy collagen levels by reducing oxidative stress on your skin caused by the sun.

Also Read: Best Vitamin C Serums in India to Target Pigmentation

How To Pick The Best Niacinamide Serum For Your Skin?

As you see, niacinamide is quite the multitasker and has a place in everyone’s skincare routine. But not all niacinamide serums are suitable for you. You need to pick a formula depending on which specific concern you wish to target.

The good news is that niacinamide works well with many other skincare ingredients so you can pick a formula that has the best combination of skincare ingredients for your skin type.

For eg. To reduce acne scars, pick a serum with brightening ingredients like alpha-arbutin, licorice. And if you want to target acne and oil control, pick a niacinamide serum with ingredients like zinc, salicylic acid, or green tea. 

And if you are looking for barrier repair, pick a serum with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and other skin-soothing ingredients.

Also Read: Step-By-Step Summer Skincare Routine For Oily Skin

Best Niacinamide Serums In India

• Best for Beginners: Suganda 5% Niacinamide Serum
• Best for Brightening: Deconstruct Brightening Serum and Fiducia Botanicals Daily Brightening Serum
• Best for Oily Skin: Neemli Naturals 10% Niacinamide Clarity Serum
• Best for Calming: Raw Beauty Margarita Gel
• Best for Large Pores: Foxtale 5% Niacinamide Face Serum
• Best for Dry Skin: Plum 10% Niacinamide and Rice Water Serum and Simple 10% Niacinamide Booster Serum
• Best Splurge: Koko Chemistry 10% Niacinamide Serum 
• Best In Clean Beauty: Daughter Earth Spot Shot Serum
• Best In K-Beauty: CosRX The Niacinamide 15 Serum and Axis-Y Dark Spot Correcting serum

1. Plum 10% Niacinamide And Rice Water Serum

Designed to deeply moisturize, this formula has a blend of 5% squalane and glycerin that keep skin soft and hydrated. Plus, It is infused with rice water extracts and licorice alongside 10% niacinamide to offer more than just hydration.

These ingredients work together to address blemishes, promoting a more balanced and even-toned complexion. It will suit all skin types and is a vegan formula made without any harmful ingredients.

Read the full review here.

2. Raw Beauty Margarita Gel

This multitasking vegan formula is specifically crafted to address various skin concerns faced by oily skin. It has a potent blend of 5% Niacinamide, 3% Azelaic Acid, and various botanical extracts like bearberry, green tea and bamboo stem to soothe and even out skin.

It helps fight hyperpigmentation, whether it stems from acne scars, sun damage, or melasma. Additionally, it also hydrates the skin and minimizes the appearance of pores while strengthening skin barrier.

Read the full review here.

3. Suganda 5% Niacinamide Serum

This hydrating niacinamide serum is perfect for soothing and repairing skin. It is enriched with the powerhouse combination of 5% niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and Cica.

CICA is a clinically proven ingredient for reducing redness and combatting sun damage while hyaluronic acid offers hydration for soothing relief. With its lightweight, water-based formulation, this serum effortlessly glides onto the skin, leaving behind a non-sticky feel for a comfortable experience.

4. Fiducia Botanicals Daily Brightening Concentrate

This gel-based concentrate is enriched with soothing rose hydrosol, aloe vera, and allantoin to improve skin tone and texture. Packed with high-performance ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, seabuckthorn extract, and alpha arbutin, it brightens skin tone, fades dark spots, and hydrates the skin deeply.

Suitable for all skin types, its oil-free formula nourishes and prevents moisture loss, while soothing agents like niacinamide and allantoin combat redness and inflammation.

Read the full review here.

5. Deconstruct Brightening Serum

With a 10% Niacinamide, the lightweight, nonsticky serum deeply hydrates the skin while effectively reducing hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and freckles. Complementing this is 0.3% Alpha Arbutin which works on reducing tan and brightens the skin by suppressing melanin production and shielding against UV radiation.

Suitable for all skin types, including normal, oily, and acne-prone, this serum is an ideal choice for achieving radiant, even-toned skin.

6. Daughter Earth Spot Shot Serum

Infused with soothing blue lotus and seaweed extracts, this spot-correcting serum comforts your skin while effectively targeting dark spots and uneven skin tone. Formulated with 10% niacinamide, it works on reducing hyperpigmentation.

Furthermore, the serum is fortified with a ceramide complex to support the skin’s barrier and has hyaluronic acid for hydration. So it will leave your skin nourished and even-toned.

7. Neemli Naturals 10% Niacinamide Clarity Serum

This lightweight, non-sticky serum is perfect for daily use and is designed to balance sebum levels and enhance ceramide production. Made with a cell-renewing botanical base with extracts like watermelon, green tea, and passion fruit, it also fights harmful free radicals to protect your skin from environmental damage.

Suitable for all skin types, this high-strength niacinamide serum is ideal for strengthening your skin barrier while fighting blemishes and pigmentation. Plus, it’s free of fragrance, parabens, essential oils, and animal-derived ingredients.

8. Simple 10% Niacinamide Booster Serum

This potent formula is designed to strengthen your skin barrier, even out skin tone and texture, reduce moisture loss and fight signs of premature ageing. It has 10% niacinamide and 1% Pro-vitamin B5 to deeply hydrate and soften your skin and even reduce the appearance of large pores or dark spots.

The serum will suit all skin types and is a great pick if you are looking for a budget-friendly niacinamide serum for daily use.

9. Foxtale 5% Niacinamide Face Serum

If large, visible pores are your primary concern, try this niacinamide serum for Foxtale. The silicone-based serum has a primer-like finish that will mattify your skin and blur out pores so you can have shine-free skin for up to 8 hours.

It also brightens the skin while regulating sebum production and reducing blemishes over the period. Plus it is a vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologically tested formula featuring 5% Niacinamide and Olive Leaf Extract.

10. Koko Chemistry 10% Niacinamide Serum 

This is one of the best niacinamide serums for oily, acne-prone skin in India. It has a lotion-like formula that doubles up as a moisturizer, controls oil secretions, and reduces the occurrences of breakouts as well as dark spots.

Key ingredients are niacinamide, vitamin b5, hyaluronic acid, zinc PCA, witch hazel, jojoba oil, and olive oil. Read the full review here.

11. Cosrx The Niacinamide 15 Serum

This high-strength treatment tackles all your acne-related skin concerns like blackheads, whiteheads, dark spots and excess oil secretion. The formula consists of 15% Niacinamide which is combined with N-acetylglucosamine to effectively fade dark spots and acne marks.

It soothes inflammation and enhances damaged skin repair with the help of Zinc PCA. Use this non-comedogenic serum every day to improve hyperpigmentation and get a glowing complexion.

12. Axis-& Dark Spot Correcting Serum

This best-selling serum is specifically designed to target dark spots, uneven skin tone and dullness. It has 5% Niacinamide and natural plant extracts like rice bran, papaya, seabuckthorn and calendula to reveal an even-toned and visibly brighter complexion.

the lightweight formula gets easily absorbed into the skin while plant-derived squalane keeps hydrated for an all-day glow. And it is cruelty-free, vegan, and free of fragrances, colours, alcohol and parabens.

Frequently Asked Questions About Niacinamide

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