Deep Dive into Oily Skin: Niacinamide Benefits

Does your skin feel greasy to the touch throughout the day? Does your makeup seem to just slide off your skin? Those are often signs that you have oily skin – which is caused by excess sebum in the body. Oily skin is characterised by enlarged pores on the face (especially on your chin and forehead). Your face can be oilier based on which part you’re touching (especially your T-Zone). Oily skin is typically hereditary in nature – that means if your parents had oily skin, then you are likely to get it as well. However, excess oil in the skin can also be due to certain hormonal imbalances, as well as women’s pregnancies, menstrual cycle and menopause. The sebaceous glands become particularly active at these times and ingredients like Niacinamide are helpful for it. 

While oily skin can be worrying and can drive you crazy, there are two pieces of good news associated with it. Those with oily skin tend to have more moisture in the skin, making them less prone to signs of ageing. The second good news is that there are several natural ingredients and products that can help you manage oily skin fairly easily. 

Read on to understand more about oily skin and the best ingredients to treat and manage it consistently: 

4 Signs that you have Oily Skin

• Your face becomes increasingly shiny by afternoon 

A telltale sign of oily skin is that excess sebum or oil crops up throughout the day, but especially in the afternoon. This gives your face a “shiny” look overall and if you are wearing makeup, it gives you a “cake-face” or a spreading effect similar to paints on canvas. 

• Your makeup seems to directly slide off your face 

Makeup that lasts all day is difficult for those with oily skin. You might notice that your makeup, if applied in a particular area, rarely seems to stay consistent. It can easily come off your face in drops or even spread from one area of the face to another. This is a clear sign that you have oily skin. You will have to apply setting spray to keep your makeup in place. Whenever you apply cream, lock it in with powder for a long-lasting finish. 

• The pores of your T-Zone are constantly enlarged 

Enlarged pores around your T-Zone (a combination of your nose, chin and forehead, forming a T) are often a side effect of oilier skin. This usually happens due to your pores being clogged with sebum. Here, your enlarged pores might also lead to blackheads, whiteheads and other blemishes. Excess sebum collects at the base of the hair follicles in your skin and once it touches the air, it oxidises and turns black, leading to blackheads. 

• The front of your hair is also constantly oily 

Excess sebum production doesn’t just affect your skin, but also takes a toll on your hair. If your bangs or the front of your hair is constantly greasy and oily, pin them to the sides to prevent the transfer of oil from skin to hair. 

All these signs tell you that you have oily skin. Dr. Rodan, a dermatologist says “Within an hour or two of washing your face, you’ll notice that your skin is particularly shiny.”  Particularly during puberty, this skin type is fairly common. An important note is that even if you don’t have naturally oily skin, if you are stressed or hormonal or sweaty, you might notice high oil production where your oil glands are located. This can cause temporary breakouts in different spots including the back and chest. For oily skin, stick with oil-free products to keep the shiny face at bay. 

How to Treat Oily Skin – Bioactive Niacinamide benefits

Now that you have understood this complex skin type, you can choose the right ingredients, skin care products, and ingredients to treat it.  Out of the four main skin types (dry, oily, combination, acne-prone), oily skin requires you to keep track that none of the products used have an oily base and are all oil-free. 

Using beauty products that are 100% “clean” or free of any harmful chemicals, minerals, sulphates, parabens and other contaminants – and plant-based (formulated only with natural ingredients) is a great way to treat your oily skin for long periods of time. 

The OZiva Clean Beauty range has several products that might help, but we’ll spend our time talking about one of the most powerful ingredients for oily skin – which is Bioactive Niacinamide. 

Niacinamide is a stable form of Vitamin B3, which is an essential nutrient. This essential nutrient is a powerful aid for skin health. Topical Niacinamide is well-known for being useful for minimisation of pores and blemishes, as well as reducing pigmentation by evening out the skin tone. With long term usage, it may also help reduce acne and eczema. 

Niacinamide benefits for skin include reducing inflammation and pigmentation. As a side bonus, it also works hard to give you smooth and clear skin. Blemishes like whiteheads and blackheads and dark spots can be annoying, but bioactive Niacinamide can help minimise these pores, reduce inflammation (which helps reduce blemishes in the skin). It regulates the amount of oil in your skin, thus keeping it fresh and moisturised. Unlike Vitamin E or Vitamin C, you cannot easily consume bioactive Niacinamide through food, so applying it topically to your skin through clean beauty products is one of the only ways to utilise its strong effects. 

The OZiva Bioactive Niacinamide79 Range takes Bioactive Niacinamide as a hero ingredient and contains it in high concentrations for higher efficacy at a lower market price. While this range is safe for all skin types, including dry, sensitive and oily skin, it is especially suitable for oily skin. The main benefits of Bioactive Niacinamide are pore minimisation, pigmentation reduction and blemish reduction, all of which make it very easy to handle oily skin. 

1. To Diminish Pigmentation for an Even Skin Tone  – Aloe Vera in the OZiva Niacinamide79 Range helps diminish dark spots and pigmentation. Oily skin is prone to pigmentation due to the likelihood of acne, pimples, dullness, stickiness and greasy conditions in the skin. Niacinamide helps reduce melanin buildup in the skin. An even skin tone is bright, smooth, and free of dark spots. There are many factors that cause uneven skin tone. In uneven skin tone, too much melanin in an area of the skin can happen after skin damage due to sun exposure or smoking.
2. Minimises Pores, Inflammation and Blemishes  – Oily skin means that your skin (especially your t-zone) contains high levels of sebum. High levels of sebum production reduces the elasticity around your pores and thus thick hair follicles spring up which are the cause of large open pores like blackheads and whiteheads. These pores come up on your T-Zone and can cause blemishes. Niacinamide has strong anti-inflammatory properties and thus reduces inflammation in skin. These blemishes (blackheads, whiteheads, acne) are also reduced, giving you clear, blemish and pore-free skin.  

Thus, Bioactive Niacinamide takes care of your oily skin very easily. Aside from these, Niacinamide can easily be combined with supplements such as Zinc or anti-pigmentation serum. Many people can use it safely for their skin over a long period of time without any reactions to reap Vitamin C benefits from Clean Beauty without any side effects. 

Try the OZiva Bioactive Niacinamide79 Range for Maximum Bioactive Niacinamide Benefits

This range includes the OZiva Niacinamide79 Face Cleanser and the OZiva Bioactive Niacinamide79 Face Serum for maximum Niacinamide benefits. 

• Gently Exfoliate and Pre-Treat with the OZiva Bioactive Niacinamide79 Face Cleanser 

OZiva Bioactive Niacinamide79 Face Cleanser is a gentle gel-based face cleanser that helps cleanse, wash off your toxins and pollution, and prevent the skin from taking damage from environmental factors like sunlight and dirt, which are responsible for blackheads, whiteheads, pores and pigmentation.  The main role of this gel based face cleanser is to wash off the face without stripping it of the outer layer of the face.

It is rich in plant-based ingredients like Aloe Vera, Holy Basil and Moringa Bark, all well-known soothers for sensitive skin. It helps in 79% Reduction In Melanin Synthesis*, which in turn leads to a reduction in pigmentation and dark spots in the skin for an even tone. Start off your anti-pigmentation and blemish ritual by dabbing it on. 

*Based on scientifically proven ingredient in product -B-White

• Rejuvenate your skin with OZiva Bioactive Vitamin C30 Face Serum 

The OZiva Bioactive Niacinamide79 Face Serum is thin and light, and has a higher concentration of ingredients than moisturisers. Its smaller molecules penetrate deep into the skin and help diminish pigmentation and dark spots for a more even tone, and reduce blemishes and give blemish-free skin. The OZiva Bioactive Niaciamide79 Face Serum promotes helps in 79% Reduction In Melanin Synthesis*, which allows for reduction in pigmentation and blemishes. 

*Based on scientifically proven ingredient in product -B-White

What’s the Take 

While anyone of any skin type can apply topical Niacinamide to the skin for its benefits, it is the perfect remedy for oily skin. Bioactive Niacinamide helps diminish pigmentation and dark spots for a more even, clear skin tone, and helps reduce blemishes like blackheads, whiteheads and acne, and gives the skin strong anti-inflammatory properties. Keep it close as the best friend of your oily skin and use it long-term for the best results.  

If you don’t have oily skin, read our other entries in this series – Vitamin C for Combination Skin and Salicylic Acid for Acne-Prone Skin.