Can You Use Vitamin C At Night and Niacinamide in The Morning?

If you’ve been around this part of the internet, you would have read our blog posts about whether you can use these powerhouse ingredients together. There is no denying that both niacinamide and vitamin C are highly effective and beneficial to include into your skincare routine. Whether you use them individually, or teamed together, the benefits you can expect to see will result in a complexion that is bright, smooth, and healthy. Now, if you find yourself still a little puzzled about how everything works, we have a blog post about using niacinamide and vitamin C so check that out to clear up any questions you have.

Before we dive into the topic today, here is a brief refresher on how these ingredients work on the skin.

What does vitamin C do for the skin?

Known and loved by many experts and dermatologists, and for good reason. Not only does vitamin C deliver brightening results to the complexion, but you’ll also find this potent powerhouse is able to keep your skin protected. It can do this because it is packed with antioxidants that work tirelessly to prevent damage caused from UV exposure, central heating, pollution, and other environmental aggressors. Vitamin C is also able to inhibit the enzyme known as tyrosinase from developing hyperpigmentation in the skin. There are also anti-inflammatory properties in vitamin C that help keep the complexion calm and helps reduce any redness.

If you wanted to know more about vitamin C, you can check out our dedicated blog post about vitamin C and its skincare benefits.

What does niacinamide do for the skin?

Niacinamide is a powerful form of vitamin B3 and works at repairing the skin. It contains humectant properties which work at drawing water surrounding the face and locking it into place. This leads to the skin feeling hydrated, moisturised, and healthy with the protective skin barrier being strengthened ensuring it can ward of any free radical damage. Unlike its fellow humectant, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide can regulate the production of sebum making it a highly effective ingredient for all skin types to benefit from.

If you wanted to know more about niacinamide and how it works on the skin, we’ve got a blog post for you here.

Can you use vitamin C and niacinamide?

Yes, you can, but it’s best to use them in the correct way to avoid any unwanted skin irritations. This is because both niacinamide and vitamin C aren’t compatible due to the fact they both perform similarly on the skin. When layering these ingredients together, you may think you super charge their benefits, but what you’ll find is both render the other useless. To reap the rewards, many skin experts suggest either waiting up to 15 minutes in between applications. This will allow enough time for the skin’s pH levels to rebalance and ensure you bypass any negative side effects. Another way of applying them is to alternate the time of day you use them on the skin, many prefer to benefit from the glow of vitamin C opting to apply it in the morning, following this with niacinamide in the evening to counteract any damage caused to the skin throughout the day.

How long should I wait between niacinamide and vitamin C?

As I have mentioned, waiting about 15 minutes between applications is the ideal way of bypassing any skin flare-ups. With both niacinamide and vitamin C performing similar benefits on the skin you want to ensure they each have their time to shine. The pH levels of each ingredient are also different with vitamin C having a low, more acidic pH level compared to niacinamide which is more neutral, closer to being alkaline. This is important to remembering when using these ingredients together as niacinamide will prevent vitamin C from working on the skin.

There is a blog post that answers more of your questions about how long you should wait between using niacinamide and vitamin C.

What goes first vitamin C or niacinamide?

This is very much dependent on the formulas each ingredient is blended in to. You may have already heard of the basic skin rule which is to apply your products starting with the thinnest consistency moving up to the thickest. You’ll often find both vitamin C and niacinamide are found in certain skincare products, such as serums. If you are wanting to use both during the same routine apply the thinner serum first, wait 15 minutes, then move onto the thicker consistency. From my experience you will find that the thicker of the two contains niacinamide as a gel-like will give the humectant traits a helping hand with hydrating the skin.

When should you use niacinamide morning or night?

This boils down to personal preference, in fact, there is nothing stopping you from using niacinamide twice a day. You will find there are different benefits to using niacinamide in the morning and night. Many find that when they apply it in the morning their skin reaps the rewards of the continuous hydration keeping the skin barrier at its healthiest state and able to protect itself from further skin damage. Others find that applying niacinamide in the evening ensures the potent ingredient can work at repairing and regenerating the skin without being disrupted from exposure to free radicals such as UV light and pollution.

Can I use vitamin C at night?

Absolutely you can use vitamin C at night. Although it has an association with daytime application many find that using products enriched in vitamin C throughout their evening routine deliver impressive results. You will find that the skin is repaired, rejuvenated, and any damage caused from your daily tasks are erased, and all of this whilst you catch up on your beauty sleep.

Is vitamin C or niacinamide better for dark spots?

Both ingredients are highly effective at combating dark spots, the one you choose to use is down to personal preference or rather, which one your skin prefers. You’ll often find that for some using vitamin C formulas can sometimes be too potent for the skin, if this is the case, switch over to niacinamide for a gentler alternative.

There you have it, some more information about using vitamin C at night and niacinamide in the morning. If you have any further skincare questions, come, and find us on Instagram.