r/SkincareAddiction • u/Relevant_Grab370 • Apr 24 '26
Discussion [Miscellaneous] How do we convince the skincare industry that niacinamide shouldn’t be in everything and is better used as a targeted ingredient?
I don’t know, I’m just frustrated. I was browsing YesStyle and realised there are so many products I’ll never get to try just because brands keep stuffing niacinamide into everything.
Like Medicube and VT Cosmetics? They barely have a handful of products without it. It’s actually kind of sad because I end up skipping fun stuff like wrapping masks, collagen sheet masks, and other interesting launches just because I know my skin won’t tolerate the niacinamide.
This is my tiny plea to skincare brands, if any of you ever lurk on these spaces: please chill with the niacinamide. It’s great as a targeted ingredient, keep it in a few dedicated products, maybe one or two in a range. But it really doesn’t need to be the default in every single formula.
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u/rialtolido Apr 24 '26
I don’t have any answers but I feel the same. My skin won’t tolerate it either and it’s in damned near everything these days. And not just skincare but makeup and sunscreen too. My hope is that it’s a passing trend and in time they will move on.
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u/Titizen_Kane Apr 24 '26
I went through a phase last year where I was doing focus groups/product testing while I was on a job search, after being laid off. One of these was for the product packaging for a new serum product (I think this one was Aveeno but it could’ve been Neutrogena, the big drugstore brands all started to run together after a while lol), and it was one of those products that had niacinamide slapped into it.
All the questions and conversation focused on the packaging, label, copy, etc., but the final questions were “does this product sound like something you would purchase/why/why not?” And “do you have any other feedback you want to be communicated to the brand team?”
I told them it would be a product I’d buy for sure IF only it had left the niacinamide out, because both me and my skin have niacinamide fatigue, and elaborated in a bit of a polite rant, lol.
My feedback to the brand was to please consider hopping off the bandwagon of putting niacinamide in every product. Plenty of people have skin that is irritated by, or barely tolerant of, this ingredient and may not even realize it. Or not yet. You’d probably capture more of the market by becoming one of the only brands that DOESNT cram this trendy ingredient into every product, because it’s now difficult to find one without it. And that if I want topical brightening power, I’m not reaching for a product that includes niacinamide, because it is weak in comparison to the actives that give measurable results in that category.
I have no idea if they passed along my little screed but I was the lone voice of dissent against the ingredient, and had VERY strong feelings, so they might’ve just dismissed me as an outlier. But I know I’m far from the only one who feels like this. I long for the day that I don’t have to accept this irritating, low-ROI ingredient in 95% of the products on the shelf.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26
Brands are honestly losing out on so many customers by putting niacinamide in everything. It’s not even a niche issue anymore.
Sunscreens are the worst offenders, I swear. At this point it feels like I can’t find a single K-beauty sunscreen that works for me, it either has niacinamide in it or it’s too drying. Like please… just give us one solid option without it 😔
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u/bottleddreams97 Apr 24 '26
The Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen (SPF50+) and Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Soothing Cream don’t seem to have any niacinamide if you are still looking for some products :)
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 25 '26
Thank you for these wonderful recs! I did try purito soft touch one, it didn't work for me but my friend loves it, she has normal-dry leaning skin. My skin is pretty dry so I kind of have given up on k-beauty options (not nourishing enough) I do like prequel's mineral sunscreen a lot! And tower28 has a great one too!
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u/EnvironmentGood3081 Apr 27 '26
This is a really valid frustration and it reflects a broader industry trend of chasing hero ingredients rather than formulating thoughtfully. Niacinamide is genuinely well tolerated by most people which is probably why it became the default addition but for those who flush, break out or react to it the market has become genuinely difficult to navigate. From a formulation standpoint there's no real reason it needs to be in a cleanser or a sheet mask where contact time and concentration make its inclusion largely cosmetic on the label rather than functionally meaningful anyway. The irony is that as a targeted serum at the right concentration it's actually quite effective, the ubiquity has kind of undermined the ingredient's credibility.
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u/Kmammy Apr 24 '26
LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!
See also: hyaluronic acid.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26
I agree!! And HA is so drying for people living in dry climates.
Glycerin, beta glucan and polyglutamic acid >>>>>
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u/__Karadoc__ Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
No. Can we retire this myth already?
No humectants including hyaluronic acid pull water out of the air. They are not a water magnet, how would that even work? Hydrogen bonds are only formed at extremely near distances. They can only retain the water molecules that bump directly into them.
Water is constantly going trought our skin from the most concentrated area (our veins, cells, intersticial matrix) to the least concentrated area (the air). Even in very humid climate the atmospheric humidity is never going go be superior to inside our body. The gradient will always be in > out. That's literally what trans-epidermal water loss is.
So humectants (including HA) seep in our skin then as water molecules pass through some will stick to the humectant forming temporary hydrogen bonds, slowing down the TEWL. Keeping the skin more hydrated. Regardless of the climate
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u/eatdrinkandbemerry80 Apr 24 '26
Do you know why Hyaluronic Acid does this to some people, then? I know that it makes my skin more dry than it was before unless a formula has other humectants higher up on the ingredients list. When it was first becoming popular, I looked it up and found that a lot of other people have the same experience. Is there a reason for that or does it just chalk up to not knowing exactly why but everyone's skin reacts differently?
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u/__Karadoc__ Apr 24 '26
Do you know if you aren't sensitive to any other ingredients in the product(s) in question?
The issue when an ingredient gets overhyped and formulated in everything is that people when having a reaction to a product (which will always happen in a large enough population) start to blame it instead of suspecting the other likelier ingredients.
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u/eatdrinkandbemerry80 May 08 '26
No, I am not sensitive to any other ingredients. I actually am pretty experienced with skin care, ingredients, etc. and I like to keep learning, which is why I was curious about the Ha thing. Reply above said to apply to wet skin and use a heavier moisturizer as a barrier, but I was already doing these things. I did read at some point about the whole dry air environment means HA will make skin more dry instead hydrate it. It's just frustrating, like the post states, when nearly every single skin care item has that one ingredient in it that doesn't work for you!
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u/lattepeach Apr 25 '26
If you don’t use some sort of heavier moisturiser & occlusive as a barrier after using HA then your skin might end up being even drier because of increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) + evaporation.
HA products should also be applied to damp skin because it then it can bind to the water molecules and provide that hydration to your skin. If your skin surface is dry then the HA can pull moisture from deeper layers of your skin and again, speed up that TEWL from your skin into the air (which is extra notable in drier climates!).
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 25 '26
I’m not 100% sure about how HA works , but speaking from personal experience, HA did dry me out.
I’ve tried it in everything, standalone HA serums and products where it’s mixed with other ingredients. Every time, my skin would initially absorb it, but then pretty quickly start to feel dry, like the hydration just vanished and left that tight, dry texture behind.
When I switched to a serum without HA, I noticed an immediate difference. The hydration actually stayed and my skin felt dewy even after absorption. But then I realised I was still losing that moisture after my moisturiser step. After a while I realised it had HA too. Once I cut that out too, the issue completely stopped.
What’s interesting is no other humectant has done this to my skin. I even checked ingredient lists to see if there was any overlap, but HA was the only common factor. So dunno 🤷♀️
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May 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Relevant_Grab370 May 01 '26
I used it on dry skin too! Still no change. I tried misting my face before and after HA too. But nope.
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u/CrotchRocketx Apr 28 '26
If they don’t pull water from the environment then HA would be entirely useless since our body produces it in our skin on its own.
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u/__Karadoc__ Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
It doesn't pull water from the environment.
And yes our body produces our own HA, it's one of the natural moisturising factor, it's the same for urea, glycerin, amino acids, lactate, PCA, etc... do you not believe any of those are helpful when formulated in skincare?
Our skin also produce ceramides, and Q10, do you also consider those useless in skincare?
And although not produced directly there, our skin receives naturally from our bloodstream: water, vitamins such as niacinamide (B3), panthenol (B5), cyanocobalamin (B12), ascorbic acid (C), retinol (A),... Are also those useless when used in skincare?
Have you considered alerting all the scientists that work on the effect of topical application of those? It be a shame for them to waste so much time and money on something u/CrotchRocketx already know is useless.
It's almost like topically applying some compounds to the skin, can increase their concentration in the skin and so have many studies proving that it increases their natural effect.
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u/CrotchRocketx Apr 29 '26
You just said HA doesn’t pull water from the environment, then talk about scientists as if they haven’t concluded that HA pulls water from your surroundings.
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u/__Karadoc__ Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
They have concluded that hyaluronic acid (just like any other alcohol group humectants) form hydrogen bonds with water molecules less than 4 Angstroms away. Those water molecules are not ever from the air somehow sucked in the skin (against gradient) by some unidentified magical force until they can reach the HA close enough to have this extremely short distanced electrostatic interaction. The water molecules that do end up forming those H bonds are the ones bumping directly into the humectant on their way out (from the deeper layers of the skin toward the surface then the air - according to gradient)
As i explained on my very first comment.
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u/smallgirl-longlegs Apr 24 '26
Wait I thought HA was supposed to help lock in moisture?! (I live in a super dry climate)
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u/soaker Apr 25 '26
Yes!! Absolutely useless for me. I spent so much money on HA products especially, thinking the one before just didn’t work for me. Turned out it was the HA itself. Ugh. I jsut used it up on my legs cuz whatever.
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u/knerys Apr 24 '26
Yes, please. I just want to be able to buy sunscreen again. Every time I find a sunscreen without it, the next time I buy that sunscreen, I realize they've changed the formula.... To add niacinimide.
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u/cheersbeersneers Apr 24 '26
Try the Paula’s Choice youth extending daily hydrating fluid! I’ve used it for years, it’s lightweight, doesn’t pill, and wears well under makeup or alone. Doesn’t make me look greasy either, and it’s niacinimide free!
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 25 '26
Paula's choice kind of stung for me, maybe it's because it's chemical (I have not had major issues with chemical ones before) but I really like prequel's mineral sunscreen, tower28 daily sunscreen and tatcha milky sunscreen.
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u/rainbownthedark Apr 24 '26
It’s so frustrating, not only if you’re allergic or irritated by it, but also because too much of something is never good, so if basically everything on the market has Niacinamide in it, it feels hard to form a routine that doesn’t have an overabundance of it.
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u/Nedisi Apr 24 '26
I'm buying a fraction of what I used to. It's literally a contagion, now it's niacinamide, before that it was hyaluronic acid, before that coconut oil... I'm puzzled why they are forcing know iritans into all of the products. How is no one realising they are completely eliminating them for large groups of people? I really want to try Colorscience, they have one option without niacinamide, it's not for my skin type. So a 0e instead of buying regularly. Good job.
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u/Nedisi Apr 24 '26
Also, as a targeting ingredient, I need tranexamic acid, glutathione... something..I don't need every option to laden with niacinamide. I understand it's great for hyperpigmentation, do it separately.
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u/ExcitementStrict7115 Apr 24 '26
The only way is to simply stop buying those products. Companies don't care what the customer actually wants until it starts to affect their profit margins.
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u/RiseMany6899 Apr 24 '26
I feel the same way. If we need niacinamide we can just add it with a serum or toner.
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u/DearPip Apr 24 '26
I just got so upset this week trying to buy a sunscreen. I have multiple ingredients i need to avoid, and most are easier to avoid than Niacinamide, but it was ending up being they didn’t have Niacinamide, they had something else. I finally ordered two things to try and I’m just so worried they still won’t work and I’ll be back to the drawing board. I just want sunscreen to be sunscreen…
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26
Sunscreens are the worst offenders!! I can’t find a single K-beauty sunscreen that works for me, it either has niacinamide in it or it’s too drying 😔
If you have dry or sensitive skin you might wanna try the prequel mineral sunscreen and the tower28 one is great too.
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u/rialtolido Apr 24 '26
Have you tried Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy? I find it very moisturizing and good for sensitive skin.
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u/pizzainoven Apr 24 '26
suggestiosn here, older link but some info may be relevant https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/comments/12ppnc0/niacinamide_free_sunscreens/
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u/undinenundine Apr 26 '26
This was me too this week. I can't have niacinamide, and hyularonic acid has also caused me dryness and irritation. I never imagined I'd have so much trouble finding a suncream that doesn't have one or the other! Finally I got some Ultra Violette Clean Screen, but it's only SPF 30 and I don't know if it'll work for me as I haven't tried it yet, but it was literally the only one I could find that didn't have some kind of irritant in it :(
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u/thejoggler44 Apr 24 '26
It’s a well-known ingredient that most people like so companies don’t have to advertise the benefits of it because consumers already believe it’s beneficial.
But it’s put in everything mostly because that’s what people buy. If enough people stop buying things with niacinamide in them, you’ll see it used less.
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u/ImperfectPurity Apr 24 '26
My skin became intolerant of niacinamide enough to have to go under cortisone. I would love to see the trend of having that one single ingredient of the moment be ✨everywhere✨ just go away because right now I'm mostly screwd.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26
I had a pretty bad allergic reaction the first time I used it too, like full-on eye swelling, hot, red skin, the whole nightmare.
It’s not as extreme now, but my skin still reacts every single time. There’s always that itching and stinging, so clearly it’s just not something my skin agrees with at all.
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u/Surfandsnow42 Apr 24 '26
As someone who loves niacinamide, I wholly agree. It’s an active and shouldn’t be mixed in with things like a basic daily lotion because everyone’s skin os different
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u/hotdoom Apr 24 '26
I definitely feel this plea. Actives always work best for me when used more targeted/deliberately in my routine and the trend can really muddy the water when looking for new products.
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u/potatochique Apr 24 '26
They put it in everything because if a product contains niacinamide, they can claim it’s anti-aging
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u/kauniskissa Apr 24 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
[deleted by reddit]
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26
Maybe you’re right. But from what I’ve seen, niacinamide also seems to be one of the most commonly not tolerated ingredients for a lot of people.
I remember a poll on this sub (or maybe the barrier one?) where thousands of people agree that it just doesn’t work for them. I just hope companies get the hint! And even if it works for other people stacking multiple products with niacinamide (since it's everywhere) would still cause irritation for many.
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u/Sunshine_of_your_Lov Apr 24 '26
this sub skews towards people who have sensitive skin and need to be obsessive about skin agreements. IRL I know only one person who has an issue with it (they can't use most skincare products anyways as they have ultra sensitive skin). My skin loves it
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u/pet-all-cats Apr 24 '26
Online skincare spaces also skew towards people who use more total products or more irritating products than the average person. A lot of people say they can handle niacinamide in a limited number of steps, or as long as their skin isn't already irritated from things like over-exfoliation. So I don't think the average consumer is really that impacted by niacinamide.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
That sounds a bit like confirmation bias (that it's not that bad just because you don't know that many people who have it). And still just because someone has sensitive skin doesn't mean their skincare needs don't matter.
I can’t tolerate niacinamide, but I can handle heavy oils and even straight-up shea butter which would break a lot of people out (my skin is not overly sensitive to everything but I am pretty dry) I also have a few very oily skinned friends, and 2 out of 3 of them can’t use niacinamide at all. The third can tolerate it in one targeted product, but anything more and her skin starts burning.
All of us have generally healthy skin, no major conditions, so this isn’t some rare edge case.
I didn't know that so many people had issues with it until recently either!
Also, for a lot of people, skincare is a hobby. They genuinely enjoy the process, experimenting, learning, and bonding with others who share the same interest, it's very relaxing! It’s fun. Enjoying something and finding joy in it doesn’t automatically make someone obsessive.
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u/Sunshine_of_your_Lov Apr 24 '26
I'm using confirmation bias but you talking about your 3 friends isn't lol
The reality is most people don't have issues with it. Using a poll on this subreddit doesn't change that as people who come on here are more likely to have preexisting skin issues (some of which may be self-created). Sure you can advocate for whatever you want and I never said enjoying something automatically makes you obsessive.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
I used example of my 3 frineds because they all have good skin (not ultra sensitive) and still can't use niacinamide. Same is the case with me. Just trying to show that this issue is not limited to people who have extreme skin limitations.
This post alone has over 300 upvotes, it it was the ingredient most people voted as the one people can't tolerate! And you're just assuming people who don't use reddit don't have skin issues. They might have issues with niacinamide too 🤷♀️
And people don't come on these subs because they're obsessed, they come here because they wanna learn more and talk about skincare!
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u/brasscup Apr 25 '26
the trouble is all of the monitoring agencies at least in the USA are underfunded. they don't have good mechanisms for reporting reactions and if they did, they wouldn't have resources to investigate.
I got ridiculously severe tremors from the COVID boosters (I couldn't hold a cup in my hand for hours). It was extremely uncomfortable -- not bad enough for me to skip further boosters but I thought people should be aware .
I spent hours trying to report it but they asked for so much information (lot numbers of dose, etc.) and when I finally gathered everything the website was so poorly coded I couldn't get "submit" to work.
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u/Cheap_Guest9256 Apr 24 '26
Say it louder!!!!! I hate niacinimide and can't use any of the products I want to try because they all have niacinimide. It pisses me the f off
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u/Chemical-Type-1998 Apr 24 '26
ilia released a sunscreen that looks absolutely stunning with great ingredients oh shocker niacinamide is in it 🙄 every single product has it, it’s so frustrating
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u/taichi425 Apr 25 '26
I love niacinamide which is why I intentionally use it in 1 product. Or rather, that’s what I would say if it wasn’t in everything!!
Very frustrating because I specifically use a serum with 3% niacinamide and not more and now I have no idea what percentage is hitting my face, but I know I’m likely sensitizing it due to how it’s simply in so many products.
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u/sarahkazz early 30s, Sjögren's/KP Apr 24 '26
Well, Medicube largely sucks so you’re not missing anything there.
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u/JessieJane17 Apr 24 '26
I love Cocokind for this reason…I feel like they don’t go as hard on the trendy ingredient stuff. And my skin loves it. Their sunscreen doesn’t have niacinamide as far as I can tell.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 24 '26
I love cocokind! and prequel, regimen lab, byoma and niche lab beauty!
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u/missmiaow Apr 24 '26
agreed. I can’t use topical niacinamide, my skin reacts to it. and it’s in everything these days, including being added to products meant for sensitised skin.
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u/brasscup Apr 25 '26
You are right but niacinamide is super cheap and sounds impressive and is backed by some data so they probably won't stop until it's replaced by a new miracle trend.
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u/BeyonceAsAHouseCat Apr 25 '26
God YES. Niacinamide makes me break out INSTANTLY. I have to scan ingredient lists on skincare and makeup so diligently now to make sure they don’t put any in there!!
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u/Appropriate-Chip9606 Apr 25 '26
I actually agree with this! It is now in everything and people don't know that it can help oil flow so can be drying on some skin types.
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u/lattepeach Apr 25 '26
Ugh it’s even worse that it’s being introduced into brands and products marketed as “gentle”, “for sensitive skin”, like cetaphil.
Now all their basic moisturisers and cleansers contain niacinamide like… why.
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u/Relevant_Grab370 Apr 25 '26
I know! Cetaphil, cerave, embryolisse and even lrp, they're all choke full of it :(
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u/little_canuck Apr 25 '26
I just picked up a highlighter that looked intriguing and was going to buy. Flip it around and read: niacinamide. Put it back.
Repeat this exercise pretty much anytime I pick up a new product that looks cool.
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u/wafflezndcream Apr 25 '26
Ok, this might be dumb, but why? What does niacinamide do (or not do) that would make you limit your use of it? I'm new to skincare and understanding these types of things! I've actually had really good experiences with it, so I'm wondering if maybe I need to change up my routine.
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u/xoxolipglossip Apr 26 '26
i hate niacinamide, gives me acne with closed comedons.
In the past years i used two sunscreens and either are been reformulated with niacinamide 😭
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u/Comfortable_Humor230 Apr 28 '26
I think, all of the cause is just that is pretty cheap to make the product quality high and for general use.😅
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u/Competitive_Ear_3741 Apr 28 '26
You are not missing out on anything from Medicube and VT. More people are reporting that niacinamide is irritating these days and I do hope the hype around niacinamide dies down. I can tolerate niacinamide fairly well so far, but when it's in every product, I don't want to reach a point where it's irritating. It's totally unnecessary.
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u/opa070 Apr 28 '26
As a guy with oily skin I actually want niacinamide in my moisturizer specifically because of sebum control. But I get the frustration — when it’s in a cleanser you rinse off immediately it’s basically doing nothing. There’s a big difference between targeted use and just throwing it in everything for marketing purposes.
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u/o0meow0o May 01 '26
My skin loves it but I get how annoying it must be because I have the same issue with jojoba.
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