niacinamide
3 synonyms for niacinamide, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A form of vitamin B3, widely used as an ingredient in skincare products and also present in foods and supplements. It is water-soluble and appears on cosmetic ingredient lists under this name or as nicotinamide.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use niacinamide
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
niacinamide serum
10% niacinamide
niacinamide and zinc
topical niacinamide
Common on cosmetic packaging; nicotinamide is the name preferred in medical and nutritional writing for the same compound.
Etymology
From niacin plus amide, naming the amide form of that vitamin.
Full origin of niacinamide →Frequently asked questions
Is niacinamide the same as niacin?
They are two forms of vitamin B3 and are closely related, but they are not identical compounds. Niacin is the acid form and niacinamide is the amide form; skincare products almost always use niacinamide.
Why does niacinamide appear on so many ingredient lists?
It dissolves in water, is stable in a wide range of formulas and sits comfortably alongside many other common ingredients, which makes it easy for manufacturers to include. Its popularity is partly a formulation convenience.
What does the percentage on a niacinamide product mean?
It states the concentration of the ingredient in the formula by weight, so a five per cent product contains five parts niacinamide per hundred parts of the total mixture. A higher number is not automatically a better formula, since the rest of the ingredients matter too.
