Niacinamide

Product Information

CosmySupplies supplies Niacinamide cosmetic grade (INCI: Niacinamide, CAS: 98-92-0) in India. Assay specification NMT 99.0%. White crystalline powder. Water-soluble — add to water phase. Use at 2 to 10% in serums, toners, and creams. Skin conditioning and humectant active. Compatible with most cosmetic actives including Hyaluronic Acid, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Bakuchiol, and AHAs. COA available on request. Shipped from Bengaluru across India.

INCI: Niacinamide  |  CAS: 98-92-0  |  Common Names: Niacinamide | Nicotinamide | Vitamin B3  |  Molecular Formula: C6H6N2O  |  Molecular Weight: 122.12

COSING Functions: Skin Conditioning Agent | Humectant | Smoothing Agent | Antistatic

Water Phase: Yes. Add directly to water phase. Water-soluble.

Used In: Brightening Serums | Oily Skin Toners | Moisturisers | Eye Creams | Cleansers | Face Masks | Hair Care

Niacinamide (nicotinamide) is the amide form of Vitamin B3 (niacin). It is one of the most extensively studied cosmetic skin conditioning actives, with a large body of peer-reviewed published research supporting its efficacy in cosmetic formulations at concentrations from 2% to 10%. Unlike some cosmetic actives where the evidence base is primarily in vitro or from supplier-funded studies, Niacinamide has multiple independent clinical studies confirming changes in skin surface parameters with regular topical application.

In cosmetic formulation, Niacinamide is valued for its unique combination of properties: it is water-soluble, highly stable across a wide pH range (4.0 to 8.0), compatible with most other cosmetic actives, non-irritating at standard use concentrations, and effective across multiple skin conditioning functions simultaneously. This combination makes it one of the most versatile and commercially valuable cosmetic actives available — explaining why it appears in the Pairs Well With section of nearly every Actives page in the CSW catalogue.

Benefits

•        Skin conditioning and humectant: Niacinamide is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and smoothing agent. Multiple published studies confirm changes in skin surface moisture and conditioning parameters with regular topical Niacinamide application at 2 to 5% concentrations.

•        Pore appearance and sebum regulation: Published studies have investigated Niacinamide's effects on facial sebum production and pore appearance at 2 to 5% concentrations. 

•        Broad active compatibility: Niacinamide is compatible with Hyaluronic Acid, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Bakuchiol, AHAs (Glycolic and Lactic Acid), Retinol, Betaine, Glycerin, and standard cosmetic preservatives and emulsifiers. The concern about niacin flushing from Niacinamide plus L-Ascorbic Acid combinations is associated with pharmaceutical concentrations of L-AA, not cosmetic use levels. Ethyl Ascorbic Acid (the CSW stable Vitamin C) has no such concern at cosmetic concentrations.

•        pH stability across 4.0 to 8.0: Niacinamide is stable across a wide pH range of 4.0 to 8.0 per published cosmetic chemistry literature. This is a formulation advantage — it does not require a low-pH environment like AHAs and does not degrade at the pH range of standard cosmetic serums and creams (pH 5.0 to 7.0).

•        Water-soluble and heat-stable: Niacinamide is fully water-soluble and heat-stable up to standard cosmetic processing temperatures (up to 80 degrees Celsius), enabling addition to the hot water phase as well as cool-down addition. This processing flexibility makes it one of the easiest cosmetic actives to incorporate into formulations.

Applications

Serum — Primary Application: Niacinamide at 5% in a water-based serum is the most commercially successful single-active serum format in the Indian indie skin care market. Combine with Hyaluronic Acid at 0.1 to 0.5% and Betaine at 2 to 3% for a comprehensive three-active skin conditioning serum. Target pH 5.5 to 6.5. Preserve with Euxyl PE 9010 at 0.5 to 1%.

Oily Skin Toner: Niacinamide at 3 to 5% in a water-based toner for oily and combination skin. Can be combined with Tea Tree Hydrosol as the water base, Betaine, and Sodium Benzoate preservation at pH below 5.0. One of the most commercially requested DIY formulations in the Indian indie market.

Moisturiser: At 2 to 5% in the water phase of a moisturiser. Compatible with all standard emulsifier systems. Can be combined with Glycerin, Betaine, Hyaluronic Acid, and Bakuchiol (oil phase) in a multifunctional day or night moisturiser.

Eye Cream: At 2 to 3% in the water phase of an eye area formulation. The gentle, non-irritating profile of Niacinamide at these concentrations makes it appropriate for periorbital application.

Face Mask: At 3 to 5% in a sheet mask or rinse-off mask base. Niacinamide is effective at the contact times of leave-on mask applications.

Hair Care: At 0.5 to 2% in shampoos and hair conditioners as a scalp conditioning and hair shaft conditioning active. The water solubility and surfactant compatibility of Niacinamide enables direct addition to shampoo bases.

How to Use

Recommended Use Level: 2 to 10% of total formula weight. Cosroma TDS recommends 0.5 to 5.0%. Published formulation literature supports up to 10% for skin conditioning applications. The commercially established serum concentration is 5%. For sensitive skin products, 2 to 3% is appropriate.

Phase Addition: Water-soluble. Add directly to the water phase at any temperature up to 80 degrees Celsius. Niacinamide dissolves readily in water at both ambient and elevated temperatures. It can be added in the hot water phase or at cool-down — processing flexibility is one of its key formulation advantages.

pH Range: Stable at pH 4.0 to 8.0. Target finished product pH 5.0 to 7.0 for standard skin care formulations.

Preservative Compatibility: Compatible with all standard cosmetic preservative systems. No known incompatibilities with phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, or parabens at standard use concentrations.

Niacinamide and Vitamin C: Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is fully compatible with Niacinamide at cosmetic use concentrations. L-Ascorbic Acid at high concentrations (above 10%) combined with high-concentration Niacinamide (above 5%) has been associated with potential niacin formation in published literature — however this concern is not relevant at the cosmetic concentrations used in Indian indie serum formulations and is not relevant when using Ethyl Ascorbic Acid.

Claims You Can Make

For your label and marketing:

Skin Conditioning Active | Vitamin B3 | Humectant | Niacinamide | Smoothing Agent | Water-Soluble Active

For your formulator brief:

Skin Conditioning Agent | Humectant | Smoothing Agent | Niacinamide INCI confirmed | CAS 98-92-0 | 99% assay specification | Water-soluble | Stable pH 4.0 to 8.0 | Heat-stable to 80 degrees C | Use 2 to 10%

For formulation ratios, batch guidance, and troubleshooting support, contact the CosmySupplies team directly.

WhatsApp   |  Email: info@cosmysupplies.com

Technical Information

Pairs Well With

Hyaluronic Acid at 0.1 to 0.5% alongside Niacinamide at 5% creates the most commercially successful two-active serum base in the Indian indie skin care market. The Niacinamide provides the skin conditioning function; the HA provides the humectant hydration base. Every indie brand founder building a first serum should start with this combination. Target pH 5.5 to 6.5.

Ethyl Ascorbic Acid at 2% in the water phase alongside Niacinamide at 5% creates a dual-active brightening and skin conditioning serum. Ethyl Ascorbic Acid's stability at pH 5 to 6.5 means the Niacinamide and EAA can coexist in the same formulation without the L-AA compatibility concern.

Bakuchiol at 0.5 to 1% in the oil phase of an emulsion alongside Niacinamide at 3 to 5% in the water phase creates a premium multi-active skin conditioning cream or serum where both actives contribute skin conditioning function through different mechanisms.

Glycolic Acid or Lactic Acid at working concentrations alongside Niacinamide at 5% creates a two-step regimen: AHA toner (acidic pH for exfoliant activity) followed after 10 to 15 minutes by Niacinamide serum (pH 5.5 to 6.5). In a single product combining both, target pH 5.0 — this moderates exfoliant activity but enables Niacinamide conditioning function.

Tea Tree Hydrosol as the water base of a Niacinamide toner (94% Tea Tree Hydrosol + 5% Niacinamide + 1% Euxyl PE 9010) creates the most commercially relevant oily skin toner formulation in the CSW range — a three-ingredient toner with complete active, carrier, and preservation system.

Betaine Powder at 2 to 3% alongside Niacinamide at 5% in a toner or serum adds osmolyte-based humectant function, creating a three-mechanism skin conditioning product: Niacinamide (skin conditioning) + HA (humectant) + Betaine (osmolyte). A premium serum active base.

Nano Retinol at 5 to 10% in the water phase of a night cream alongside Niacinamide at 3 to 5% creates a multi-active night cream where Niacinamide provides the skin conditioning and pore conditioning function and the liposomal retinol provides the Vitamin A skin conditioning active.

Important Information

For formulation use in cosmetic products. Water-soluble cosmetic active. For external cosmetic use in finished products only. Keep out of reach of children. Store sealed below 30 degrees Celsius away from light.