Tina Weitz, an educator from NIA24, is here to tell us what pairing niacin, found in all NIA24 products, with retinol can do for your skin.

What’s retinol without niacin? Like Batman without Robin or milk without cookies, they’re fine on their own, but together they are at their best! Retinol, a vitamin A derivative, has long been accepted as the gold standard in topical wrinkle prevention but did you know that pairing retinol with niacin, aka vitamin B3, can enhance results and improve tolerability? Here’s a quick look at how each work and why they work best when used together.

The Benefits of Retinol

Retinols have been hailed as the most effective topical wrinkle prevention ingredient for decades because once retinol is applied to the skin, it gets converted to its active form, retinoic acid. Once retinoic acid is active it stimulates cellular division, prompting cells to divide and turn over more quickly.

As we age we produce less collagen, a compound that acts like scaffolding—literally the structure that holds up our skin. Once collagen fibers begin to break down, our skin sags and wrinkles are created. Retinoic acid helps to signal the cells responsible for generating collagen production, helping skin stay firm and wrinkle free.

The Benefits of Niacin

Young, healthy skin cells have a repair mechanism built into the cell’s DNA structure that allows damaged cells to be repaired before migrating to the skin’s surface. Aging, sun damage and other environmental factors can inhibit the cell’s ability to repair itself, allowing damaged cells to rise to the surface. Impaired cell production slows cellular division, allowing for hyperpigmented brown spots and impaired barrier function, which results in moisture loss, leaving the skin feeling dry and tight.

The active form of niacin, NAD, is the compound your cells use to kick-start and energize the cellular repair process so that new generations of healthier cells are born. Once cells are repaired, they protect against hyperpigmentation and create a stronger, healthier skin barrier.

The Benefits of Retinol + Niacin

When paired together, retinoic acid helps the new, healthier generations of niacin-enhanced cells to the surface more quickly. Additionally, when used together, your skin is better able to convert retinol into retinoic acid for faster results. Finally, because niacin strengthens the skin’s barrier, retinoic acid becomes less irritating and more tolerable, ensuring it stays part of your daily regimen.

The one-two punch of retinol and niacin work synergistically for overall improvements in texture, tone, wrinkle reduction and skin firmness that you will see and feel for many years to come. Try NIA 24 Intensive Retinol Repair which combines patented Pro-Niacin with two forms of retinol for fast, powerful results.

Have you tried any of the NIA24 products? Share with us in the comments below, or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #LovelySkin.