Can You Use Niacinamide with Retinol? Complete Guide

Yes, you can safely pair niacinamide and retinol in your skincare routine. In fact, they make a great team for effectively addressing your skin concerns, when they’re layered correctly. Niacinamide will calm your skin during and after breakouts, while retinol helps boost cell turnover, which quickens the healing process. Let’s discuss the correct order for applying niacinamide and retinol, and what to be careful of in the process.

Why Combine Niacinamide and Retinol?

Whether you’re using retinol in an anti-aging serum, or as part of your acne treatment, you’re hopefully seeing the powerful benefits retinol has to offer. Retinol helps your cells renew faster, so your dead skin cells shed more quickly, which keeps your pores unclogged and helps reduce hyperpigmentation concerns. It also boosts collagen production, and collagen is the lovely thing smoothing out your skin, making it firmer and more elastic.

So all of those benefits are pretty amazing. But retinol is also known to come with certain side effects, especially for those just starting retinol use. These side effects can include redness, peeling, and dryness. While for most users, these side effects will eventually ease, it’s not fun dealing with irritated skin even in the short term.

That’s where niacinamide comes in. When you combine niacinamide with retinol, they become a winning combination. Niacinamide calms your skin and reduces retinol’s side effects of redness and irritation by strengthening your skin barrier. It also boosts the production of ceramides, which helps your skin retain moisture so it doesn’t get dried out from using retinol.

How to Layer Niacinamide and Retinol 

When layering skincare, it’s important to always go from the thinnest to thickest consistency. So when you set up your routine, follow the consistency to set up the order.

Here are 3 different ways to safely and effectively apply your retinol and niacinamide in the same routine.

1. Apply Niacinamide First

If you’re using both niacinamide and retinol, apply the niacinamide first. It will protect your skin and buffer it before you apply the retinol, which can help reduce the retinol-induced dryness.

Once you apply the niacinamide, wait 2-3 minutes to allow it to absorb, and only then apply the retinol.

2. Use a Dual-Ingredient Product

Pre-formulated products with both retinol and niacinamide are carefully adjusted so that both the retinol and niacinamide stay stable and active. This is convenient if you don’t have time for an involved skincare routine and would like to have an all-in-one serum.

The SkinMedica Retinol Complex works well if you want a retinol-based product that includes niacinamide. 

3. Use One By Day, One By Night

Another effective routine for using niacinamide with retinol is to use one in the morning, and the other at night. Niacinamide is best used in the morning, as it’s helpful to control daytime oil production and also protects your face from environmental factors. Then, put the retinol on at night, because it will work as you sleep to help your body renew your skin.

Adding Niacinamide to Your Retinol Routine

While starting to apply retinol often takes a bit of adjustment, adding niacinamide is simple and doesn’t usually need a break-in period. Keep the concentration between 2% and 5% for full effectiveness without any side effects. Very high concentrations, like 10%, don’t usually increase effectiveness and can instead increase sensitivity.

Although niacinamide does a good job building up your skin barrier and protection when using retinol, it’s still important to always apply sunscreen before you go out in the morning, to protect your skin from the sun.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When you’re starting to use niacinamide and retinol together, there are a few common mistakes to avoid.

• Since retinol and niacinamide are both active ingredients, don’t mix in a lot of heavy direct acids (AHAs and BHAs) while your skin is getting adjusted.
• Don’t use too much retinol, thinking that the niacinamide will calm it. The most retinol you should apply is a pea-sized amount.
• Don’t skip moisturizer, as retinol can dry out your skin. Even though niacinamide helps retain moisture, you still need to apply moisturizer to keep your skin fully hydrated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I use niacinamide and retinol every night?

You can use niacinamide every night, but using retinol every night depends on your skin’s sensitivity and tolerance. Most people do best using retinol 3 to 5 times a week. But if your skin can tolerate nightly retinol, it’s a great idea to apply niacinamide nightly as well, to provide your skin with extra protection.

Can this combination help with active acne breakouts?

Yes, combining niacinamide and retinol can be very helpful for active acne breakouts. Niacinamide reduces sebum production and is anti-inflammatory. Retinol clears out dead skin cells and prevents clogged pores. And both ingredients help reduce the post-acne marks that are often left after a pimple heals.

Check out our complete guide to using niacinamide for acne for more information on how to use it properly.

For all your retinol and niacinamide needs, check out our complete collection of serums to find the ones that are right for you.