We all want that dewy, fresh, bare-faced glow, but life can make that a little hard sometimes. A rough night, stress, and even dehydration can all show up on your skin in their own ways — which is why many people rely on ingredients like retinol and niacinamide to help rejuvenate their complexion.
In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of each ingredient and how to use them together to support luminous, fresh-looking skin.
What Is Niacinamide?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 — yes, the same vitamin B3 that’s probably included in your daily multivitamin. When taken orally, B3 can have tons of benefits for your overall health. When it’s applied topically, however, niacinamide can have some more focused benefits on the skin.
The skincare benefits of niacinamide include the following:
- Supports an Even Skin Tone: Niacinamide can help fade the appearance of dark spots and other discolorations.
- Minimizes Visible Irritation: This ingredient can help visibly calm redness from blemishes, dry skin, and other irritations.
- Encourages Balanced Skin: Niacinamide can minimize excessive oil production while also visibly reducing breakouts.
- Revitalizes the Skin: This ingredient can help fine lines and wrinkles look smoother.
- Promotes Long-Lasting Hydration: Niacinamide can help lock in moisture and support skin barrier repair, keeping your skin radiant and nourished.
However, niacinamide can also bring irritation to sensitive skin, contributing to the very dryness and redness that it claims to resolve. That’s why we developed our Turmeric Glow Drops Niacinamide Alternative Serum.
This serum is crafted with Crowberry, Birch, Turmeric, and Hyaluronic Acid to calm and breathe life into your skin while being a gentler alternative to traditional niacinamide formulas. Plus, scents of peppermint, lemon, and cedarwood invigorate your senses and inspire your motivation.
What Is Retinol?
If you’ve already heard about the wonders of retinol, you might be surprised to know that retinol is actually a derivative of vitamin A.
Many people use retinol because of the following benefits:
- Support for Skin Cell Turnover: Retinol can increase the rate at which your skin renews itself, which means its benefits can show up pretty quickly.
- Support for Collagen Production: This ingredient can boost your skin’s collagen production, plumping the areas most affected by aging.
- Smooths the Look of Wrinkles: Because of the first two benefits, retinol can also have an anti-aging effect on wrinkles and fine lines.
- Helps Combat Breakouts: This ingredient can reduce both occasional pimples and stubborn breakouts.
- Fades Dark Spots: Retinol can help reduce the look of hyperpigmentation, contributing to an overall even-looking complexion.
There’s no doubt that this ingredient is incredibly powerful. Its benefits are no joke, but neither are its potential side effects if used incorrectly. These side effects could include dryness, redness, irritation, peeling, sun sensitivity, and skin purging.
Because of these risks, some people choose to use gentler options like our Plant Stem Cell Retinol Alternative Serum. This serum features powerful extracts of Bakuchiol and Alfalfa to deliver results comparable to retinol without the irritation. Our neroli and geranium-scented formula is gentle enough to apply day and night, so you can bask in renewal and double down on aging protection whenever you please.
Can You Use Niacinamide and Retinol?
If you want to stack the benefits of both of these ingredients, then we have good news for you — you absolutely can! Not only do these ingredients play nicely together, but they can also have complementary benefits.
Niacinamide’s soothing properties can help visually counteract some of the potential side effects of retinol. Meanwhile, retinol can help amplify niacinamide’s revitalizing and brightening benefits.
That being said, their combined side effects can also amplify each other. Using both ingredients requires maintaining a very careful balance, and you’ll need to be mindful of your skin and stop using the products if you notice any signs of sensitivity.
How To Use Niacinamide and Retinol
If you want to add both of these ingredients to your skincare routine, there are a few things you should know. Our team has gathered some tips that may help you see the best results when using both of these ingredients.
Start Slow
If you’re not using one of our gentle alternative formulas, you’ll want to take things slow. While our formulas can be used night and day, every day, traditional retinol and niacinamide can cause reactions if you start off by using them every night.
Instead, it’s a good idea to start by using traditional niacinamide formulas two nights a week. Once your skin adjusts, you can slowly work yourself up to three nights a week, and then settle into an every-other-night routine.
At KORA Organics, our formulas are made to be gentle on skin and can be used twice daily.
Be Consistent
As is the case with most skincare products, consistency is key. Regularly applying these ingredients can help give you the benefits you’re looking for. If you need a product you can apply nightly to help encourage consistency, then you may want to try our plant-powered alternatives.
Finish With a Moisturizer
Finally, you’ll want to seal everything in with a moisturizer. Moisturizers are the ultimate soothing skincare product, so if you’re using niacinamide and retinol, you may want to invest in a nourishing formula that can counteract the redness and irritation.
If you’re using traditional retinol and niacinamide, you may find success with our Turmeric Glow Moisturizer. This formula features Turmeric, Noni Fruit, Desert Date, and Rosehip for both brightening and hydrating benefits.
However, if you opt to use our botanical alternative formulas, we love to combine them with our Plant Stem Cell Retinol Alternative Moisturizer. Featuring the same powerful, yet gentle ingredients that are found in our Retinol Alternative Serum, this moisturizer helps soothe and firm your skin.
The Wrap-Up
Niacinamide and retinol are both powerful ingredients with powerful benefits, but they can be harsh on sensitive skin. That’s why many people look for plant alternatives that are powerful enough to deliver the same noticeable results while still being gentle enough to nourish the skin.
At KORA Organics, gentleness is a part of everything we do. All of our products are certified organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and Climate Label certified because we know that the energy we give is the energy we receive. Shop our skincare lineup today to discover how we can help you level up your daily routine.
Sources:
Does retinol deserve the hype? A Stanford dermatologist weighs in | Stanford
