During our six-week The Ordinary Niacinamide review, we noticed a significant improvement in the health and appearance of our skin. It looks brighter, less congested and is much less oily which means our makeup sits better and for longer without sliding off.
This was also confirmed by our smart mirror tests. After six weeks, the appearance of our pores vastly improved. We had fewer dark spots and red spots, our wrinkles were less noticeable and our dark circles aren’t as bad as they were.
Due to the fact the serum helped balance our oiliness, our skin was drier than usual. For us, this is a positive thing because it shows that the serum worked, as promised. As long as we continued to use our moisturiser and hydrating toner, this didn’t cause us any problems, redness, or flaky skin. That said, if your skin is prone to dryness or its sensitive, this serum might make things worse.
The only real negative is that after six weeks, the roughness and texture of our skin declined according to the smart mirror. Although it wasn’t something we noticed ourselves, to the touch or when looking in a regular mirror.
For £5 we hadn’t expected a huge amount from this serum but we were very pleasantly surprised by its consistency, how easy it is to use, its before and after results and its formula. It performed so well, and it’s so affordable that we recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. Plus, at this price it’s worth a try even if it doesn’t work as well as it did for us.
| Boots | £5 |
| Cult Beauty | £5 |
| Sephora | £5 |
| Lookfantastic | £5 |
In our Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% review we put its promises of brighter, clearer, and more balanced skin to the test over six weeks before revealing the results on our smart mirror
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How to use The Ordinary Niacinamide
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The Ordinary is a mamabella favourite because it offers a wide range of high-quality products that do as they promise, and which don’t break the bank.
As you can read in our The Ordinary spotlight, the brand’s philosophy is to provide effective skincare solutions with straightforward branding, avoiding the use of unnecessary fillers and marketing BS.
The brand has a strong focus on science and uses clinical formulations that are supported by research and clinical studies.
The Ordinary’s skincare line includes serums, acids, and creams that target specific skin concerns such as ageing, acne, enlarged pores, pigmentation, and more. We’ve explained which The Ordinary products work for each concern here.
And one of its bestsellers is The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%.
As its name suggests, this serum contains a high concentration of niacinamide, alongside zinc – two superstar ingredients that help with breakouts, and brighten dull, acne-prone skin.
It promises to clear your complexion, even your skin tone, and control sebum. All for just £5.
In our The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% review, we put these claims to the test to discover if it’s really as good as it seems, or if it’s actually too good to be true.
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With its high-quality ingredients and low prices, The Ordinary has become a popular choice among skincare enthusiasts.
It sells a range of serums designed to target specific concerns, or which concentrate on just one or two ingredients. The main ones being The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, (£5), The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (£7.90), The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (£9.9o), The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque (£11.80) and The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA (£9).
There are other products in the range but these are the ones the brand has become best known for, and which between them cover the majority of skin concerns. And the cheapest of which is the The Ordinary Niacinamide serum.
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mamabella | mamabella What is The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum? The Ordinary describes its Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum as “a potent serum that regulates sebum production and blemish-causing bacteria for a visibly clearer complexion.”
The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum price: £5 (30ml)
How to use The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum: The Ordinary recommends using the Niacinamide serum twice a day before heavier creams. We use it after cleansing and toning, while our face is still damp, before applying our moisturiser on top. It shouldn’t be used on broken skin, and it shouldn’t be used with any products that contain pure Vitamin C. If you’re unsure if a product contains Vitamin C, look for the name “ascorbic acid” in the ingredients list.
When to use The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum: It can be used AM, and PM.
Who should use The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum? Suitable for all skin types but is particularly good for large pores, dark spots, and oily, acne-prone skin.
Where to buy: Boots | Cult Beauty | Sephora | Lookfantastic
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We have mature, oily, acne-prone skin that errs on the side of sensitive. For our The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum review, we used it twice daily for six weeks. You can read more about how we test skincare here.
In the morning, we patted a dropper of the serum onto damp skin after cleansing and toning. We then applied moisturiser and SPF.
In the evening, we repeated the above; we patted a dropper of the serum onto our face and neck after cleansing and toning, before applying eye cream and moisturiser. Twice a week we also do skin slugging.
At the start of the six-week trial, we scanned our face using our HiMirror Skin Analyser and repeated this test at the end of The Ordinary Niacinamide review period. We also noted how the serum felt on our skin throughout and any problems we encountered.
FURTHER READING: How we test skincare to see if it lives up to its claims
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mamabella | mamabella The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a serum so you use it on clean skin – so after you’ve cleansed your face – but before moisturisers or oils.
It’s gentle enough to be used morning, and night and to get the best results we recommend using it while your skin is still damp. Either before you dry your cleansed face, or after using a toner or facial mist.
Niacinamide and zinc play nicely with most other ingredients but The Ordinary says this serum shouldn’t be used with any products that contain pure Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. This is because the two ingredients offer very similar benefits to the skin and when used together, they have been known to cause irritation.
If you want to use a Vitamin C product with this serum, we recommend using niacinamide in the morning, and Vitamin C in the evening.
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mamabella | mamabella The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum is slightly thicker than water and has a sticky, tacky feel to it
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a lightweight serum that we found easy to incorporate into our existing skincare routine. It didn’t cause any skin purging or breakouts, and we didn’t experience any irritation.
The serum has a slightly viscous texture that glides smoothly onto the skin and absorbs quickly without leaving any residue. So much so, you don’t need to use much. The reason we recommend you use it on damp skin is because it helps carry the serum into the skin, but it also helps to distribute it evenly before it’s quickly absorbed.
In terms of formula, the serum has a lightweight, non-greasy feel, and during our six-week The Ordinary Niacinamide review we’ve definitely noticed a significant improvement in the overall health and appearance of our skin. It looks brighter and less congested and our makeup doesn’t slide off as much as it normally would, because our skin isn’t as oily.
We did notice that our skin was slightly drier than usual, but for us, that was a positive thing. It worked, as promised, to reduce sebum and balance our natural oiliness, and as long as we continued to use our moisturiser (SkinFix Triple Barrier) and hydrating toner (Fenty Skin Fat Water), this didn’t cause us any problems, redness, or flaky skin.
If you have dry skin, you may need to limit your use of this serum and use a hyaluronic acid serum or similar alongside it to maintain hydration.
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mamabella | mamabella In our smart mirror tests, almost every single skin concern improved over our six-week The Ordinary Niacinamide review period
In our smart mirror tests, almost every single skin concern improved over our six-week The Ordinary Niacinamide review period.
The biggest improvement was seen in the appearance of our pores, and red spots both rising seven points each – from 83 (good) to 90 (very good), and from 70 (could be improved) to 77 (good) respectively. Each skin feature is given a total score out of 100 and the higher the number, the better the result.
Dark spots improved, as did dark circles. Fine lines remained the same, but roughness got worse.
The differences are shown in the table below.
| Before | After | Difference | |
| Dark Spots | 64 | 67 | +3 |
| Wrinkles | 70 | 78 | +7 |
| Red Spots | 70 | 77 | +7 |
| Pores | 83 | 90 | +7 |
| Fine Lines | 60 | 60 | 0 |
| Roughness | 67 | 64 | -3 |
| Dark Circles | 75 | 76 | +1 |
For each score, the higher the number, the better. A negative difference shows that the skin got worse, and a positive difference shows it improved.
@victoria_woolly_web The drop isn’t surprising. Both niacinamide and zinc can help balance sebum and this makes them drying at the best of times, let alone at such a high concentration. The fact this serum increased after an hour then was actually decent. This isn’t a hydrating serum and doesn’t promise to be, but it can help brighten the skin and deal with pigmentation #mamabella #bestserum #bestserums #bestserumsofar #niacinamideserum #niacinamidetheordinary #theordinary #theordinaryskincare #niacinamideandzinc ♬ Flowers – Miley Cyrus
During our six-week The Ordinary Niacinamide review, we’ve noticed a significant improvement in the health and appearance of our skin. It looks brighter, less congested and is much less oily which means our makeup sits much better and for longer without sliding off.
This was also confirmed by our smart mirror tests. After six weeks, the appearance of our pores vastly improved. We had fewer dark spots and red spots, our wrinkles were less noticeable and our dark circles aren’t as bad as they were.
Due to the fact the serum helped balance our oiliness, our skin was drier than usual. For us, this is a positive thing because it shows that the serum worked, as promised. As long as we continued to use our moisturiser (SkinFix Triple Barrier) and hydrating toner (Fenty Skin Fat Water), this didn’t cause us any problems, redness, or flaky skin. That said, if your skin is prone to dryness or its sensitive, this serum might make things worse.
The only real negative is that after six weeks, the roughness and texture of our skin declined according to the smart mirror. Although it wasn’t something we noticed ourselves, to the touch or when looking in a regular mirror.
For £5 we hadn’t expected a huge amount from this serum but we were very pleasantly surprised by its consistency, how easy it is to use, its before and after results and its formula. It performed so well, and it’s so affordable that we recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. Plus, at this price it’s worth a try even if it doesn’t work as well as it did for us.
The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum is slightly thicker than water and has a sticky, tacky feel to it. When applied to dry skin, it feels slimy and tight. When massaged into damp or wet skin, it tends to lather and stick to our palms, yet when patted gently into wet or damp skin, it feels smoother and absorbs well.
The main ingredient (other than water) in this serum is niacinamide. Also known as Vitamin B3, niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that has multiple benefits for the skin.
It’s typically used to brighten and even skin tone by improving the appearance of hyperpigmentation, age spots, and other skin discolourations. Yet it’s also been shown to help repair the skin barrier, which can help retain moisture and improve overall skin texture and firmness while reducing inflammation.
In particular, niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce redness and calm irritated skin and has a soothing effect on acne-prone skin, which can help reduce breakouts.
Elsewhere, niacinamide has been shown to improve the production of ceramides, which are lipids that help maintain the skin’s barrier and prevent moisture loss. This can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
mamabella | mamabella The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a lightweight serum that we found easy to incorporate into our existing skincare routine. It didn’t cause any skin purging or breakouts, and we didn’t experience any irritation
The next most abundant ingredient in the serum is Zinc, or specifically Zinc PCA. Zinc helps balance sebum production to make the skin less oily which in turn helps prevent bacteria from causing spots and acne. PCA then stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and it’s a molecule found naturally in the skin that helps improve hydration.
Zinc is an essential mineral that has been shown to be great at healing the skin and reducing the appearance of scars. It has antioxidant properties that can help protect the skin from free radicals, which can cause damage to skin cells, and it has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce redness and calm irritated skin.
Like niacinamide, Zinc has also been shown to have a calming effect on acne-prone skin and can help reduce breakouts.
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The following list of ingredients is taken from the INCI Decoder website. You can hover over each ingredient to find out more about it.
The numbers next to each ingredient represent its Irritation Rating (the number to the left of the comma), and then Comedogenic Rating (to the right of the comma).
Both ratings are scored out of five and the higher the number, the higher the chance of it causing irritation, or comedones (spots). Green means it has a low rating so is less likely to cause problems. Yellow and red numbers represent high ratings and are more likely to cause problems.
cci|sb|aacne|h, Zinc Pca 
aacne|h, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum h|vc, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Carrageenan vc, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum vc, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil emu|surf, Ethoxydiglycol solv|h|perf 0 0, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amicHover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
