Think You Can’t Use Niacinamide? Think Again
Niacinamide is one of skincare’s most versatile and well-tolerated ingredients. It helps support the skin barrier, improve the appearance of uneven tone, balance excess oil, and calm visible redness. Its ability to benefit nearly every skin type is why it appears throughout the Vivant line.
So why do some people report stinging, warmth, or temporary redness after using a niacinamide product?
It’s Not the Ingredient, It’s What May Accompany It
Niacinamide raw material can carry residual nicotinic acid formed during the hydrolysis production process. These impurities can lead to irritation and visible redness, especially in higher-percentage formulas.
Glycolic acid provides another example. Depending on its grade and purification standards, glycolic acid raw material may contain trace process-related impurities, including residual formaldehyde, a known skin irritant and allergen.
These substances are not inherent parts of the ingredients. Their presence and concentration depend on processing, purification, stability, and the supplier’s quality-control standards. Additional purification can reduce or remove them, while rigorous testing verifies that they are appropriately controlled.
What the Ingredient Label Doesn’t Tell You
Cosmetic ingredients are identified on labels using standardized International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) names. This system makes it easier to recognize an ingredient across different products, but the INCI name identifies only the ingredient itself.
It doesn’t reveal the grade or purity of the raw material, how thoroughly it was purified, which potential impurities it was tested for, or how carefully it was incorporated into the finished formula.
A Higher Standard Begins with Sourcing
So how can you tell what standard of ingredient you’re getting? If you’re going by the label alone, you can’t. That makes a manufacturer’s sourcing and quality-control standards especially important.
Vivant selects USP-grade ingredients that meet established standards for identity, strength, quality, and purity. Raw materials are also evaluated and tested for relevant impurities to support the consistency, stability, and tolerability of every formula.
Maintaining these higher standards comes at a greater cost. But when it comes to product integrity, compromise costs more.
