Hyaluronic Acid or Niacinamide First? How to Layer
Hyaluronic acid and niacinamide are two popular skin care ingredients that help keep your complexion fresh and youthful.
So, where do these ingredients fit into your routine, and how should you layer them? We’re here to answer all your hyaluronic and niacinamide questions.
What is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance that gets produced by the joints, eyes and skin.
Hyaluronic acid is one of the most well-known and highly regarded skin care ingredients because it helps maintain hydration and promotes a smooth complexion. Let’s take a deeper dive and learn about the benefits of hyaluronic acid.
What are the benefits of hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid has many wonderful benefits, including the following:
- Hyaluronic acid helps stimulate collagen production, improving elasticity, tightening skin and reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and signs of aging.
- Hyaluronic acid helps pull in moisture, keeping the skin hydrated, plump and refreshed.
- Hyaluronic acid moisturizes the face, keeping your complexion smooth and your skin barrier healthy.
The main takeaway is how hydrating and refreshing hyaluronic acid is for the skin. It retains moisture well, keeping the skin smooth, hydrated and bright. Now that we understand these benefits, let’s dive into niacinamide.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, and is another well-known and well-loved ingredient in skin care products. Vitamin B3 is a nutrient that helps your body function properly, and it also produces great results when used in skin care.
As a form of vitamin B3, niacinamide can actually be found in certain foods — like meat, fish, eggs, milk and certain green vegetables. However, it’s also used in a variety of skin care products to provide more targeted benefits for your complexion.
Specifically, niacinamide helps target pores and redness, working to clear away buildup and support a healthy skin barrier.
What are the benefits of niacinamide?
There are several benefits to using niacinamide, including the following:
- Niacinamide helps support balanced oil production in the skin, which can help keep your skin healthy and blemish-free.
- By supporting balanced levels of oil, niacinamide can also help remove buildup and debris, reducing your risk of breakouts.
- Niacinamide helps target skin redness thanks to its gentle, soothing nature. It helps even the look of your skin tone for a bright, smooth complexion.
Niacinamide works alongside hyaluronic acid to keep the skin refreshed and smooth — but they do this in different ways! Using hyaluronic acid and niacinamide together gives your skin even more benefits.
Should you use hyaluronic acid or niacinamide first?
These two ingredients complement each other very well, especially since they're both water-based ingredients. That said, for the best results, we suggest using hyaluronic acid first, followed by niacinamide.
The order here matters because, as a rule of thumb, you should always go in order of consistency. Start with the products and ingredients with a lighter consistency and work up to a thicker consistency.
Plus, hyaluronic acid is a great place to start since it retains so much moisture, keeping your skin hydrated and ready for the next step. Niacinamide comes next to help minimize the look of your pores, lock in that moisture and brighten your complexion.
How to incorporate hyaluronic acid and niacinamide into your routine
Using the right products is key for getting the best results.
After cleansing and exfoliating, we recommend using our Youth Serum. Leading with hyaluronic acid as its most prominent ingredient, this serum can help your skin retain hydration before you move on to the rest of your routine. Even better? It also contains niacinamide, so you get both benefits in one product!
Lock in that moisture, smooth your skin and brighten your complexion with our High Beam. This moisturizer contains niacinamide, too, working to improve the look of your skin and help lock in the benefits of your hyaluronic acid. It’s a great product to use at the end of your skin care routine.
Level up your skin care routine
Once you combine hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, you'll never turn back. Use this guide as a resource as you start incorporating these two ingredients into your skin care routine.
This article was medically reviewed by Chelsie Rogers, PA-C, a board-certified physician assistant with six years of experience in cosmetic dermatology.
Sources:
Hyaluronic Acid: What It Is, Benefits, How To Use & Side Effects | Cleveland Clinic
Collagen: What It Is, Types, Function & Benefits | Cleveland Clinic
