Can you use niacinamide with retinol?

Yes, you can use niacinamide with retinol. The studies that put the two on the same skin reported that people tolerated them, and no acne guideline warns against the pair. One 2016 study tested a single cream with retinol 0.5 percent and niacinamide 4.4 percent for 10 weeks. Early on, users had mild flaking and redness from the retinol, and by week 10 they reported no stinging, itching, dryness or tingling. There is less evidence for acne. The 2024 acne guideline from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says the evidence on niacinamide for acne is insufficient to make a recommendation. This Skinli page sets out what each source says, how to use the two together, and where the sources stop. It belongs to the guide to which skincare ingredients you can mix.

The short answer

Question	What the sources say
Verdict	Yes
Why	Studies of products with niacinamide and retinol, or niacinamide and retinyl propionate, found them well tolerated. A 2026 review says niacinamide with retinoids may help people keep using their treatment.
How	Retinol at night, every other night to start, with sun protection by day (AAD). Test each new product on a small spot first (AAD).
Who says so	A 2016 study in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, a 2010 study in the British Journal of Dermatology, a 2026 review in Skin Health and Disease, and the AAD

Retinol is one member of a family of ingredients called retinoids. The AAD lists retinol, tretinoin, adapalene gel and tazarotene as retinoids. Retinol is sold over the counter. Tretinoin is a prescription medicine, and its label carries its own warnings. If you use tretinoin, read the page on niacinamide with tretinoin instead.

What the studies found

Four sources put niacinamide next to a retinoid. None of them tested plain niacinamide next to plain retinol for acne.

Study	Who took part	What they used	What it found
2016, Journal of Drugs in Dermatology	25 people, aging skin, 10 weeks	One cream with retinol 0.5%, niacinamide 4.4%, resveratrol 1% and hexylresorcinol 1.1%	Mild flaking and redness early. By week 10, no stinging, itching, dryness or tingling reported
2010, British Journal of Dermatology	196 women with wrinkles around the eyes, 8 weeks	A cosmetic regimen with niacinamide, peptides and retinyl propionate, compared with prescription tretinoin 0.02%	The cosmetic regimen was better tolerated than tretinoin through 8 weeks by all measures
2024, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology	40 people with mild to moderate acne, 8 weeks	Benzoyl peroxide 5% and adapalene 0.1%, plus a moisturizer with ceramides and niacinamide on one half of the face and a basic cream on the other	The authors concluded the niacinamide moisturizer improved acne lesions and reduced irritation. No serious side effects from either cream
Trial in a 2026 review	88 people using adapalene with benzoyl peroxide	A cleanser and a cream, each with niacinamide 2%	The review says it shows niacinamide with retinoids may help people keep using treatment

The 2016 study is the closest match to the question on this page. It used retinol itself, and it put both ingredients in one product. It was open label, which means everyone knew what they were using, and it had no comparison group.

The 2010 study used retinyl propionate, which is a separate ingredient from retinol. Its point for this page is simple: 196 women used a regimen with niacinamide and retinyl propionate and tolerated it better than a prescription retinoid.

The two acne studies used adapalene, which the AAD lists as a retinoid. The 2024 trial was split face, where each person used one cream on each half of the face, so each person served as their own comparison. The 2026 review explains why this matters. It says the side effects of retinoids can stop people from using them, and that niacinamide in combination with retinoids has the potential to improve treatment adherence, which means helping people keep using their treatment as planned.

What the acne guidelines say

The acne guidelines say little about niacinamide. The word appears 3 times in the 2024 AAD guideline, all in one line, which says that "available evidence is insufficient to develop a recommendation" on oral or topical niacinamide for acne treatment. The word "niacinamide" does not appear on the NICE acne guideline pages or on the AAD acne treatment page. None of these guidelines gives a rule for niacinamide with retinol.

A 2025 panel of 62 dermatologists at 43 centers, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, agreed on ingredients one at a time. It listed niacinamide for redness and dark spots, and retinoids for fine lines and wrinkles, acne, dark spots, large pores and oily skin. The panel gave no rule on combining them.

The 2026 review in Skin Health and Disease gives the widest view. It says skin care ingredients such as retinol, niacinamide and azelaic acid may be most useful for people with mild to moderate acne, sensitive skin, or those unable to tolerate prescription treatments.

How to use them together

The AAD gives clear steps for the retinol side. A dermatologist quoted on the AAD's retinoid and retinol page says retinoids can make skin more sensitive to sun, so use them only at night and always use sun protection during the day. The same page advises the least intense retinoid formula you can find, used every other night to start, then building up slowly.

The AAD pages and the studies give no time of day for niacinamide, no order for the two, and no waiting time between them. The studies suggest two simple ways:

• One product with both. The 2016 study used a single cream, which removes the question of order.
• Niacinamide in your moisturizer. The acne studies gave niacinamide in a moisturizer next to a retinoid. The AAD's page on moisturizer for acne says a daily moisturizer can help skin tolerate adapalene, tazarotene or tretinoin. Look for a moisturizer labeled "non-comedogenic", "oil-free" or "won't clog pores", which the AAD says means it is unlikely to cause acne. The guide to what niacinamide does for your skin covers the ingredient on its own.

For adapalene, a patient leaflet from Dorset County Hospital, an NHS trust, says to wait until the adapalene has been absorbed into your skin before putting on moisturisers or cosmetics.

Add one product at a time. The AAD's advice on adult acne is to use a new product for 6 to 8 weeks and, during this time, not to add another product. If you start retinol and niacinamide on the same day and your skin reacts, you cannot tell which one caused it. Test each new product first: the AAD's page on how to test skin care products says to apply it to a test spot twice daily for 7 to 10 days, and to go ahead if there is no red, itchy or swollen skin. The guide to patch testing a new product walks through the steps, and the guide to starting retinol for acne covers the first weeks.

One more point on labels. A dermatologist quoted by the AAD says there is no standard requirement for over-the-counter products to disclose the percentage of retinol on the label. A cream with both ingredients may not tell you how much retinol it holds.

Where the evidence stops

Each study has limits that matter for a person with acne.

• The 2016 retinol study enrolled 25 people with aging skin and had no comparison group.
• The 2010 study was about wrinkles, and it used retinyl propionate.
• The two acne studies used adapalene, and the niacinamide sat in a moisturizer with other ingredients such as ceramides.
• The 2026 review says combination formulations were frequently studied, "making it difficult to isolate the effect of individual cosmeceutical ingredients." In plain words, when a cream holds several active ingredients, a study cannot show which one did the work.

The sources show that people tolerated the pair. None of them measured whether adding niacinamide helps retinol work better on acne. The guide on whether retinol works for acne covers the retinol evidence on its own.

Irritation, darker skin and pregnancy

Retinol can irritate. The AAD says some ingredients, such as retinol and glycolic acid, can irritate your skin, particularly if your skin is sensitive, and that this is normal and temporary. The AAD also warns that with skin of color, irritation can trigger dark marks, known as hyperpigmentation. That is one more reason to start slowly. If dryness or peeling builds up, the guide to retinoid dryness and peeling sets out what the sources say to do.

Adding an exfoliating acid is a separate question with a different answer. The AAD's page on how to safely exfoliate at home says exfoliating while using products with retinol may worsen dry skin or even cause acne breakouts. The pages on salicylic acid with retinol and what to mix with a retinoid cover those pairs.

On pregnancy, the AAD says retinoids should not be used during pregnancy. The guide to retinoids during pregnancy and breastfeeding sets out each source.

When to ask a doctor

If a doctor prescribed a retinoid for you, ask that doctor or your pharmacist before adding niacinamide or anything else. Keep using the prescribed treatment while you ask.

Give any routine time. The American Academy of Dermatology's page Acne: Diagnosis and treatment says it takes at least 6 to 8 weeks before you start to see fewer breakouts, and the Differin adapalene gel label says results may take up to 3 months of once-daily use. See a doctor if acne is painful, forms deep lumps, leaves scars, changes fast, or has not improved after steady care.