Can you use vitamin C and niacinamide together?
Yes — they work well together
Yes. The old advice against combining them came from tests on pure chemicals at high temperatures, not from skincare used at skin temperature.
Why
The worry was that niacinamide and ascorbic acid react to form a yellowish complex, or that niacinamide turns into nicotinic acid, which can cause flushing. Those reactions need heat and time and don't happen meaningfully in a serum you apply and leave on.
Plenty of well-made products combine the two. If the combination stings or you notice flushing, that's more likely down to the acidity of the vitamin C serum or a strong niacinamide percentage.
How to use them
- Layer them in either order, or use a product that contains both.
- If your skin reacts, use vitamin C in the morning and niacinamide at night.
Read more about each ingredient
Not sure what's in a product? Paste its ingredient list into our ingredient checker to see which actives it contains.
Other combinations
- Can you use retinol and vitamin C together? — use at different times
- Can you use retinol and niacinamide together? — works well together
- Can you use vitamin C with AHAs or BHA? — yes, with care
- Can you use vitamin C and benzoyl peroxide together? — use at different times
- Can you use niacinamide and AHAs together? — works well together
- Can you use salicylic acid and niacinamide together? — works well together
- Can you use azelaic acid and niacinamide together? — works well together
- Can you use vitamin C and copper peptides together? — use at different times
Last reviewed 20 Oct 2026.
This is educational information, not medical advice. Introduce one new active at a time and patch test. If you use prescription skincare, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your GP, pharmacist or dermatologist first.
