Nicotinamide - biologic actions of an emerging cosmetic ingredient

Nicotinamide, the water-soluble amide of nicotinic acid, is a component of the two most important coenzymes - nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. Thus nicotinamide is involved in numerous oxidation-reduction reactions in mammalian biological systems. Nicotinamide essentially acts as an antioxidant. Most effects are exerted via poly-adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase inhibition. Thus nicotinamide increasingly gains interest in the prevention and treatment of several skin diseases. It is well established in the systemic therapy of pellagra, a deficiency disease linked to nicotinic acid, but with respect to topical use there is still a need for further evidence with respect to its manifold potential uses. Currently, its local use is established in the care of acne-prone skin.