Can You combine Salicylic Acid and Niacinamide in a serum?
The layering of skincare products can be challenging, specifically with us having a lot of options available to us with regards to powerful and effective ingredients for skincare. You may have observed that combining these ingredients has been the primary focus of our recent blog posts. Today is a new component of the series that I hope will add to the knowledge of whether or not you can utilize salicylic acid in conjunction with niacinamide.
Therefore, let’s discover more about these two skincare giants and figure out how to incorporate them into your daily skincare regimen.
Can I incorporate salicylic acid and niacinamide into one compound?
Whether you believe it or not, you can do it! Both of these ingredients have similar, skin-supporting properties, and when used in conjunction with other skincare products, they can be effective in your daily regimen of skincare. Here, we provide a bit more information about them and what they can accomplish for the complexion.
What is Niacinamide?
Niacinamide is a water-soluble version of vitamin B3 that possesses exceptional hydrating properties that causes it to become part of the skin’s moisture reservoir and be locked into the skin. This causes the complexion to appear hydrated and fluffy, with a youthful jolt. Many skin issues like dry, flaking patches of dead skin cells are hydrated and all of the aging signs of the skin, like lines and wrinkles, are reduced significantly.
What is Salicylic Acid?
Salicylic acid is the most popular form of Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA), it is oil soluble, which means that it can reach a greater depth in the skin and remove excess sebum, dirt, bacteria and other impurities from the pores. This will also have an effect on the accumulation of dead cell skin debris that often rests on top of the skin and results in it appearing dull and lackluster, which often causes frequent breakouts and imperfections. This acid is recognized for its extreme potency, it’s important to discuss this with a doctor or dermatologist in order to ensure that you can introduce it into your daily regimen without fear of skin irritation or allergy.
As previously mentioned, there are shared benefits between these ingredients that help with the management and control of sebum production. Salicylic acid excised the extra sebum, while niacinamide decreased the over-production of sebum by decreasing the amount of glyceride and fatty acids in the surface layer of the skin. By combining these ingredients in a consistent manner and using them for over 12 weeks, you will notice a significant improvement in the texture of the skin and the size of the pores that are enlarged. This will lead to a decrease in the visibility of the enlarged pores.
How does one utilize niacinamide alongside salicylic acid?
This is contingent on the type of skincare product you choose to utilize as both of these components can be found in numerous different skincare combinations. If you’re new to them and have just begun to utilize them in your daily regimen, particularly salicylic acid, the use of a cleanser or wash that contains active concentrations of the BHA is recommended for you. On the whole, face washes and cleansers take the least amount of time on the skin, which makes them an ideal product to build tolerance in your skin. Having said that, applying niacinamide before salicylic acid will not only reduce the likelihood of irritation, but will also help the BHA to absorb into the lower layers of the skin more quickly because of the humectant properties of niacinamide.
To explain to you how to utilize skincare products containing these ingredients, we will discuss the most effective way to utilize them based on the type of skin you have.
Oily Skin Type
By combining both ingredients, you will have control over the sebum production, which is beneficial for those with prone blemishes, as they can manage any breakouts. With the assistance of the blemish combating acid, it will diminish the size of your blemishes and the number of times you encounter them. All of this, in conjunction with niacinamide, is preventing your skin from becoming depleted of all of the essential oil it needs to remain healthy by keeping moisture in and ensuring the complexion is hydrated and feels comfortable.
Here are some examples of how to utilize niacinamide and salicylic acid in conjunction.
Option One
Using a chemical exfoliant that contains salicylic acid will lead to the sloughing of the dead cells in the skin and the clearing of the pores from the excess sebum and other impurities.
Follow this with a serum that contains niacinamide, this will cause the surrounding moisture to be sealed in, this will leave you with a super hydrating result.
This is beneficial if you’re new to salicylic acid and want to introduce it gradually into your skincare regimen.
Alternative Two
Use a serum that contains niacinamide over the entire skin.
Follow this with a second serum that was rich in salicylic acid.
This will not overwhelm the skin with both ingredients, both of them work on different areas of the face and are great ways to utilize both niacinamide and salicylic acid when your skin has developed a tolerance to the BHA.
Dry Skin Sub-type
Those with a dry, perhaps sensitive skin type, are aware of the adverse effects of salicylic acid when applied incorrectly. On the whole, it’s recommended that you avoid using this acid if your skin is dry and susceptible to sensitivity. If you have any questions, you must visit a doctor in order to determine the most effective way to utilize BHA in your daily skincare regimen. If you wish to learn more about salicylic acid, you can explore our dedicated blog article.
Combination Skin Type
When considering which areas of the skin to combine, it’s best to utilize a more concentrated, topical application of salicylic acid to the areas that have a lot of blemishes, this will prevent the other areas of the skin from becoming dry and uncomfortable. However, Niacinamide can be applied to the entire face; every skin type would benefit from this intelligent humectant that leaves you with a hydrated, pleasant complexion.
Here, you learn a bit more about how to utilize niacinamide and salicylic acid in conjunction with examples of their utilization with the most common skin types. It’s crucial to test the effectiveness of a new ingredient or skincare regimen for 24 hours before using it. This will not only prevent you from suffering from irritation or discomfort, but will also help you understand which products to purchase and how they will fit into your regular routine.
Is it possible to utilize salicylic acid and niacinamide on a daily basis?
Yes, you can utilize them, but always make sure to utilize them correctly in order to avoid adverse reactions. You’re safe to utilize both ingredients every day once you’ve developed a tolerance to the potent BHA, especially in the form of salicylic acid. For the most effective results, I would recommend using a toner that exfoliates while also containing a lot of salicylic acid. When paired with a serum that contains niacinamide, it can counter the potential dryness caused by the acid.
Once the skin has developed a tolerance to the two ingredients, you can find it easy and effective to utilize salicylic acid and niacinamide on a daily basis.
What can’t you combine with niacinamide?
Of all the skincare components available, niacinamide can work with most of them, except for vitamin C. However, when applied in conjunction with or without a sufficient amount of time between applications, niacinamide will counteract the other components, which results in their complete ineffectiveness. If you’d like to utilize both of these ingredients in the morning as well as evening, it’s best to utilize vitamin C as well as niacinamide. This will lead to the greatest result from both ingredients.
What shouldn’t you avoid when using salicylic acid?
It’s advised to avoid utilizing salicylic acid in conjunction with the powerful ingredient retinol. Both of these powerful ingredients have a beneficial effect on the skin, specifically for people with acne and prone to blemishes. Combining both of these will still be possible, but it will most likely lead to excessive skin damage and lead to irritation, rashes, redness, flakiness and other problems. Similar to vitamin C and niacinamide, if you want to utilize both substances separately, then completely separate the products and apply salicylic acid in the morning and retinol in the evening.
If you have any concerns about the way these ingredients will affect your skin, it’s best to talk to a dermatologist or professional with training in the field of skin care in order to have the confidence that this will have a positive effect on the skin.
Here, you have a bit more information about the well-known and popular skin components niacinamide and salicylic acid, I hope I have answered some of your questions regarding the popular Instagram component, come and join us!
