Product

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%: Dermatologist Review

One of the world's best-selling skincare products, at $6. It works — and 10% is more than the evidence calls for.

Last Updated: September 8, 2026

Dermatologist's Verdict

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is eleven honest ingredients at a dose the evidence does not ask for. Pigment studies used 5%, oil control as little as 2%, and nothing shows 10% beats either — it just adds flushing. It pills, too. If it stings, drop to 5%.

Strongly recommendedRecommendedMixedNot recommendedAvoid

The cheat sheetKey Facts

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Key active	Niacinamide 10% + zinc PCA 1%
Texture	Lightweight serum
Best for	Oily and combination skin; enlarged-looking pores
Approximate price	$6
Fragrance	None
Essential oils	None
Drying alcohol	Phenoxyethanol
Lanolin	None

The short versionWhat It Is

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The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a thin, fragrance-free serum for around $6, and one of the best-selling skincare products in the world. It treats oil and dark marks. It is not a moisturizer and it does nothing for inflamed acne.

Eleven ingredients. Niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, sits second at 10%; zinc PCA sits fourth at 1%. Nothing in it soothes. It dries slightly tacky, and that thin film is why it rolls into small balls if you rub anything over it too soon.

Where it earns its keepWhat It Treats

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Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

Works some

Niacinamide interrupts the handover of pigment packets to the surface cells that carry them up. That is one of its best supported effects and the most reliable thing this serum does. It works on the mark, not the spot.

Comedonal Acne

Barely works

A pore looks large when it is packed with oil and dead cells and stretched open. Less oil means less to pack it with, so pores can look smaller over months — nothing shrinks the pore itself. For inflamed spots, an adapalene gel does more.

Oily Skin

Good fit

Oil comes from the sebaceous glands beside each hair, and how much they make is set by hormones, not by how often you wash. Niacinamide and zinc each nudge that down by a different route, which is the argument for one bottle. Expect less midday shine.

Don't expect miraclesNot the Best For

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Melasma

Barely works

Niacinamide is a mild tone helper, not a melasma treatment. It will not hold patches back alone.

Rosacea

Never use

Niacinamide at 10% flushes and stings some people. If your skin reacts easily, start at 4-5%.

Dry Skin (Xerosis)

Poor fit

Watery, no emollients, and the zinc leaves a tight finish. Follow it with a moisturizer.

How it feelsTexture

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A thin serum that feels slightly tacky as it dries, more like watered-down syrup than water.

It pills — by far the most common complaint. Small rolls lift off when anything goes on top too soon.

Fragrance-free, and it smells of nothing much.

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Ointment

Almost all oil, no water. Sits on top and seals.

Good for very dry, cracked or raw skin. Easiest to use at night. Too greasy for most faces during the day.

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Balm

Waxy and solid until it warms in your hands.

Good for dry patches, lips and hands. Useful in cold, windy weather. Heavy on the face.

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Cream

Thick blend of oil and water.

Good for normal to dry skin. Good in winter. May be too thick for summer.

‹ HeavierLighter ›

Oil

All oil, but spreads far thinner than an ointment.

Good layered over a moisturizer on dry skin. Sinks in faster than an ointment. Some oils clog pores on acne-prone skin.

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Lotion

Mostly water. Pours and sinks in fast.

Good for normal skin and for large areas like arms and legs. Comfortable in summer. Often not enough for very dry skin.

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Gel

Water based, no oil. Cool and slippery.

Good for oily and acne-prone skin. Good in heat and humidity. The alcohol in some gels stings broken skin.

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Serum · this one

Thin and watery. Absorbs in seconds.

Usually carries active ingredients rather than moisture. Layers under a moisturizer. Rarely enough on its own for dry skin.

‹ HeavierLighter ›

Spray

A fine mist. Barely there.

Good for the back and other spots that are hard to reach. Easy in summer. Does little for very dry skin.

The house rulesHow to Use The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

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How much: About a pea-sized drop for the whole face. Extra product is where pilling starts.

If it pills: Use less, let it dry before the next layer, and not in the same step as a vitamin C serum.

Careful: 10% is higher than the studies used, and higher doses mainly buy flushing. Drop to every other day if it burns, or switch to 5%.

What to expect: Less shine within a couple of weeks. Dark marks take about 12 weeks, the length of the trial behind that claim. Early breakouts and irritation are common, and some skin never settles at 10%.

Where It Fits in Your Routine

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Pick what fits you and the routine rebuilds around it. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is marked in the steps it belongs to.

This product is good for

What's insideHow The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Works

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Niacinamide is vitamin B3. Skin cells convert it into two coenzymes used to run repairs and build fats, which is why one ingredient sits behind so many claims. The evidence is strongest in three places. It increases ceramide production, cutting water loss through the barrier. It interrupts the transfer of pigment packets into surface cells, fading dark marks. And it measurably reduces oil.

This serum delivers that plus zinc PCA, which lowers oil by a separate route. Two mechanisms aimed at one problem is a fair reason to pair them, and at around $6 nothing is cheaper.

The dose is the catch. The landmark work used about 5% for pigment and as little as 2% for oil, and no good trial shows 10% beats 5% at anything. Higher concentrations reliably do one thing more — sting.

Tap an ingredient to see where it works

In the pore

Niacinamide turns oil production down a little and interrupts pigment being handed to the cells above. The evidence for clearing spots is thin; it earns its place for the marks left behind, and for making stronger actives easier to tolerate.

The outer layer, and the only one anything in a jar reaches. It renews itself constantly: a cell made at the bottom takes about a month to reach the surface and flake off. Most of what a skincare product does, it does here.

The cells that make pigment. They sit along the base of the epidermis and hand melanin to the cells around them, which is what gives skin its color. Dark marks, melasma and the patch left behind by a spot are all these cells making more than usual.

A narrow tube running from the surface down into the skin, with an oil gland at the bottom of it. Oil travels up and out. When the tube blocks, what is behind it has nowhere to go — which is where blackheads and spots start.

Makes sebum, the oil that keeps the surface soft and stops water escaping. How much it makes is set by hormones, not by how often you wash — which is why scrubbing does not fix oily skin.

Cutibacterium acnes lives in the pores of everyone with skin. It is not an infection and it is not a hygiene problem. It only causes trouble when a pore blocks and it multiplies in the oil trapped behind it.

The scaffolding in the dermis that keeps skin firm and springy. It is built by fibroblasts and broken down by age, sun and smoking. Lines and looseness are collagen lost faster than it is replaced.

The living layer underneath, holding the blood vessels, the nerves and the collagen. It is where lasting change happens and it is hard to reach: most of what is sold for the skin never gets this far.

Short list or longNumber of Ingredients

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This is how many ingredients are on the label. The more a product contains, the more chances one of them bothers you. That matters most if you have sensitive skin, eczema, or a known allergy. If your skin tolerates most things, a long list is not a problem by itself.

This product has
11 ingredients

7 ingredients

The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F

10 ingredients

Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum

11 ingredients

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% · this one

14 ingredients

SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum

25 ingredients

Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster

45 ingredients

Cosrx Peptide Serum

51 ingredients

The Ordinary Buffet

52 ingredients

Anua Dark Spot Correcting Serum

752

39 serums reviewed, from The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F (7) to Anua Dark Spot Correcting Serum (52). Tap a dot to see which.

Full Ingredient List

Water, Niacinamide 10%, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc PCA 1%, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

The fine printA Dermatologist’s Concerns

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The 10% dose is not better: more than the evidence supports. The landmark studies used 5% for pigmentation and as little as 2% for oil, and no trial shows 10% beats 5% at anything. Higher concentrations reliably cause more flushing and stinging. The 10% is a marketing number.

It pills under other products: constantly, and famously. Use about a pea-sized drop and let it dry before layering.

May cause breakouts and irritation at first: commonly reported in the first weeks. Some people adjust by using it every other night. Some never tolerate it.

No soothing ingredients to offset it: nothing buffers the high dose. Pricier niacinamide serums include buffers.

What it runsPrice per Ounce

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The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% costs $6.00 per ounce. That is cheaper than 36 of the other 38 serums priced on Dermapedia, which run from $4.14 to $190 per ounce.

Price per ounce is a fair way to compare value, but not the whole story — a thicker product goes further per application, and an expensive active costs what it costs.

This product costs
$6.00 per ounce

$4.14 per oz

Cosrx Peptide Serum $4.14

$5.94–$6.00 per oz

Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum $5.94

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% · this one $6.00

$20 per oz

The Ordinary Buffet $20

$78 per oz

Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster $78

$114 per oz

SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum $114

$190 per oz

Revision C+ Correcting Complex 30% $190

$4.14$190

39 serums priced, from Cosrx Peptide Serum ($4.14) to Revision C+ Correcting Complex 30% ($190). Priced on the 1 oz size at $6.00. The scale is logarithmic. Tap a dot to see which. Prices current as of September 2026.

Its siblingsThe Rest of the Line

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The Ordinary sells a bottle for each step an oily routine might need. They are not meant to be layered at once. Pick the mildest one that does the job.

Mildest, use dailyStrongest, use occasionally

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

A leave-on serum with no exfoliation. The mildest step here, fine daily.

You are here

Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%

A gel-cream for bumps and redness together. Gentle enough for daily use.

Salicylic Acid 2% Solution

Oil-soluble, so it works inside the pore rather than on the surface. For blackheads and clogged skin.

Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner

Surface exfoliation, a few nights a week. Easy to overuse.

Shop aroundSimilar Products

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These are the options if 10% is too strong, or the pilling is the dealbreaker. A lower dose is closer to what the evidence supports.

Tranexamic Acid 5% Serum with Niacinamide 5%

Niacinamide at 5%, the concentration the landmark pigment study used, with 5% tranexamic acid. Less likely to sting.

We recommend more

Good Molecules Niacinamide 10% Serum

The same 10% dose at the same price, without zinc. Its bare nine-ingredient formula pills less.

About the same

Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster

Also 10%, softened with licorice root, beta-glucan and panthenol. About seven times the price.

About the same

Questions Patients Ask

What does the niacinamide in The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% actually do?

It strengthens the barrier, fades dark spots and reduces oil. The evidence is solid.

Why does The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% pill?

Too much product, or layering too fast. A pea-sized amount, left to dry, fixes it.

Is the 10% niacinamide in The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% better than 5%?

Not by the evidence. The main studies used around 5%. Ten percent mostly adds irritation.

Can I use The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% with vitamin C?

Yes, but in the same wet layer both pill. Use one morning, one night.

Will The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% help with pores?

It can make pores look smaller by controlling oil. It does not shrink them — nothing does.

References

Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrierBacks the barrier claim: topical nicotinamide (niacinamide) raises ceramide and other stratum corneum lipid synthesis and reduces transepidermal water loss, improving the permeability barrier.
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transferBacks the hyperpigmentation claim: niacinamide reduces pigmentation by inhibiting transfer of melanosomes (pigment) from melanocytes to keratinocytes (skin cells).
The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum productionBacks the oil-control claim: topical 2% niacinamide produced a measurable lowering of facial sebum excretion rate.
Niacinamide-Containing Facial Moisturizer Improves Skin Barrier and Benefits Subjects With RosaceaBacks the redness claim: a niacinamide moisturizer improved stratum corneum barrier function and hydration and improved signs/symptoms of rosacea, consistent with redness benefits being downstream of the barrier effect.
Mechanistic Basis and Clinical Evidence for the Applications of Nicotinamide (Niacinamide) to Control Skin Aging and PigmentationPeer-reviewed review summarizing niacinamide's mechanisms, supporting both the pigmentation claim (slows melanosome transfer to keratinocytes) and the barrier claim (upregulates ceramide and other stratum corneum lipids).