Vitamin C Vs Niacinamide: What’s the Difference and Can You Use Both?

Vitamin C and niacinamide are both essential vitamins that play crucial roles in maintaining the health and appearance of your skin. Not only do you get these nutrients in your diet, but you can also target the skin directly with topical skincare products.

With the rising popularity of niacinamide and vitamin C serums, we get lots of questions along the lines, “Can I use niacinamide with vitamin C?” In short, yes, you can use vitamin C and niacinamide together, and we’ll get into all the details in today’s article. Keep reading to discover:

• What does vitamin C do for your skin?
• Niacinamide vs. vitamin C – what’s the difference
• Can you use niacinamide with vitamin C?
• How to layer niacinamide and vitamin C in your skincare routine
• When to use niacinamide and vitamin C

Vitamin C Vs Niacinamide Key Differences

Vitamin C and niacinamide are both water-soluble vitamins that humans must obtain from food to support life. However, they are each distinct, and your body (and skin) needs them both. Each has multiple functions and works with unique pathways in the body, although there is some overlap in terms of the outcome. For example, both are antioxidants and offer anti-inflammatory actions, but these results come from different biochemical pathways.

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 (niacin). It’s concentrated inside cells and their mitochondria, where it plays a vital role in the transformation of dietary fuel into energy. For the skin, specifically, niacinamide has the following benefits:

• Protects and supports skin barrier function and ceramide synthesis (the natural lipid that makes the skin barrier structure)
• Improves hydration by reducing water loss through the skin barrier
• Provides antioxidant protection against UV radiation and free radicals
• Supports anti-inflammatory actions in the skin
• Regulates production of sebum (the skin’s natural oil)
• Reduces areas of hyperpigmentation (dark spots, acne scars, etc.)

Vitamin C is also a water-soluble vitamin with many skin benefits. It’s concentrated and stored in the skin to serve the skin’s high requirements for this nutrient. Vitamin C benefits for the skin include:

• Protects the skin from UV radiation, pollution, and free radicals with antioxidant actions
• Reduces inflammation in the skin 
• Fades areas of hyperpigmentation, including age spots, acne scars, and dark circles
• Promotes a bright, even skin tone
• Aids in collagen production for increased firmness and elasticity

Can You Use Vitamin C and Niacinamide Together

You can use niacinamide and vitamin C together. When used together, the nutrients create a beautiful synergy, and skin benefits surpass the individual benefits of each ingredient. All NassifMD® Skincare formulas harness the synergistic effects of combining active ingredients. You’ll find multiple active ingredients in each skincare product, as well as additional benefits when you layer various products.

Niacinamide and vitamin C are very safe to use together as part of your daily or twice-daily routine. Use these active skincare nutrients:

1. As ingredients in the same product
2. Layer vitamin C and niacinamide serums - NassifMD® Radiance Brightening Booster with Vitamins C & F Complex and NassifMD® Niacinamide Biopeptide Serum 
3. Use each ingredient throughout your skincare routine – Choose individual products from the NassifMD® Vitamin C Collection and the NassifMD® Niacinamide Collection (more on these particular products below)

Which is Better: Vitamin C or Niacinamide

You don’t have to choose either niacinamide or vitamin C. Neither vitamin is “better”; your skin needs them both. Most people and skin types will benefit from incorporating both ingredients into their skincare routine. 

You may want to use niacinamide if:

• You have issues with skin barrier function, such as dry, dehydrated, or sensitive skin
• You have aging skin
• You have uneven skin tone and areas of hyperpigmentation
• You have oily or acne-prone skin
• You have redness or inflammation

You may want to use vitamin C for the skin if:

• You have signs of sun damage and want to prevent future damage
• You have aging skin and want to improve firmness and elasticity
• You have uneven skin tone and areas of dullness or hyperpigmentation
• You have redness or inflammation 

How to Layer Vitamin C with Niacinamide

You can layer vitamin C and niacinamide throughout your skincare routine. Perhaps the easiest way to benefit from concentrated amounts of these vitamins is to use both NassifMD® Radiance Brightening Booster with Vitamins C & F Complex and NassifMD®  Niacinamide Biopeptide Serum. 

Alternatively, or in addition to the serums, you can incorporate these ingredients into other steps in your skincare routine to achieve the niacinamide or vitamin c skin benefits. Here are some options: 

• Use vitamin C in serums targeted for day or nighttime use. Try: NassifMD® Dermaflect Smart Day Therapy Serum and NassifMD® Night Therapy Serum 
• Target the undereye area with vitamin C in an eye cream. Try: NassifMD®  Peri-Orbital Eye Complex
• Use a night cream with vitamin C: NassifMD® Pure Hydration Night Cream 
• Use a day cream with niacinamide: NassifMD® Soft Focus Hydrating Day Cream
• Add weekly treatments that feature vitamin C. Try: NassifMD® Micro Spa Radiance Resurfacing Peel or NassifMD® Overnight Illuminating Masque 
• Deliver both vitamin C and niacinamide to the neck and décolleté areas: NassifMD® Deco Lift Neck and Décolleté Firming and Lifting Complex
• Use facial detox or retexturizing pads with vitamin C or niacinamide. Try NassifMD® Detox Facial Pads with vitamin C and NassifMD® Even, Correct & Renew Retexturizing Pads with niacinamide
• Use niacinamide in this hair and scalp scrub: NassifMD® Purifying Scalp Detox

Vitamin C Niacinamide Benefits Comparison 

Vitamin C has advantages for the skin and so does niacinamide. Both are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Both are beneficial for aging skin and hyperpigmentation. However, each utilizes different biochemical pathways, so using both offers synergistic benefits. 

Niacinamide may be more suited for acne-prone skin as it helps nourish the skin barrier and regulate sebum production. Vitamin C may be more suited for brightening the skin and building skin structure through collagen production. Yet, you don’t need to choose, and there are many ways to utilize both ingredients in your skincare routine with NassifMD® facial plastic surgeon skincare. 

References

1. Marques, C., Hadjab, F., Porcello, A., Lourenço, K., Scaletta, C., Abdel-Sayed, P., Hirt-Burri, N., Applegate, L. A., & Laurent, A. (2024). Mechanistic Insights into the Multiple Functions of Niacinamide: Therapeutic Implications and Cosmeceutical Applications in Functional Skincare Products. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 13(4), 425.
2. Wohlrab, J., & Kreft, D. (2014). Niacinamide - mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology. Skin pharmacology and physiology, 27(6), 311–315.
3. Pullar, J. M., Carr, A. C., & Vissers, M. C. M. (2017). The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients, 9(8), 866.
4. Gehring W. (2004). Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 3(2), 88–93.