Niacinamide for Melasma
A multitasker that calms redness, evens out skin tone, and helps oily skin balance out. One of the safest do-a-little-of-everything ingredients.
Why it works for Melasma
Stops pigment from being passed into your skin's surface cells, so patches look lighter. In a split-face trial of 27 people, 4% niacinamide gave a good-to-excellent improvement in 44% of cases versus 55% for 4% hydroquinone. It works slightly less well but causes far less irritation. It is a good long-term option once you finish a hydroquinone course.
How Niacinamide works
Reduces transepidermal water loss, inhibits melanosome transfer, and dampens inflammatory cytokines.
Evidence
4 citations from our ingredient database. Full citation list on the Niacinamide ingredient page.
Products with Niacinamide in our catalog
These are the catalog products that list Niacinamide as a tracked ingredient.