Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum
Niacinamide 10% and little else for $6. Same too-high-dose caveat as every 10% serum.
Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, MD · Dermatologist
A dermatologist’s take
Recommend.
Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum is nine ingredients with nothing to hide behind — easy to troubleshoot if your skin reacts. It strengthens the barrier, reduces oil, and blocks pigment handoff into surface cells. The 10% is above the studies — 5% for pigment, 2% for oil — so if it flushes, switch to 5%.
Pros
- No added fragrance
- Good fit for oily skin
- Good fit for damaged skin barrier
Cons
- 10% niacinamide can cause flushing or irritation
Skin fit
Who is it best for?
Oily Skin
Good fitNiacinamide lowers how much sebum the glands make, which is different from mopping oil off the surface. Here it comes in a water base with nothing greasy attached.
The oil-control trials used about 2 percent, so 10 is well past what the evidence asked for.
Damaged Skin Barrier
Good fitNiacinamide raises the skin's own ceramide production, rebuilding the barrier from the inside rather than laying fats on top.
Nine ingredients also make this the easiest serum to troubleshoot if your skin has been reacting.
Hyperpigmentation
Okay fitPigment cells make melanin and hand it to the skin cells around them. Niacinamide blocks that handoff, so patches fade as older cells shed.
The landmark study used 5 percent. Slow work, measured in months.
Melasma
Poor fitNiacinamide alone will not control melasma. Sunscreen plus tranexamic or azelaic acid does more.
Acne
Poor fitIt calms redness and helps with oil, not the pore itself. Pair it with an acne active.
Dry Skin
Poor fitA bare water serum with nothing to seal moisture in. Add a moisturizer.
Feel & smell
What does it feel like?
Serum
Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum is thin and watery. A few drops cover the face and absorb in seconds, leaving nothing tacky.
It pills less than thicker niacinamide serums, and sits under sunscreen and makeup without trouble. Fragrance-free. Some people flush for a few minutes afterward — that is the 10 percent dose, above what the studies used.
Inside the formula
What do the main ingredients do?
More ingredient roles
How this formula works.
Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and skin turns it into a coenzyme cells use to repair themselves and build fats. Three effects follow. It raises the skin's own ceramide production, strengthening the barrier. It cuts how much sebum the oil glands make. And it interrupts the handoff of melanin from pigment cells to the cells around them, so dark patches fade as older cells shed.
Full clinical explanation
Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and skin turns it into a coenzyme cells use to repair themselves and build fats. Three effects follow. It raises the skin's own ceramide production, strengthening the barrier. It cuts how much sebum the oil glands make. And it interrupts the handoff of melanin from pigment cells to the cells around them, so dark patches fade as older cells shed.
Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum delivers that and almost nothing else for around $6. Remarkable value for an active this well evidenced, and the short list is useful if you are working out what your skin reacts to.
The dose is the caveat. The strongest pigment work used about 5 percent, the oil work about 2 percent. No trial shows 10 percent doing more, and higher doses flush more. Nothing here buffers that, and there is no zinc for extra oil control.
Full ingredient list · 9 ingredients
Water, Niacinamide 10%, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin
All ingredient roles
Glycerin
A small humectant. It moves into the outer layer of skin and holds water there.
Water
The base the other ingredients are dissolved in. Most of it evaporates soon after the product goes on.
Xanthan Gum
A thickener that keeps the texture even.
Ethylhexylglycerin
Helps the preservative work and softens the feel of the product.
Use & results
How to use it.
How much
A few drops, spread thin. More buys nothing.
Layering
It shares a routine with almost anything, retinoids and vitamin C included. It is not an acid, so it does not change the pH of anything over it.
What to expect
Less shine within a couple of weeks. Pigment is slower — give it 8 to 12 weeks, and wear sunscreen daily.
If it flushes — Try this
Use less, or every other day. If it keeps up, the dose is the cause, and a 5 percent serum is closer to the evidence.
Price spectrum
Where does the price fall?
Paying more doesn’t guarantee better results. A good buy is a formula with the right ingredients, strength and texture for your skin. Use price per ounce to compare cost, then weigh it against the pros and cons above.
The product line
Which Good Molecules product should you choose?
Good Molecules’ lineup includes hydration, peptide, niacinamide and discoloration-focused serums. Start with the concern you are trying to address. These are different ingredient choices, not stronger and weaker versions of the same serum.
Niacinamide 10% Serum
One active and almost nothing else. For oil and the look of pores.
Discoloration Correcting Serum
Tranexamic acid instead. Aimed at dark marks left by acne.
Vitamin C Serum with Oryzanol
The brightening option, for mornings under sunscreen.
Super Peptide Serum
Peptides for firmness. The line's anti-aging serum.
More about the lineup
One cheap serum per job. Nothing here is a multitasker.
Alternatives
If it didn’t work for you
Tranexamic Acid 5% Serum with Niacinamide 5%
Niacinamide at 5%, the dose the landmark pigment study used, plus 5% tranexamic acid. Closer to the evidence for pigment.
Read the review →
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
The same 10% dose at the same price, with zinc PCA for oil control. It pills, which is the usual complaint.
Read the review →
Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster
Still 10%, softened with licorice root, panthenol and green tea. About seven times the price.
Read the review →Questions
Before you buy
Is Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum better than a 5% niacinamide serum?
No trial shows that. Higher doses only flush more.
What does the niacinamide in Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum do?
Strengthens the barrier, cuts oil, fades pigment.
Why is Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum so cheap?
One active, simple formula, remarkable value.
Is Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum fragrance-free?
Yes.
Is the short ingredient list in Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum a downside?
No. Fewer things to react to.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
- The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production
- Mechanistic Basis and Clinical Evidence for the Applications of Nicotinamide (Niacinamide) to Control Skin Aging and Pigmentation
- Good Molecules Niacinamide Serum 30ml
Keep exploring
Keep exploring.
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster
Acne
Dry Skin
Melasma
Cos de BAHA Tranexamic Acid 5% Serum with Niacinamide 5%
Glycerin
Panthenol
Azelaic Acid
Niacinamide
Tranexamic Acid
