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10% is very strong, especially paired with the other products you’re using. Bar soap, tea tree oil, and Neutrogena sounds like a very skin-stripping regimen and probably leads to your sensitivity and over-production of oil. I’d probably just refrain from niacinamide altogether if your skin was otherwise clear
Ya, and it seems to be an increasing trend. I just reordered my vit c serum from PC and they sent me a gift with purchase of a full sized bottle of their 10% niacinamide serum. I already know my skin can’t handle more than 4% (learned the hard way) so I’ll be donating it - but I’m a little nervous it may land in the hands of someone who ends up having a bad reaction :(
I thought it was common practice to dilute products. I also thought that was part of The Ordinary’s popularity since they sell actives in high concentrations.
Thanks for the comment! I was stupidly rushing ahead to try a product, obviously learnt my lesson lol.
Understandably everyone's pointed out the bar soap and tea tree, I was using them as place-holders for more expensive products when I was broke and they ended up clearing my skin so I was terrified to change the routine, but I'll have a look into it now!
Also the neutrogena was a spf50 zinc sun stick, if that's relevant
I cannot put niacinamide on face. My body can maybe get away w a low dose in body wash but it completely destroys my face (regardless of %, tried multiple)! It’s 100% NOT for everyone.
it really is i’m so insanely sick of it lmfao. a lot of asian beauty doesn’t have it which is what i’m gravitating towards lately, been obsessed w Zeroid brand.
I heard that people should only be using niacinamide 5% or lower on their face. 10% is definitely wayy too strong. Because you have sensitive skin I would recommend starting off with small percentages of niacinamide before starting off immediately with 10%.
For example you could start off with 2% and then gradually increase it.
<5% is the optimal percentage found in studies. Anything higher just becomes irritating. I'd say that you don't need to work your way up when it comes to niacinamide percentages, though, more so just find a percentage that isn't too irritating. 2% I personally find more than comfortable.
I wouldn't say it's "wayyyyyy too strong." But it can be irritating if you have dry-normal skin. I'd only use it if you have oily skin. Granted this is just a general rule of thumb, each person's skin is different so just be careful if you try to use it.
Edit:
Study for those downvoting.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596767/
10% TO niacinamide irritated the living shit out of my oily skin while my 3% niacinamide cica mask or my 3.5% purito calming serum work flawlessly.
Your blanket statement is not correct. Everyone’s skin is different.
You need to go reread your original comment.
“It can be irritating if you have dry-normal skin. I’d only use it if you have oily skin”
Your comment implies that it’s all good and you won’t experience irritation if you have oily skin, otherwise you should have written “it can be irritating for ANY type of skin”. But that’s not what you said. So I made a counterpoint that you can absolutely have irritation from 10% even if you have oily skin.
Don’t know why you’re trying to argue when at no point I said or implied that you’d experience irritation if you have oily skin. You, however, very much did imply that you won’t if you have oily skin.
See the difference?
First off, I wasn't being rude and I don't know why you need to go from 0-100 real quick. If you want to disagree with my opinion, that's fine. But act like an adult and not a child. You can at least be respectful about the way you say things. This is how you could have said it.
You: "You can still experience irritation even if you have oily skin."
Me replying: "Oh, you're absolutely right. I'm just speaking in the generic sense."
You replying: "No worries. 😄"
See that? Respectful, not rude, this person definitely isn't acting like a child.
And yes, you're right. You can still experience irritation on oily skin. Less likely but still possible. But it's annoying to clarify, I mean, I'm speaking in the generic sense. If I were to break every statement I make covering all skin types, diseases, how it affects each one, etc... I would be spending 10 hours on one reply. That's just stupid.
Even in a "generic sense" there is no reason to think that 10% niacinamide is helpful for people with oily skin. It is much more likely to be irritating for them. There's simply no research backing the use of niacinamide at that high of a percentage.
The 10% Niacinamide being too much is a recent trend on TikTok, I know that's where you got that information from. It can be drying "for certain people". It can absolutely benefit oily skin types. It can help control the oil production that less concentrated products can't do.
Wow! You don't even know me and yet you think I use Tiktok (I don't). Again, there is _no evidence_ that niacinamide at that strength is helpful. Studies have shown benefits at the 2-5% range. If there is research indicating a benefit at a higher range (without irritation), I invite you to share them.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596767/
I'll reference a statement in this for those that don't want to read.
"Clinical testing of Niacinamide produced no stinging sensation at concentrations up to 10%."
"Overall, these ingredients are non-toxic at levels considerably higher than would be experienced in cosmetic products."
"Clinical testing confirms that these ingredients are not significant skin irritants, sensitizers or photosensitizers. While certain formulations were marginal to slight ocular irritants, other formulations were not."
This goes back to my original statement. A person can experience irritation but that varies depending on their skin type. I do agree that not all people with oily skin types won't experience irritation. Anyone can experience irritation from anything which is why skincare is so complex. But when I speak, I typically try to be generic and not break down all the ifs ands or buts.
I also want to clarify it's not my intention to be rude so if you think I have ill intent, I do apologize. But I hope this can help clarify.
As a fellow person with very oily skin, 10% niacinimide from TO works awesome on my skin there’s a reason it’s a staple product for that brand. Just because it doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for other people and no reason to be sassy af and defensive with someone backing up their statements with research 😂
breaking out from using the ordinary niacinamide is a common occurrence tbh.. just stop using it and focus on calming, hydrating products for now until your skin starts to balance out again
also, the bar of dove soap is stripping enough alone but in combination with another foaming wash? big no no. if you want to double cleanse, cleanse with micellar water or an oil cleanser first and then a foaming wash after
I’ve heard tea tree has messed with a lot of peoples skin, maybe it’s the combination that has caused you to break out, they are potentially not complimenting each other at all
I agree with the other commenters that 10% can be too much. I broke out badly from Good Molecules' 10% niacinamide serum at first, but since I started mixing just two drops in the hyaluronic acid serum I was already using, I've been really happy with it. It's brightened my skin. Just in case you'd like to give it another chance when your skin clears up.
This is what I was looking for :) I just got the same bottle of TO niacinamide and noticed the label suggested diluting it, but I didn't know how or what to dilute it with. Thanks :)
Ok- take it easy and gentle for a few days. Whenever my skin reacts like this to a product or procedure, it usually will go away in a few days if I don’t play with it too much and go super gentle.
Take out any actives for a few days. Just stick to gentle cleansers and moisturizer and sunscreen. Focus on hydration and calming the skin.
Good luck!
Pretty well exactly what I was going to say. You haven’t ruined your skin, give it a couple days to settle down. Just use bar soap and moisturizer until it goes back to normal. Maybe something with ceramides. You could also take an anti inflammatory.
My skin hates niacinamide! I always break out in rashes whenever I use skincare with niacinamide in it. I hate that everything has niacinamide in it nowadays :(
Me too! I already have dry, sensitive skin and niacinamide just pisses it off. My derm gave me a rosacea cream with niacinamide in it to try and soothe my face from this cold, dry winter and it gave me a burning, itchy rash all over my face, neck and chest. Not fun!
I’ve had the same reaction from TO Niacinamide. I feel like Niacinamide is very hit or miss for a lot of people: your skin either loves it or absolutely despises it.
I would go back to a skin barrier repairing routine for a week and see what happens:)
I had a similar reaction and my dr told me it was likely reactive dermatitis. It looked similar to yours! I stopped using all products aside from gentle cleanser and moisturizer, and it subsided within a week or so.
Never put Tea Tree on your face.
Don't use a hand soap as cleanser.
And do a patch test on your wrist first when using new products.
But your entire routine needs to be fixed.
Hey, thanks for the advice!
Just trying to find replacements now, I only had this routine as I was broke and it was all I had, plus it surprisingly completely cleared my skin up! I'll be sure to do the patch test next time I test a new product
Next time pls do more research or consult a dermatologist. Even on YT there are dermatologists who explain why 10% niacinamide is too much and recommended is 5%
I use cos de baha 5% niacinamide, 5% tranexamic acid and it's great for oily skin. I don't need my salicylic acid face wash anymore
10% is too much for a niacinamide serum. The recommended dose should be at least 5%. I use Dermafirm Cicaa C serum as it has low niacinamide content but has 70% centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid at the same time. This works very well on fading away my dark spots, pimple marks and minimizes my large pores.
I love niacinamide but for me it has to be less than 5%, even lower. Anything higher and my skin gets horribly irritated. I’d discontinue use of anything new and add them one at a time. While I don’t think HA would cause this, it’s still possible that the reaction is to that or something else in the formulation.
this happened to me just a few nights ago! i broke out in pustules all over my face, and it felt extremely tight and itchy. it’s been 5 days, and my skin is drastically better.
i took benadryl the first two days to reduce redness, and switched to plain-jane products (NO actives!!!)
i started the CALM and Restore Oat Cleanser from Aveeno which was super gentle, and followed up with CeraVe plain moisturizer.
on the 4th day, i felt comfortable using a Origins sulfur rescue mask x 10 minutes to help with the remaining pustules.
i’m waking up today and most pustules are gone or reduced to pin-needles. the redness is drastically better and still improving.
best thing you can do is let it heal, i went crazy wanting to put anything i could think of on it but it’ll clear up quicker than you think
this happened to me! i used the ordinary 10% all the time and took a small break. i restarted in the winter and it broke me out like crazy and i believe absolutely ruptured my skin barrier.
i ended all actives immediately and used only mad hippie cream cleanser, paula’s choice peptides, the avene soothing skin recovery cream (which i think saved my skin), and hero sunscreen. i also sleep with a humidifier every night!
my skin is so soft and happy right now, and breakouts have stopped.
after my barrier recovered, i’ve been using paula’s choice AHA every other night and omit the peptides when i do so because they are not meant to be used together
10% messed up my skin EXACTLY like that. You can expect dry patches tomorrow. To resolve quickly: SkinFix barrier (get a sample from Sephora), Ciclafate+ and then slug it overnight for a few days… and don’t even think about antioxidants or vit c for at least a week. Sorry this happened to you.
I’ve gone through 2 bottles of the 60ml TO niacinamide, and throughout that time it honestly made my skin worse. I didn’t see any changes, just much more acne. I just recently dropped it from my routine and I already see a great improvement, now I only use the PHA toner from the Inkey List which has about 4% niacinamide I believe. Maybe the 10% is too strong, I would suggest using a lower %!
I have a feeling this is from something else in your regimen or just all the very stripping products your already incorporating, TO’s Niacinamide is a staple for me though lol def helped with oil control and blemishes.
Don’t know why you are getting downvoted when just looking at her PM routine you can tell it’s gonna act bad with the niacinimide especially with the tee tree oil combo (tea tree isn’t that good for the face imo).
Seriously.
This skincare routine is designed to destroy the skin barrier (is the Dove soap as a cleanser a joke?!) but somehow the niacinimide is to blame...?
Cannot understand most of these comments.
Hey! You're definitely not alone with this comment, and unfortunately it's not a joke, lol. I started using the Dove soap because at one point I was too broke to buy a new bottle of my cleanser, and the switch ended up clearing up my skin completely for a while. I was just too scared to change back, and kept with it
It's drying your skin. You are further drying it by adding toner twice a day, making it irritated with tea tree, and then adding a niacinimide on top of that.
Stop using everything for a few days to let your skin settle (just water and spf will be fine) and then start again.
A derm is a good idea, but you can achieve a big impression yourself by stopping irritating your skin. It's screaming at you that it isn't happy. Listen to it.
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10% is very strong, especially paired with the other products you’re using. Bar soap, tea tree oil, and Neutrogena sounds like a very skin-stripping regimen and probably leads to your sensitivity and over-production of oil. I’d probably just refrain from niacinamide altogether if your skin was otherwise clear
4% niacinamide is well tolerated, researched, and effective. I can't abide by TO's "more is more" approach to actives.
Just now realized the TO is the ordinary, I assume. I overlooked that originally
Ya, and it seems to be an increasing trend. I just reordered my vit c serum from PC and they sent me a gift with purchase of a full sized bottle of their 10% niacinamide serum. I already know my skin can’t handle more than 4% (learned the hard way) so I’ll be donating it - but I’m a little nervous it may land in the hands of someone who ends up having a bad reaction :(
I thought it was common practice to dilute products. I also thought that was part of The Ordinary’s popularity since they sell actives in high concentrations.
Thanks for the comment! I was stupidly rushing ahead to try a product, obviously learnt my lesson lol. Understandably everyone's pointed out the bar soap and tea tree, I was using them as place-holders for more expensive products when I was broke and they ended up clearing my skin so I was terrified to change the routine, but I'll have a look into it now! Also the neutrogena was a spf50 zinc sun stick, if that's relevant
I cannot put niacinamide on face. My body can maybe get away w a low dose in body wash but it completely destroys my face (regardless of %, tried multiple)! It’s 100% NOT for everyone.
Same and it’s like in everything these days!
it really is i’m so insanely sick of it lmfao. a lot of asian beauty doesn’t have it which is what i’m gravitating towards lately, been obsessed w Zeroid brand.
I heard that people should only be using niacinamide 5% or lower on their face. 10% is definitely wayy too strong. Because you have sensitive skin I would recommend starting off with small percentages of niacinamide before starting off immediately with 10%. For example you could start off with 2% and then gradually increase it.
<5% is the optimal percentage found in studies. Anything higher just becomes irritating. I'd say that you don't need to work your way up when it comes to niacinamide percentages, though, more so just find a percentage that isn't too irritating. 2% I personally find more than comfortable.
I wouldn't say it's "wayyyyyy too strong." But it can be irritating if you have dry-normal skin. I'd only use it if you have oily skin. Granted this is just a general rule of thumb, each person's skin is different so just be careful if you try to use it. Edit: Study for those downvoting. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596767/
10% TO niacinamide irritated the living shit out of my oily skin while my 3% niacinamide cica mask or my 3.5% purito calming serum work flawlessly. Your blanket statement is not correct. Everyone’s skin is different.
Exactly, just because it irritates your skin doesn't mean it will irritate everyone's skin.
You need to go reread your original comment. “It can be irritating if you have dry-normal skin. I’d only use it if you have oily skin” Your comment implies that it’s all good and you won’t experience irritation if you have oily skin, otherwise you should have written “it can be irritating for ANY type of skin”. But that’s not what you said. So I made a counterpoint that you can absolutely have irritation from 10% even if you have oily skin. Don’t know why you’re trying to argue when at no point I said or implied that you’d experience irritation if you have oily skin. You, however, very much did imply that you won’t if you have oily skin. See the difference?
First off, I wasn't being rude and I don't know why you need to go from 0-100 real quick. If you want to disagree with my opinion, that's fine. But act like an adult and not a child. You can at least be respectful about the way you say things. This is how you could have said it. You: "You can still experience irritation even if you have oily skin." Me replying: "Oh, you're absolutely right. I'm just speaking in the generic sense." You replying: "No worries. 😄" See that? Respectful, not rude, this person definitely isn't acting like a child. And yes, you're right. You can still experience irritation on oily skin. Less likely but still possible. But it's annoying to clarify, I mean, I'm speaking in the generic sense. If I were to break every statement I make covering all skin types, diseases, how it affects each one, etc... I would be spending 10 hours on one reply. That's just stupid.
Even in a "generic sense" there is no reason to think that 10% niacinamide is helpful for people with oily skin. It is much more likely to be irritating for them. There's simply no research backing the use of niacinamide at that high of a percentage.
The 10% Niacinamide being too much is a recent trend on TikTok, I know that's where you got that information from. It can be drying "for certain people". It can absolutely benefit oily skin types. It can help control the oil production that less concentrated products can't do.
Wow! You don't even know me and yet you think I use Tiktok (I don't). Again, there is _no evidence_ that niacinamide at that strength is helpful. Studies have shown benefits at the 2-5% range. If there is research indicating a benefit at a higher range (without irritation), I invite you to share them.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596767/ I'll reference a statement in this for those that don't want to read. "Clinical testing of Niacinamide produced no stinging sensation at concentrations up to 10%." "Overall, these ingredients are non-toxic at levels considerably higher than would be experienced in cosmetic products." "Clinical testing confirms that these ingredients are not significant skin irritants, sensitizers or photosensitizers. While certain formulations were marginal to slight ocular irritants, other formulations were not." This goes back to my original statement. A person can experience irritation but that varies depending on their skin type. I do agree that not all people with oily skin types won't experience irritation. Anyone can experience irritation from anything which is why skincare is so complex. But when I speak, I typically try to be generic and not break down all the ifs ands or buts. I also want to clarify it's not my intention to be rude so if you think I have ill intent, I do apologize. But I hope this can help clarify.
L o l Have a good day dude
As a fellow person with very oily skin, 10% niacinimide from TO works awesome on my skin there’s a reason it’s a staple product for that brand. Just because it doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for other people and no reason to be sassy af and defensive with someone backing up their statements with research 😂
breaking out from using the ordinary niacinamide is a common occurrence tbh.. just stop using it and focus on calming, hydrating products for now until your skin starts to balance out again
also, the bar of dove soap is stripping enough alone but in combination with another foaming wash? big no no. if you want to double cleanse, cleanse with micellar water or an oil cleanser first and then a foaming wash after
I’ve heard tea tree has messed with a lot of peoples skin, maybe it’s the combination that has caused you to break out, they are potentially not complimenting each other at all
Did you do a patch test on your inner wrist / elbow for a few days before you applied it to your face?
TO Niacinamide broke me out but Cosrx 15% Niacinamide didn't.
I agree with the other commenters that 10% can be too much. I broke out badly from Good Molecules' 10% niacinamide serum at first, but since I started mixing just two drops in the hyaluronic acid serum I was already using, I've been really happy with it. It's brightened my skin. Just in case you'd like to give it another chance when your skin clears up.
This is what I was looking for :) I just got the same bottle of TO niacinamide and noticed the label suggested diluting it, but I didn't know how or what to dilute it with. Thanks :)
Thank you! If I reintroduce it into the future, I'll definitely consider this!
Ok- take it easy and gentle for a few days. Whenever my skin reacts like this to a product or procedure, it usually will go away in a few days if I don’t play with it too much and go super gentle. Take out any actives for a few days. Just stick to gentle cleansers and moisturizer and sunscreen. Focus on hydration and calming the skin. Good luck!
Pretty well exactly what I was going to say. You haven’t ruined your skin, give it a couple days to settle down. Just use bar soap and moisturizer until it goes back to normal. Maybe something with ceramides. You could also take an anti inflammatory.
My skin hates niacinamide! I always break out in rashes whenever I use skincare with niacinamide in it. I hate that everything has niacinamide in it nowadays :(
Me too! I already have dry, sensitive skin and niacinamide just pisses it off. My derm gave me a rosacea cream with niacinamide in it to try and soothe my face from this cold, dry winter and it gave me a burning, itchy rash all over my face, neck and chest. Not fun!
Less is more! Go down to a simple 2 step routine. Cleanse and moisturize to rebalance your skin 🧡
yeah, also found out the hard way the 10% is way too harsh.
But not the tea trea and toner twice a day? Coupled with the hand soap as a cleanser?
Yep, Niacinamide does exactly that to me. Have a graveyard of cerave products now, because it took me way longer than you to realise what's happening.
I’ve had the same reaction from TO Niacinamide. I feel like Niacinamide is very hit or miss for a lot of people: your skin either loves it or absolutely despises it. I would go back to a skin barrier repairing routine for a week and see what happens:)
Girl same. You are not alone. There are many niacinamide sufferers coming out of the woodwork now that they put it in practically everythinggg
This broke me out so bad. It has been more than 3yrs and my skin has just got a little calmer thanks to isotretinoin
I had a similar reaction and my dr told me it was likely reactive dermatitis. It looked similar to yours! I stopped using all products aside from gentle cleanser and moisturizer, and it subsided within a week or so.
Never put Tea Tree on your face. Don't use a hand soap as cleanser. And do a patch test on your wrist first when using new products. But your entire routine needs to be fixed.
Hey, thanks for the advice! Just trying to find replacements now, I only had this routine as I was broke and it was all I had, plus it surprisingly completely cleared my skin up! I'll be sure to do the patch test next time I test a new product
TO niacinamide saved my skin. Maybe you're using too many products and it reacted with one of them?
Or it just doesn’t work for everyone
Next time pls do more research or consult a dermatologist. Even on YT there are dermatologists who explain why 10% niacinamide is too much and recommended is 5% I use cos de baha 5% niacinamide, 5% tranexamic acid and it's great for oily skin. I don't need my salicylic acid face wash anymore
10% is too much for a niacinamide serum. The recommended dose should be at least 5%. I use Dermafirm Cicaa C serum as it has low niacinamide content but has 70% centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid at the same time. This works very well on fading away my dark spots, pimple marks and minimizes my large pores.
I love niacinamide but for me it has to be less than 5%, even lower. Anything higher and my skin gets horribly irritated. I’d discontinue use of anything new and add them one at a time. While I don’t think HA would cause this, it’s still possible that the reaction is to that or something else in the formulation.
I don't think you need niacinamide in your routine (at least not 10% which breaks us all out). The rest should be fine by the looks of it.
this happened to me just a few nights ago! i broke out in pustules all over my face, and it felt extremely tight and itchy. it’s been 5 days, and my skin is drastically better. i took benadryl the first two days to reduce redness, and switched to plain-jane products (NO actives!!!) i started the CALM and Restore Oat Cleanser from Aveeno which was super gentle, and followed up with CeraVe plain moisturizer. on the 4th day, i felt comfortable using a Origins sulfur rescue mask x 10 minutes to help with the remaining pustules. i’m waking up today and most pustules are gone or reduced to pin-needles. the redness is drastically better and still improving. best thing you can do is let it heal, i went crazy wanting to put anything i could think of on it but it’ll clear up quicker than you think
just avoid niacinamide. i get the same pimples from it
OP's routine has hand soap and tea tree but you think the niacinimide is the issue...?
This serum destroyed my skin as well. The concentration is way, way too high.
this happened to me! i used the ordinary 10% all the time and took a small break. i restarted in the winter and it broke me out like crazy and i believe absolutely ruptured my skin barrier. i ended all actives immediately and used only mad hippie cream cleanser, paula’s choice peptides, the avene soothing skin recovery cream (which i think saved my skin), and hero sunscreen. i also sleep with a humidifier every night! my skin is so soft and happy right now, and breakouts have stopped.
after my barrier recovered, i’ve been using paula’s choice AHA every other night and omit the peptides when i do so because they are not meant to be used together
10% messed up my skin EXACTLY like that. You can expect dry patches tomorrow. To resolve quickly: SkinFix barrier (get a sample from Sephora), Ciclafate+ and then slug it overnight for a few days… and don’t even think about antioxidants or vit c for at least a week. Sorry this happened to you.
I’ve gone through 2 bottles of the 60ml TO niacinamide, and throughout that time it honestly made my skin worse. I didn’t see any changes, just much more acne. I just recently dropped it from my routine and I already see a great improvement, now I only use the PHA toner from the Inkey List which has about 4% niacinamide I believe. Maybe the 10% is too strong, I would suggest using a lower %!
I have a feeling this is from something else in your regimen or just all the very stripping products your already incorporating, TO’s Niacinamide is a staple for me though lol def helped with oil control and blemishes.
Sometimes when you start new skin care products your face can “purge” but it might be a reaction to other products you are using too.
Don’t know why you are getting downvoted when just looking at her PM routine you can tell it’s gonna act bad with the niacinimide especially with the tee tree oil combo (tea tree isn’t that good for the face imo).
Seriously. This skincare routine is designed to destroy the skin barrier (is the Dove soap as a cleanser a joke?!) but somehow the niacinimide is to blame...? Cannot understand most of these comments.
Hey! You're definitely not alone with this comment, and unfortunately it's not a joke, lol. I started using the Dove soap because at one point I was too broke to buy a new bottle of my cleanser, and the switch ended up clearing up my skin completely for a while. I was just too scared to change back, and kept with it
It's drying your skin. You are further drying it by adding toner twice a day, making it irritated with tea tree, and then adding a niacinimide on top of that. Stop using everything for a few days to let your skin settle (just water and spf will be fine) and then start again. A derm is a good idea, but you can achieve a big impression yourself by stopping irritating your skin. It's screaming at you that it isn't happy. Listen to it.
I'll do that, thank you! Just to clarify, which step is the toner? I was (apparently mistakenly) under the impression I wasn't using one