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Everything to know about Niacinamide

Topics Discussed;

Benefits of Niacinamide

Making a Niacinamide Toner for First Time Formulators

How to Write a Formula

Why pH is Important

Formulating Misinformation

How to Lower pH

How to Raise pH

What is a Chelating Agent?

How to Make a Professional Niacinamide Toner

How to Make a Professional Niacinamide Serum

How to Make a Professional Niacinamide Moisturizer  





Skin Benefits of Naicnamide

If there is one active ingredient I would recommend to everyone, it is definitely Niaicnamide. AKA - Vitamin B3


Benefits of Niacinamide

  • Help Clear Acne

  • Calm Inflammation

  • Reduce Redness

  • Helps Reduce Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL)

  • Anti-Aging

  • Reduces Hyperpigmentation 

  • Strengthen Acid Mantle (protective layer of skin)


You can easily say an ingredient has all these benefits, but how do we actually know it’s true? 

Luckily for us there have been plenty of studies done on Niacinamide, so we have lots of research on this ingredient to show it actually works and it actually penetrates deep into our skin.


What also makes Niacinamide amazing, is that it is great for every skin type and tone. So if you are looking to help treat any of these skin issues I’ve mention, I highly recommend adding niacinamide into your skincare routine. 


If you find your skin feeling irritated or get that tight squeaky feeling after cleansing, this could mean you’ve damaged your acid mantle and adding niacinamide into your daily skincare routine can do wonders to repair it. 



Formulating with Niacinamide 

From a formulators standpoint, Niaciamide is so easy to incorporate into all kinds of products because it is water soluble. Since it is water soluble it’s not recommended to be used in wash off products. The niacinamide will just get washed right down the drain and won’t stay on the skin. So only add niacinamide into leave on products like moisturizers, serums and toners. Add it directly into water, mix for a couple seconds until it dissolves, and you’ll see exactly how easy it is. 


Now hold on! You can’t just go mixing together water and niacinamide powder and applying that directly to your face. First off, you need a preservative

Where there is water there is life, so bacteria yeast and mold will immediately start growing in that bottle if it isn’t preserved properly. & no putting it in the fridge isn’t good enough.


The easiest preservative to use is Liquid Germall Plus. All you need to do is add in 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus in your water and niacinamide and there ya go, now you don’t need to worry about it spoiling. 


But how in the world do we know how much 0.5% is?

If we take a look at the description for the niacinamide we bought we will see it says, “Recommended Usage: 1-6%” 

This means we also need to be mindful of only using niacinamide between 1-6% as well.



How to Write a Formula

This is how you write a formula for any cosmetic product. The formula needs to add up to 100%. So no matter how many ingredients you use, you need to have a total of 100%

As of now we know we need 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus  because that is what is mentioned in the Recommended Usage Rate. Then we need to keep the niacinamide between 1-6%. For this example, lets go with 2% niacinamide.


We currently have in our formula

2% Niacinamide


Then for the rest of the formula we can just add in distilled water. But remember, the formula needs to add up to 100% So we need to figure out what amount we have left in our formula. To do this we just need to add up the current percentages we have, 

0.5 + 2 which equals 2.5

So currently we have a total of 2.5% of ingredients in our formula. 

Subtract 2.5 from 100 which equals 97.5.   100 - 2.5 = 97.5

Now we know we will need 97.5% distilled water to make this formula equal 100%


You just wrote a simple formula for a niacinamide toner! Wasn’t that easy!


To make things more fun, instead of distilled water you could use rose hydrosol, aloe vera liquid, lavender hydrosol, or any other hydrosols. Also keep in mind that you need to use distilled water, no other water will work. 


Now you have your formula, but how in the world do we make this a recipe? How do you measure out 0.5% of something?


Let’s pretend we want to make 100 grams of this niacinamide toner.

All you need to do is turn the percent signs into a grams signs. 


& there you go, now you have a 100 gram batch of your niacinamide toner.

But what if you want to make more. What if you want to make a 650 gram batch of niacinamide toner?


You can just google “what is 0.5% of 650” Google will give you all the answers you need. You can also do the math by moving decimal points. I’ve explained this process on my channel before and I have a video that goes in depth on how to turn formulas into recipes and how to write a formula so I will link those videos below so you can watch those to learn more.


Now there is one last thing you have to learn about before you go slapping that DIY niacinamide toner on your face.


Yeah I know, but this next lesson applies to almost every single cosmetic product you will ever make, So it’s important you also understand this next topic. 


pH

Here is what a pH scale looks like 

As you can see on your left the number gets lower but the pH becomes more acidic. So from a pH of 1 to 6 is considered acidic. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. This is the pH of water. & a pH of 8 - 14 is considered alkaline or “basic”


Our skins natural pH is between 4.5 - 5.5 & typically most skin care products are in between those levels, but there are exceptions. For example Soap has a pH around 10, so they are very alkaline. This is also why soap can tend to dry out some peoples skin. Skin care products with AHA’s and BHA’s typically have a lower more acidic pH between 3.5 - 5 and this is because AHA’s and BHA’s naturally have a lower pH around 1 or 2, but the pH of these ingredients need brought up a bit to 3.5 - 5 so they are skin safe. So when ingredients are way to acidic like 1-3 they aren’t even safe for our skin. Same goes for ingredients that are too alkaline. 


Understanding pH in our cosmetics isn’t only important for our skins health, but it’s also important for the specific ingredients we are formulating with. There are a lot of ingredients that aren’t pH sensitive, but on the other hand, there are a lot of ingredients that are pH sensitive. Luckily ingredients that are pH sensitive all land within a pH that is skin friendly, but it’s your job as the formulator to make sure your products pH is within the same pH the ingredients are active in.


I bring all of this up because Niacinamide is recommended to be formulated in a pH of 6, SAID EVERY SUPPLIER EVER!!! Guys it’s not true!


Misinformation in Formulating

Thanks to the research of my friend Zachariah of @CosmeticYourWays

Which by the way, if you are looking for someone who helps create custom formulas, need one on one formulating advice, or you just want another formulating blog to read by someone who is actually in school to be a cosmetic chemist, check out @CosmeticYourWays on instagram or his website, www.cosmeticyourways.com


Most places you read about formulating with niacinamide online, including past videos I’ve made myself, the formulating guidelines for niacinamide from every supplier all mention that you need to keep niacinamide in a pH of 6. They say it needs to be in a pH of 6 because “At lower pH levels, it can hydrolyze and form nicotinic acid which can result in skin irritation.”

I’m not sure how the misinformation online started spreading, but unfortunately I fell victim to it and as a matter of fact I have fallen victim to so much misinformation that I have contributed to spreading. Unfortunately we are in fact in the age of misinformation. Anybody can pick up a camera and start talking about whatever they want and say mostly whatever they want and pretend it’s fact. So just keep in mind that anything you learn online should always be questioned, even things that I say. It’s okay to be wrong, it only becomes a problem if you continue to be wrong even after being presented with evidence on the matter. I think often times people have a hard time admitting mistakes and changing their mindset on an idea that they have already regarded as fact. Formulating is a science and Chemistry is the backbone. I am not a chemists I am self taught and I learn from what I read from others, but I will always do my best to share the facts and to always admit when I make mistakes. & don’t be scared to call out my mistakes either, we are all here to work together to learn and grow in the formulating community. 


Anyways, here are some sources provided by Zachariah of @CosmeticYourWays about why Niacinamide is okay to be used in a pH between 4 - 6. I added one in there too.



The study everybody points back to that claim its okay to use in a pH between 4 - 6 is “Rate studies on the hydrolysis of niacinamide” https://jpharmsci.org/article/S0022-3549(15)33604-2/abstract


Some of you may be wondering about Niacinamide PC. This is actually a Niacinamide I was raving about a few months ago because I recently found it. It’s a Niacinamide that claims to be safe to use in more acidic pH levels and won’t turn into Niacin. 


Well I was wondering what makes this different from Niacinamide USP? So I asked Zachariah what he thought. Basically Niacinamide PC just has less of the impurity (Niacin) than Niacinamide USP, so it would “technically” be less likely to turn to Niacin in a low pH. 


Truth is, the conditions we need for niacinamide to turn into Niacin are conditions our product will never reach. According to https://www.kindofstephen.com/can-you-use-niacinamide-and-vitamin-c-ascorbic/ “niacinamide is so stable, that a 10% solution can be heated to 120 °C (248 °F) for 20 minutes with no niacin forming (http://doi.org/10.1002/jps.2600510710).

In another experiment it took about 75 hours in a pH 2 solution at 90 °C (194 °F)  to convert about half the niacinamide to niacin.

Heat vastly speeds up reactions; a rough approximation is that every 10 °C (18 °F)   increase in temperature doubles the reaction rate. If the pH 2 solution was kept at 30 °C (86 °F)   we could expect it to take over 4800 hours or almost 

half a year – and that’s if the acidic solution didn’t corrode your skin first!”

So as you can see, we don’t have anything to fear. As long as you products within a skin safe pH, which all your products should be, then you can use Niacinamide. 



How to Adjust pH

So how exactly do you adjust the pH? 

Well it depends on if you want to lower or raise the pH.


How to Lower pH 

Citric Acid - mix together 50% Citric Acid with 50% distilled water. This is just equal parts water and Citric Acid. Mix until the citric acid has fully dissolved. This is good for a month. You don’t need a preservative, just store in a cool dark area. Add in 1-2 drops of this at the very end of your formula, mix and let it sit for a minute then take the pH again and repeat this process until you get your desired pH. You can always add more of the pH buffer, you can’t take it away. So make sure you are only adding in 1 or 2 drops at a time at first, that way you don’t lower the pH too much. If you have a smaller batch you need less pH buffer. The bigger the batch, the more pH buffer you will need. 


Lactic Acid - Add a couple drops at the end of formula until you reach your desired pH


How to Raise pH

Triethanolamine - Add a couple drops at the end of formula until you reach your desired pH


Sodium Hydroxide Solution - Dissolve 10% Sodium Hydroxide in 90% distilled water and use that as a pH buffer. Add a couple drops at the end of formula until you reach your desired pH. When dissolving the sodium hydroxide into the distilled water you need to take several precautions. Make sure you pour the sodium hydroxide into the distilled water, not the other way around. Do this outside or in a well ventilated room and wear goggles, a mask, and protective clothing. I have a video that goes into more detail on this process and shows the process step by step 


Baking Soda - This is the most “DIY” method. I would say this method is also not common in professional cosmetics as it can take a lot of baking soda to reach your desired pH. You also need to dissolve the baking soda in distilled water before adding it into your product. Add a couple drops at the end of formula until you reach your desired pH.


Sodium Phytate - This isn’t a popular way to raise the pH of cosmetics, but it’s a way I will do it from time to time when I just need a little bit of a pH raise. Sodium Phytate has a high pH and when used in products it raises the over all pH. I often like to include this ingredient in formulas that I know will end up with a low pH and will need to be adjusted at the end. That way I am getting the benefits of a chelating agent and raising the pH all with just one ingredient. You only need 0.05% - 0.5% Sodium Phytate. So only add 0.05% in at a time, mix until it’s dissolved and let it sit for a minute, before taking the pH again. If you need more than 0.5% Sodium Phytate to get to your desired pH, then it won’t work for your formula. 



What is a Chelating Agent?

Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. In simplest terms a chelating agent helps get rid of metals that may be in our products. Metals can get into your products during manufacturing, from the ingredients we use, & from hard waters that we use. Using a chelating agent is almost always essential because they can help improve the preservation of your product, stabilize an emulsion, help keep the products color from changing, help keep pH from drifting, and help with reducing soap scum in cleansing products. Learn more about Chelating Agents in this video Here. Note, you don’t need chelating agents in hair conditioners or any cationic products. If you don’t know what cationic means, go watch my video all about surfactants. I teach you everything about them over there. Sodium Phytate isn’t a good pH buffer if you need to raise the pH a lot! So if you are making an AHA of BHA product, I wouldn’t use this ingredient as your pH adjuster.


For more information on how to use a pH meter and take the pH of cosmetics check out my video all about pH to learn more.


Let’s get back to that super simple Niacinamide Toner we were making. 

Here is the Formula; 

Directions; Combine all ingredients together and mix.

After formulating this I took the pH, which was 6.72 one drop of the 50% Citric acid & 50% Distilled water dropped the pH down to 5.47.


How to Make a Niacinamide Toner 

Now let’s make a more professional Toner. Something more similar to what you would find in the stores. 


Toner

Phase A


Phase B



Directions;

  • Start by combining all ingredients in phase A in a sanitized container. These ingredients are grouped together in phase A because they need mixed together first before adding everything else in. 

  • Once Phase A is combined you can add in all the ingredients in phase B in a separate sanitized container. Mix until the Niacinamide has dissolved. 

  • Once the Niacinamide has fully dissolved you can pour phase B into phase A and mix.

  • Check and adjust pH if needed

  • Pour into desired bottle. I used this 4 oz glass bottle for mine. 

  • Always do small 100 gram test batches when making a formula for the first time.


The pH of mine came out to be 4.50, so if you use this same formula expect to not have to adjust the pH, but still check it just to be safe.



How to Make a Niacinamide Serum

I’m sure you also gotta know how to make a niacinamdie serum too, right? There are so many different ways to make serums. I will be posting a video deep diving on the topic of serums at some point. 

But for now I am just going to share with you my favorite method of making serums. Using Sepimax Zen. All you need to do is sprinkle 0.5% of this stuff on top of your water, let it sit overnight, then bam, the next day you got a gorgeous gel. Of course if you want it thicker you can use 1% Sepimax Zen or if you want it thinner use less. I’ll talk about more serum making methods in a future video. For now, Lets get formulating a niacinamide serum. 


Phase A


Phase B


Phase C


Directions; 

  • In a sanitized container combine all ingredients in phase A and mix. 

  • In a separate container combine all the ingredients in phase B and mix until all powder has dissolved.

  • Pour phase B into phase A and mix until combined.

  • Once A and B are fully combined sprinkle the Sepimax Zen on top of the phase A/B, but do not mix! Cover your container with Plastic Wrap and let it sit over night.

  • The next day you can finally mix your serum. It should be a slightly thickened gel consistency. If you want it thicker then you can increase the percentage of Sepimax Zen used in the formula.

  • Check and adjust pH if needed.

  • Pour into desired bottles. I used this 2 oz treatment pump bottles

  • Always do small 100 gram test batches when making a formula for the first time.


Moving on, I have to show you a Niacinamide Moisturizer. I have an entire series the goes into detail about how to make Emulsions (which moisturizers are a type of emulsion) so go watch that series if you want to know everything about making lotions/moisturizers/creams also hair conditioners are a type of emulsion too, so I cover so much important information in my Emulsions for Beginners Series.


Niacinamide Moisturizer

Phase A

69.5% Distilled Water


Phase B


Phase C

5% Distilled Water 



Directions;

  • In a heat safe and sanitized container mix together the phase A ingredients.

  • Tare scale so it says zero, and place phase A on the scale and take note of how much it weighs (Including the beakers weight too) we are going to heat this up and some will evaporate, so we will have to replace that water loss.

  • Combine all ingredients in phase B in a separate sanitized heat safe container.

  • Fill a pan with about an inch of water and place it over your stove top on medium heat. (this is called a water bath) I use this Portable Electric Stove Top

  • Cover both phase A and phase B with foil and place in the water bath.

  • Heat until phase B has melted and both phases are around the same temperature. 70°C/158°F

  • Now remove phase A from heat and place on the scale and add back in any water that evaporated. Normally it's about 1 gram or less.

  • Remove phase B from heat and then pour phase A into phase B

  • Immediately mix with an Immersion Blender/stick blender. 

  • Let Cool and come back to mix periodically until it starts to thicken. Once it starts to thicken, don’t mix with the immersion blender again. This can add too much air into the lotion.

  • While phase A/B cool, in a separate sanitized beaker combine the DL panthenol, Niacinamide, and Distilled water and mix until dissolved. 

  • Once the DL panthenol & Niacinamide is dissolved, you can add in the rest of the ingredients in phase C and mix. The Vitamin E is oil soluble, so don’t expect that to mix in. 

  • Once phase A/B has cooled to 104°F / 40°C add in the phase C ingredients and mix. Don’t mix with the immersion blender, just hand mix until everything is combined.

  • Check and adjust pH if needed.

  • Cover with Plastic Wrap and let you moisturizer sit overnight before pouring into jars.

  • The next day package you can package your moisturizer. I used this 2 oz frosted glass jar for mine.



Sources;


I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.


I am an affiliate with https://aromantic.co.uk/ meaning I earn money when you click on their links and purchase their items.


I am an affiliate with Makesy.com and some links may be affiliate links.







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