The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% Zinc 1% Review

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I purchased The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum when it was newly launched in India and I was curious to explore more Ordinary products. From salicylic acid to peeling solution, I tried most of the Ordinary products for which you can read reviews here. Some did great while some were disappointing. I bought The Ordinary Niacinamide to reduce the congestion, blemishes, and marks for which I was using Minimalist Alpha-Arbutin earlier.

But, because Minimalist changed its formulation and started causing more harm than good, I stopped using that Brand and continued with my Nykaa SkinRx or these Ordinary serums. By the way, I loved my experience with Nykaa SkinRx serums. They are a bit on the milder side and definitely slow when compared to ordinary but they bring results in the safest way without causing any reactions. Not even their Retinol caused any irritation.

Coming back to The Ordinary Niacinamide and Zinc Serum, it’s been so long since I have been using this, gave a little break which I will tell you why and how it worked for me so if you have been looking for The Ordinary Niacinamide 10 + Zinc 1 Review, you are on the right page.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Price: Rs.550/- for 30ml

Available at The Ordinary, Lookfantastic, and Sephora.

Product Description

High-strength vitamin and mineral formula.

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) is indicated to reduce the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion. A high 10% concentration of this vitamin alongside zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid has been shown to significantly reinforce skin barrier function, improve skin smoothness, and increase skin radiance over time.

Contraindications: If topical vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid and/or ethylated l-ascorbic acid) is used as part of skincare, it should be applied at alternate times with this formula (ideally vitamin C in the PM and this formula in the AM). Otherwise, niacinamide can affect the integrity of the vitamin C.

Notes: While niacinamide and zinc PCA reduce the look of blemishes and brighten skin tone, neither is a treatment for acne. For persistent acne-related conditions, it is recommended to speak to your healthcare provider regarding treatment options. This formulation can be used alongside acne treatments if desired for added visible skin benefits.

• Concern: Anti-Blemish, Spots, Pores, Congestion
• Skin Type: Oily skin, regular skin, combination skin, dry skin, sensitive skin
• Preference: Alcohol-free, oil-free, silicone-free, nut-free, vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free.

Ingredients

• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): Reduces the appearance of skin blemishes and signs of congestion; visibly brightens skin tone.
• Zinc PCA: Visibly regulates excess sebum activity.

Full Ingredient List: Aqua (Water), Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc Pca, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

• Apply to the entire face morning and evening before heavier creams.
• If irritation occurs, cease use and consult a physician.
• Use only as directed on unbroken skin.
• Patch testing prior to use is advised.
• Keep out of reach of children.

How to Use

Patch test: Patch tests are an easy way to help predict if you may experience a negative initial reaction to a new product. It is recommended to perform a patch test before incorporating any new product into your regimen. The brand has outlined a general method for conducting your own patch test below based on the type of product.

• Apply a small amount of the product onto a clean skin area on the upper forearm.
• Keep the skin dry.
• If the product has a specified duration of use, rinse off after this time has elapsed. Otherwise, rinse off after 24 hours.
• If any redness, burning, itching, blistering, or irritation is observed at any time throughout the test, do not use the product.

As stated on the website of Nykaa.

Review – The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

My Skin Type: My skin used to be super oily but ever since I got my eczema back, it is all-time dry now. Sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Packaging: It comes in standard TheOrdinary packaging with a translucent bottle and a dropper cap. Safe to store, use, and travel with.

Fragrance: No Fragrance as such.

My Experience

I was aware of the Niacinamide serum benefits and when I bought this, I had really oily skin active marks and tiny little dots of congestion. It’s not like the peeling solution or salicylic acid wasn’t working but I had this excitement to try The Ordinary Niacinamide too.

I started using this every day in the morning before my moisturizer and for the night, I stick to the Ordinary salicylic acid or Nykaa Hyaluronic acid. The first thing I noticed was the texture and consistency. It had this transparent slightly thicker texture. It wasn’t a completely runny or water-like consistency.

I poured a few drops onto my palm and gently tapped all over my face. I could feel that little stickiness that wasn’t bothering me but couldn’t ignore either. After a minute of tapping and massaging, it was absorbed by my skin.

A few days later, what I experienced was, every time I applied this Niacinamide serum, it was lathering up and leaving a white sticky substance behind. At first, I thought maybe I didn’t wash off my cleanser completely and not it is lathering up. I felt so uncomfortable that I washed my face again with my all-time favorite Neutrogena face wash.

It wasn’t a regular thing, but it kept happening. The serum was used to lather up and I had gently press the serum against my skin for a few minutes until it was fully absorbed.

Within the first few weeks of using The Ordinary Niacinamide serum daily, I started seeing some results. It looked like my skin was a little more supple than usual and the congestion on the forehead was somewhat minimized. After a month or so, It felt like it has worked on the tiny brown marks and they looked a little faded.

It also controlled excess oil production up to some level which was a plus point when I had oily skin but not so much when I had dryness going on during winter.

Other than that, I didn’t notice much of the difference and for months, the progress looked the same. Neither my congestion was completely clear nor the marks were completely faded.

After months, when I started using Retinol, and even though I loved the positive results, it caused so much redness and peeling of the skin that I had to stop using Retinol until my skin heals back. During this time, I wasn’t using any other face serum at all.

Also, Read: Bioderma Cicabio Arnica Cream Review

When I notice that the redness is increasing and my eczema blemishes seems to have been triggered, I thought of using Niacinamide to calm the redness and it was the worst decision ever. Niacinamide is considered to be effective on redness and calm the skin but it caused an intense burning sensation on the redness that I had tears in my eyes I am not kidding. Ever since The Ordinary Niacinamide is sitting on my shelf.

My eczema was in full swing and my doctor asked me to not use anything other than the Efatop moisturizer. Now, today, after months when my skin is finally normal even though it is still in the dry zone, I thought of finishing up my bottle of Niacinamide and what I noticed was that the texture has gotten a little thicker than before.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% Zinc 1% Product Images

This was it for today. I hope you have liked my review on The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% helpful. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Have a Good Day!