My encounter with Niacinamide happened by chance. My cousin was telling me about wanting to try a Vitamin B3 serum, I got curious and read the research and journals to see what's good about it.
Turns out it seems to be really suitable for me as it calms inflammation, redness, and promotes skin barrier function - pretty much what I think I need as I notice my skin being thinner and more sensitive over the years. It turns red very easily from temperature fluctuation, get tiny little bumps that itch if it is irritated, and what I dislike the most - gets blotchy and rashy.
The serum my cousin got is extremely expensive in my books, about USD35 for 10ml (at 13% concentration). I did some searching on iHerb not having much hopes, but I found something within my price range!!
The InstaNatural Niacinamide Serum goes for USD14.03 for 60ml. It has a concentration of 5%, which is the recommended level for therapeutic effects to take place without causing too much irritation to the skin. Considering my skin is already more vulnerable, I thought a lower concentration works well for me, as 13% is an overkill, and might even cause more harm than good on my skin.
They do have a warning on the side of the bottle that if it causes any irritation, you should stop using it. But did that stop me? Hell no! In fact, the first few days I used it, it stung my face a little bit. That is when I realize it's still too strong for my face - or my face is too fragile for it. Solution? I mixed in 1-2 drops into my facial cream, mix well and applied onto my face. No more issues after that.
There's also suggested directions on the bottle. The gist is to apply it onto clean skin so maximum absorption. The serum actually absorbs pretty damn quickly so you don't have to wait forever before applying your moisturizer. Or you could do it like me, mix it with the moisturizer! Genius! BUT doing that will definitely lower the concentration of the Vitamin B3, so probably don't do it if you can tolerate the 5% concentration, and want results fast.
The serum itself is whitish in colour. Spreads and absorbs quickly. Yada yada. Nothing special about it's texture, however I'd like to highlight it has a soft lavender scent which I really enjoy. It's very soft and nothing offensive or long lasting.
Apologies as I do not have before and after photos. I can only tell you over the 2-3 months I've been using it, I noticed a slow but slight improvement in my face. It's less blotchy, less rashy, and less red in general. The good days are longer and bad days relatively shorter. I still have a long way to go though!
I can't be sure if it's just because of this B3 serum alone, or the combined effects of using the Avene Skin Recovery Cream, but I like it enough to repurchase it because I believe in it. USD14 for 60ml is a very reasonable price and I'd like to keep it in my routine until I find something better.
Definitely gonna be a repurchase item.
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