Niacinamide turns up in a huge number of products, and the gurus who have looked at it closely have quite a lot to say. Some are outright fans, pointing to a surprisingly long list of things it appears to do well. Others think the dedicated serums that have become so popular are pushing both the concentration and the marketing further than the evidence really supports.
The consensus
Across the positive takes, what keeps coming up is versatility. The experts describe niacinamide as something that can help balance oil production, support the skin barrier, reduce the appearance of dark spots, and offer some anti-aging benefit, which is a fairly unusual combination for a single ingredient. One guru also notes it works as a precursor to NAD+, a compound linked to cellular energy, and that applying it topically has actually been shown to raise NAD levels in the skin, meaning the benefit may run deeper than surface-level. Those same experts tend to say it fits easily into both morning and evening routines, though one favours the evening, applied to clean skin, as a starting point for anyone unsure when to use it.
In their words
"Niacinamide is amazing, an all-in-one skin care ingredient. It helps with ingredients, controls sebum, brightens the face, and does a lot of amazing things. It also has anti-aging benefits."
"Niacinamide is one of my favorite ingredients to see in skincare and honestly it can be mixed in skincare and often is without us even knowing it. While niacinamide can be used both morning and evening, I love it in the evenings, so my recommendation is to apply it in the evening and apply it to clean skin."
"Topical niacinamide. It is a precursor to NAD+. It's actually been shown to replenish and improve levels of NAD in the skin when applied topically."
"I followed that up with the Niacinamide Serum 12% plus Zinc 2% and this felt very hydrating as well. People love niacinamide serums. Niacinamide is an ingredient that's in a lot of skincare and for good reason. Niacinamide is amazing because it can do so many different things for the skin. If you have oily skin it can help to balance the oil, and when we have oily skin we want to balance not obliterate the oil. If you have dry skin niacinamide can also help with protecting and strengthening the skin's barrier. It also inhibits some of the processes when your sebaceous glands go crazy and you produce dark spots."
Where they disagree
The warmer camp sees niacinamide as a genuinely useful all-rounder that earns its place in almost any routine. The more critical voices take issue specifically with high-concentration serums, with one calling 10% dedicated niacinamide formulas overhyped and saying they should not be expected to visibly shrink pores. So the disagreement is less about whether niacinamide does anything and more about whether the standalone, high-dose serum format delivers what the marketing promises.
"But nyioinomide serums dedicated just to nyinomide at 10% concentrations. I'd say it's way too much. It's overhyped. It's not going to work on your pores."
"They came out with a sunscreen. I found that to be way too scented, so I didn't like that one."
The bottom line
The overall picture from the gurus is cautiously positive, with some real enthusiasm in there, but the caveats matter. Those drawn to a 10% or higher dedicated niacinamide serum may want to keep expectations realistic, particularly around pore size, which is where the skeptics say the hype outruns the results. For broader concerns like oiliness, barrier support, or uneven tone, the experts seem to feel the ingredient earns its reputation more comfortably.
The gurus who weighed in
This guide reflects what 8 skincare experts said about Niacinamide across their videos, aggregated by The Guru Index. The approval rating is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it. It is general information, not medical advice.