Can You Use Niacinamide With Tretinoin?

Yes, niacinamide and tretinoin can be used together. The short answer: they work differently and don't cancel each other out, and a niacinamide-containing moisturizer may make tretinoin easier to tolerate. Start tretinoin slowly, and add niacinamide as a gentle supporting step.

What each one does

	Tretinoin	Niacinamide
Type	Prescription retinoid	Vitamin B3
Evidence	Improved photoaged skin in a controlled trial (Weiss et al., JAMA, 1988)	5% improved fine lines, spots, texture, redness and sallowness over 12 weeks (Bissett et al., Int J Cosmet Sci, 2004); 2% lowered sebum measures (Draelos et al., J Cosmet Laser Ther, 2006)
Main side effects	Dryness, peeling, redness	Usually well tolerated

Studies that combined them

• Acne with a retinoid: In an 8-week split-face trial of 40 people using adapalene (a retinoid) and benzoyl peroxide, a moisturizer with ceramides and niacinamide improved acne lesions more than a basic cream and helped reduce irritation (Tempark et al., J Cosmet Dermatol, 2024).
• Wrinkles, cosmetic vs tretinoin: In an 8-week trial of 196 women, a regimen of niacinamide, peptides and 0.3% retinyl propionate improved wrinkle appearance more than 0.02% tretinoin at 8 weeks, with similar benefits at 24 weeks, and was better tolerated. It compared whole regimens, not niacinamide alone (Fu et al., Br J Dermatol, 2010).
• Moisturizers and tretinoin: In a split-face trial, adding a moisturizer to daily tretinoin 0.05% made irritation milder (Schorr et al., J Drugs Dermatol, 2012).

How to layer them

At night

1. Gentle cleanser, then wait until skin is dry.
2. Pea-sized amount of tretinoin.
3. Niacinamide serum or a moisturizer with niacinamide.

Some people prefer niacinamide first as a buffer. Either order is fine if your skin tolerates it.

In the morning

1. Niacinamide serum.
2. Moisturizer.
3. Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ (AAD: sunscreen FAQs).

Using niacinamide in the morning and tretinoin at night is a simple way to get both without layering.

Tips

• Introduce one product at a time so you know what's causing any irritation.
• Choose fragrance-free niacinamide products.
• Higher niacinamide percentages aren't necessarily better; the trials used 2% to 5%.
• If you're pregnant or trying to conceive, ask your doctor before using tretinoin (AAD: retinoids).

Frequently asked questions

Do niacinamide and tretinoin cancel each other out? There's no evidence that they do.

Can niacinamide reduce tretinoin purging? It may help with irritation, but it won't stop the initial adjustment period.

Can I use niacinamide every day with tretinoin? Most people can.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to a board-certified dermatologist about your situation.

Sources

• Weiss JS et al. Topical tretinoin improves photoaged skin. JAMA. 1988. PubMed
• Bissett DL et al. Topical niacinamide reduces yellowing, wrinkling, red blotchiness, and hyperpigmented spots in aging facial skin. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2004. PubMed
• Draelos ZD et al. The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2006. PubMed
• Tempark T et al. Efficacy of ceramides and niacinamide-containing moisturizer versus hydrophilic cream in combination with topical anti-acne treatment. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024. PubMed
• Fu JJ et al. A randomized, controlled comparative study of the wrinkle reduction benefits of a cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate product regimen vs a prescription 0.02% tretinoin product regimen. Br J Dermatol. 2010. PubMed
• Schorr ES et al. Adjunctive use of a facial moisturizer SPF 30 containing ceramide precursor improves tolerability of topical tretinoin 0.05%. J Drugs Dermatol. 2012. PubMed
• American Academy of Dermatology. Retinoids; Sunscreen FAQs