Drugstore Product Of The Week: This $10 Product Tightens Pores, Reduces Oil & Fights Acne

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We’re all looking for that holy grail formula that ticks all the skincare boxes, and this is one of those products! A little bit like retinol, niacinamide is one of those star ingredients that does the most. Niacinamide, aka vitamin B3, helps reduce the appearance of enlarged pores, improve uneven skin tone, fight fine lines and control sebum production. The water-soluble vitamin can even help protect against environmental damage and help reduce redness.

As if niacinamide wasn’t great enough already, it’s kinda like that one person you know who gets on well with everyone; niacinamide is compatible with all kinds of skincare ingredients and skin types. Niacinamide has also been shown to help the skin’s ability to absorb moisture by improving moisture retention, so even if oily skin isn’t your problem, this is still a beneficial addition to your regimen.

What’s the catch? Well, niacinamide isn’t always in the most affordable formulas, but we’ve found an amazing niacinamide product that most definitely is. The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum, $9.80, is an errryday essential for us. If you struggle with oily or acne-prone skin or enlarged pores, then this might just be your new best friend. It’s super easy to use; we like to apply it after toner, but if we’re lazy, we even mix it in with the Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid formula or our moisturizer.

We love the silky fluidity of the texture, which applies easily and absorbs quickly into the skin. This particular niacinamide formula also contains zinc (an antioxidant), which is another star ingredient for regulating oil gland activity and balancing the skin’s microbiome, which helps to improve acne. After a few days of using this, we noticed our oil production decreased and after a week, our pores looked smaller too.

Our tip: Niacinamide is an amazing ingredient to add to your regime, but it doesn’t need to be a replacement. If you already have products you love, try combining this with your serum or applying it before your moisturizer.

Let us know if you’ve tried this or any other niacinamide products, in the comments below.