How To Dilute Niacinamide - Dry Skin Advice

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 and a powerful skincare ingredient that combats skin issues such as blemishes and uneven skin tone. Over-the-counter skincare products often contain the ingredient, usually in the form of a serum. While niacinamide provides multiple skincare benefits, some find it’s too potent to use as-is and need to dilute the product before use.

Here’s how you can dilute niacinamide for use in your skincare routine:

Choose a 10 percent niacinamide serum.

Dilute the niacinamide with a moisturizing cream or serum.

Mix the two ingredients in the palm of your hand.

Apply the serum to the face and neck.

Increase the amount of niacinamide over time.

If you have sensitive skin, experience adverse skin reactions after using niacinamide, or if you’ve never used the product before, it’s best to dilute it before application. Diluted niacinamide still provides the benefits of the vitamin without unwanted side effects. This article discusses choosing a niacinamide serum and a proper moisturizer, how to mix and apply the products, and how to increase your tolerance to niacinamide over time.

1. Choose a Niacinamide Serum

Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, offers multiple skincare benefits, from pore-shrinking to improving uneven skin tone.

In a randomized, controlled skincare trial, niacinamide serum reduced freckles and other forms of hyperpigmentation in as little as four weeks. A second study showed an improvement in overall skin redness and yellowing after using a topical niacinamide serum.

There are hundreds of niacinamide products on the market, so it’s often challenging to know which serum to choose. Most serums contain ten percent niacinamide, but some products contain up to twenty percent.

When starting, it’s best to choose a ten percent solution. I recommend using The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum from Amazon. This product comes in a large, 60 mL (2.03 oz) bottle containing only two main ingredients: niacinamide and zinc. This product can control sebum production and minimize your pores.

Once you’ve selected a niacinamide serum, you can move on to choosing a good moisturizer with which to dilute it.

2. Dilute the Niacinamide with a Moisturizer Cream or Serum

Selecting a good moisturizing cream or serum to dilute the niacinamide is crucial when including the product into your skincare routine.

There are certain creams and serums that you should not use to dilute niacinamide. Do not use exfoliating acids such as:

Glycolic acid
Lactic acid
Mandelic acid
Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA)
Beta-hydroxybutanoic acids (BHA) like salicylic acid

These exfoliating acids (also known as chemical exfoliants) are already slightly irritating to the skin. As such, when combined with niacinamide, you run the risk of serious skin irritation and other unwanted reactions.

For sensitive skin, you should avoid chemical exfoliants in your skincare routine altogether.

It’s also not recommended to use pure ascorbic acid (vitamin C) with niacinamide serum. While some companies suggest that using the two together could offer multiple skincare benefits, others say it’s best to avoid them, as it could lead to skin irritation and facial flushing.

Finally, you’ll also want to avoid using products that already contain niacinamide.

What Products To Use To Dilute Niacinamide

When choosing a moisturizing cream or serum to dilute your niacinamide, it’s best to keep the ingredients as simple as possible.

Look for basic hydrating products with very short ingredients lists to reduce the risk of chemical reactivity. When a chemical reaction occurs, you’re not only putting your skin in danger, but you’re ultimately losing the benefits of both the moisturizer and the niacinamide.

Hyaluronic acid serums are ideal and do not cause issues when mixed with niacinamide serums.

I recommend Torriden Dive-In Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Serum. This product has been selected by Korea most trusted beauty app Hwahae as the best selling and highest rating serum of the year. It contains 5D complex hyaluronic acid which gives you an intensive moisturizing effect without making your skin feel greasy.

Other products that you can use to dilute niacinamide serum include:

Centella Asiatica (cica) products
Vitamin B5 serums or creams
Glycerin
Ceramides
Fatty acids

3. Mix the Two Ingredients in the Palm of Your Hand

Once you’ve selected your niacinamide serum and moisturizer, you’ll need to determine how much of each product you’ll need. There are several factors to consider, including:

Your tolerance to niacinamide
Strength of niacinamide serum
The viscosity of the moisturizer
Skin sensitivity

If you’ve already developed a tolerance for niacinamide, you may get away with using a 2:1 moisturizer/niacinamide ratio instead of the 3:1 ratio recommended later in this section. Also, if the viscosity of your moisturizer or niacinamide serum is high, you may not need as much product to get it to spread evenly over the face and neck. Finally, if you have extremely sensitive skin, you may want to stick with a higher moisturizer ratio.

The table below provides a general idea of how much of each product you’ll need based on the type of moisturizer.

Moisturizer Type & Amount		Niacinamide Type & Amount
Serum with Dropper	3 drops	Serum	1 drop
Cream/Lotion in Pump	1 ½ pumps	Serum	1 drop
Cream/Lotion in Bottle or Jar	Pea-sized amount	Serum	1 drop

A good rule of thumb is to use a 3:1 ratio to start. For example, if you’re using a moisturizing serum, you’ll want to use three drops of moisturizer and one drop of niacinamide.

Pumps dispense more product versus a dropper, so you’ll typically need to use less. Three drops of serum are roughly equivalent to 1 ½ pumps of a cream or lotion.

For creams, lotions, or other thick moisturizers, use approximately a pea-sized amount mixed with one drop of niacinamide.

If you’re experiencing skin redness, irritation, or facial flushing after using the 3:1 ratio, you can up the amount of moisturizer.

How To Dilute Niacinamide With a Moisturizer

It’s important not to add too much product. You want it to blend evenly all over your face and neck. It should not, however, sit on top of the skin. Your skin needs to absorb it to receive all of its benefits.

Here’s how to dilute the niacinamide and apply it to the skin.

Apply the moisturizer to the palm of your non-dominant hand.
Add the niacinamide to the moisturizer.
Mix the two products with a fingertip of your dominant hand, using a circular motion.

4. Apply the Serum to the Face and Neck

Once you’ve mixed the products in the palm of your hand, rub both palms together. Next, use your hands to spread the mixture evenly over the face and the neck, avoiding the eyelids. Be careful not to get the products in the mouth. If you find that you’ve gotten the mixture into the eyes or mouth, rinse quickly with water.

If it’s your first time using niacinamide or if you find that you have a skin reaction to the ingredient, it’s best to start by leaving it on the skin for 10 to 15 minutes and then washing it off. From there, you can increase the amount of time that you let the niacinamide sit on the skin.

Repeat the niacinamide application once or twice a week. Over time, the skin should slowly develop a tolerance to the vitamin.

5. Increase the Amount of Niacinamide Over Time

Once you’ve used the diluted niacinamide serum for about a month or two, you can slowly increase the amount of time that the serum sits on the skin before washing it off. Eventually, you’ll be able to leave the mixture on overnight without rinsing.

As you get used to leaving the products on for more extended periods, you can reduce the amount of hydrating serum or moisturizer you mix with niacinamide. For example, if you started with the 3:1 ratio, you can move on to a 2:1 ratio. Eventually, you can move down to a 1:1 ratio, and finally to using the niacinamide serum on its own if you’re able to tolerate it.

Conclusion

Niacinamide is a tried and tested vitamin that boasts multiple benefits, including combating aging, blemishes, large pores, and blackheads. The ingredient is inexpensive and readily available at almost any drugstore or online retailer.

Getting used to using niacinamide takes time, especially for those who tend to have more sensitive skin. As such, skincare experts recommend diluting the ingredient before application.