Index / Paula's Choice / 5% Niacinamide Body Serum
Paula's Choice

5% Niacinamide Body Serum.

Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum
Body & Tan

About this product

A 5% niacinamide serum formulated for body skin, designed to be used alone or alongside other active ingredients like retinoids.

Type

Body & TanDrops & dropper

Key actives

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

75%

Approved

3 experts · Moderate agreement
3Gurus
2Approved
1Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

This niacinamide formula earns consistent praise as an excellent pairing partner for retinol and other body actives. Reviewers incorporate it into their daily routines with retinoids and consistently describe the pairing as genuinely transformative. For anyone already using actives on their body, this serum is gentle enough to layer without irritation, making it straightforward to add to an existing regimen.
Synthesized from 3 expert reviews · most recent take October 2023

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
Approved
"For a dedicated body product with [...] other helpful ingredients, [...] for example the Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum."
Approved
"What I've been using most recently is Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum. It's no secret I'm a big fan of Paula's Choice niacinamide formulas, they're amongst my all-time favorites. It's just such a great formula for your skin and great to pair with retinol or any other actives you use. Ideally this is what I use every day together with the retinol, it's a great pairing and it's been quite transformative."
Mixed
"Update on the Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum, I've got to say I think this works as a facial moisturizer better than as a body moisturizer. It's kind of lightweight, it's not that body consistency, it's more a really lightweight lotion."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum?

A 5% niacinamide serum formulated for body skin, designed to be used alone or alongside other active ingredients like retinoids.

Is Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum worth it?

Mostly yes. 2 of the 3 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 75%.

What is Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum's Guru Score?

Paula's Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum holds a Guru Score of 75%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 3 expert reviewers we have collected.

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