Retinol and niacinamide
Depends on the strength
Use niacinamide in the morning and retinol at night, because this prevents redness and helps your skin adjust. Niacinamide calms irritation and strengthens your moisture barrier, while retinol boosts cell renewal. You can choose a gentler formula or wait longer between applications if your skin feels sensitive.
Retinoids: a journey from the molecular structures and mechanisms of action to clinical uses in dermatology and adverse effectsWhy Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne
Retinol products
- RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream
-
Paula's Choice
1% Retinol Treatment
A$98.00
-
RoC
Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
A$118.65
- Good Molecules Gentle Retinol Cream
- DRMTLGY Retinol Body Lotion
- RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum
- cocokind Retinol Body Cream
-
Neutrogena
Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream
A$40.62
- The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
-
Murad
Retinol Youth Renewal Serum
A$140.40
-
Dr. Dennis Gross
Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
A$169.49
-
COSRX
The Retinol 0.1 Cream
A$26.39
Niacinamide products
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
-
CeraVe
Foaming Facial Cleanser
A$13.99
-
Cetaphil
Gentle Skin Cleanser
A$21.69
-
La Roche-Posay
Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
A$26.59
-
Dr. Althea
345 Relief Cream
A$22.40
-
Biodance
Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask
A$22.40
-
Olay
Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream
A$29.99
-
CeraVe
PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
A$36.14
-
Medicube
PDRN Pink Peptide Serum
A$31.44
-
CeraVe
Renewing SA Cleanser
A$23.99
-
Medicube
Collagen Jelly Cream
A$37.17
-
Olay
Super Serum
A$29.99
Questions and answers
Can you use retinol and niacinamide together?
Yes, you can use retinol and niacinamide together depending on the strength, and products like innisfree Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule and Alastin Skincare Restorative Skin Complex combine them. Niacinamide helps reduce the irritation and redness that retinol may cause while improving skin tolerance. You can use niacinamide in the morning and retinol at night, or choose products that combine them safely.
Which goes first, retinol or niacinamide?
Using niacinamide in the morning and retinol at night helps reduce irritation and improve skin tolerance. Products like innisfree Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule, Alastin Skincare Restorative Skin Complex, SkinMedica Retinol Complex, Olay Advanced Eye Cream, Palmer's Skin Success Anti-Dark Spot Fade Cream, and SHANI DARDEN Retinol Reform combine these ingredients.
Are retinol and niacinamide good for sensitive skin?
Yes, retinol and niacinamide are generally good for sensitive skin depending on the strength, because niacinamide helps reduce irritation and enhances barrier repair. Products like innisfree Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule, Alastin Skincare Restorative Skin Complex, SkinMedica Retinol Complex, Olay Advanced Eye Cream, Palmer's Skin Success Anti-Dark Spot Fade Cream, and SHANI DARDEN Retinol Reform combine these ingredients.
Research on retinol and niacinamide
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Behind this pairing advice
Lovi checks every pairing with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-

Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-

Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-

Dr. Sof铆a Perea P茅rez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-

Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-

Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-

Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.























