Niacinamide and Glycolic Acid: Can You Layer Them Together?

Use niacinamide if your ultimate goal is to minimise enlarged pores and glycolic acid if you are looking to improve the texture of your skin, but what if you seek the concurrent benefits of both skincare ingredients?

Combining the ingredients can help you reap the maximum benefits of both, or it can backfire on you as well. Some ingredients even work better together than alone and can offer comprehensive treatment, but does mixing go well with niacinamide and glycolic acid? So, if you're asking, "Can I use glycolic acid with niacinamide?" the response cannot be straightforward and requires a detailed evaluation.

But there are some prerequisites before you know if you can use niacinamide with glycolic acid. Foremost is, knowing your skin. Assess your skin type to understand if these two ingredients can be effective for you. Moreover, seek a dermatologist's help to identify your concerns and learn about the ingredients to achieve optimal results.

Niacinamide: Its Upsides

An all-inclusive of hydrating, anti-ageing and replenishing properties, niacinamide or vitamin B3 is a skincare ingredient that can revitalise your skin from within by helping in keratin synthesis. This multipurpose ingredient has been in trend for a while long but this is not the sole reason for using it. Niacinamide helps in –

• Though it's not proven, niacinamide is suggested by many medical practitioners to reduce pore size. They can help in shrinking the size of enlarged pores by regulating the oil produced by sebaceous glands.

• If your skin suffers conditions such as rosacea, eczema, or inflammatory acne, niacinamide can soothe the condition. It mitigates redness and calms the skin.
• As indicated by research, niacinamide can strongly fight the signs of ageing with its antioxidant properties caused by environmental aggressors and stress.
• Niacinamide can really make a difference to your dark spots and enhance the tone and texture of your skin. It treats the stubborn spots by lightening them.

Glycolic Acid: Its Upsides

A type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), glycolic acid acts on the skin by dispelling the top layers of skin cells. Having the tiniest molecular structure, the glycolic acid can penetrate deep into the skin to provide the following major benefits;

• Ultraviolet light can cause some deep-rooted and serious damage to your skin and enhance the process of ageing as well, considered as photo ageing. Glycolic acid acts as an effective treatment in this condition and helps to heal the skin while reducing wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.
• Consistent use of this potent acid can help you fight all types of acne, including the comedonal acne that clogs your pores and a difficult to combat. Try a glycolic acid chemical peel.
• Glycolic acid being the capable exfoliant is one of the strongest reasons why many people love this skincare ingredient. It exfoliates the skin and improves the texture, removing dead cells. Your skin will feel softer and brighter.

Pairing Niacinamide with Glycolic Acid

There is a difference between glycolic acid and niacinamide's pH levels. Niacinamide has a pH of 3.0 to 4.0 while glycolic acid's pH level is somewhere around 6.0. This difference in their pH levels makes it inefficient to work together. So, it is not advisable to use them together. They won't reap any synergetic benefits.

In fact, when you mix them together, niacinamide increases the pH levels of glycolic acid too making it less acidic. Together, they can irritate your skin and cause redness and inflammation.

Having said that, you can definitely layer them at different times in your skincare routine. Let’s see how.

How to Combine Niacinamide with Glycolic Acid

You can make this integration of niacinamide with glycolic acid work efficiently for your concerns by combining them smartly;

• The best way would be to use them on different days, alternatively. To simplify this; if you have used niacinamide on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, use glycolic acid on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
• If you still want to use both on the same day, use them at different times, that is niacinamide in the morning skincare routine and glycolic acid in the nighttime routine. This is the least you do to get benefits while saving your skin from harmful effects.
• In case of have no choice and you have to use them in the same routine, keep a gap of at least half an hour between niacinamide and glycolic acid application.
• Start with glycolic acid and let it absorb entirely before using niacinamide to make them work efficiently.
• Use a product having niacinamide and glycolic acid together. Get rid of the hassle of pairing them and taking many precautions. Instead, you can simply buy a product that has both these ingredients in a certain amount to suit your skin. This will save your skin from getting damaged.

But how? You must be thinking of the hazards we listed above when these two ingredients get mixed. Didn't we mention that they both can irritate your skin?

It's just that brands manufacture products combining niacinamide with glycolic acid in the appropriate quantities while keeping a balance in their pH levels.

Must Read: Can You Use Salicylic Acid with Niacinamide?

Renew & Glow: With Niacinamide and Glycolic Acid Together

DRSQ endows a product with a potent amalgamation of niacinamide and glycolic acid blended with other effective ingredients. It is a daily exfoliating serum that deals with uneven skin tone, fine lines & wrinkles, and pigmentation.

Renew & Glow softly exfoliates the skin and boosts cellular renewal further reducing the signs of ageing on your skin. It deeply hydrates and gives a soothing effect. The product is recommended for individuals with inflamed, dry, pigmented skin, specifically though it's compatible with all skin types in general.

Key Takeaways

• Niacinamide is a skin revitalising ingredient offering multiple benefits, including pore and dark spot reduction, and may heal skin conditions like rosacea and eczema.
• Glycolic acid helps with fighting photo ageing and acne. It is an excellent chemical exfoliant that can enhance your skin glow.
• While you can use niacinamide with glycolic acid, mixing or layering them together is not recommended due to the difference in their pH levels.
• Either use them alternatively in a week or at different times of the day. Maintain a gap of at least 30 minutes after using one and another product including glycolic acid and niacinamide.