WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NIACINAMIDE IN A CLEANSER?
Niacinamide is one of the most versatile and well-tolerated brightening ingredients in skincare, and when formulated at an efficacious level in a cleanser, it delivers visible improvements in skin tone, texture, and pore appearance from the very first step of your routine. OLEHENRIKSEN's Peach Glaze 2% Niacinamide Cleanser harnesses the full power of this ingredient at a true 2% level, clinically proven to brighten skin within 8 hours and improve tone and texture in just one week.
What Is Niacinamide, and Why Does It Belong in a Cleanser?
Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3, a water-soluble vitamin that's naturally present in the skin and plays an essential role in maintaining its health, resilience, and luminosity. In skincare, it's celebrated for its ability to address multiple concerns simultaneously: brightening, pore-refining, barrier-strengthening, and texture-smoothing, all without the irritation potential of stronger actives like high-concentration vitamin C or exfoliating acids.
HOW CAN YOUR CLEANSER WORK JUST AS HARD AS YOUR SERUM?
In Scandinavia, where skin wellness is approached as a holistic, long-view practice rather than a quick fix, the appeal of niacinamide is clear. It works with the skin to deliver better skin over time, consistently and gently. It's the skincare equivalent of the Nordic concept of balance: effective without being extreme, sustainable without being boring.
Putting niacinamide in a cleanser is a meaningful formulation choice. Most people think of their cleanser as a neutral step, something that prepares skin for the actives that follow. But at OLEHENRIKSEN, the cleanser is considered an active step in its own right. Riva Barak, VP of Product Development, explains the thinking: “Niacinamide is an amazing ingredient for the skin; it brightens and improves skin health. It is a real multitasker with respect to improving the way skin looks and feels.”
That 2% level isn't incidental—it's the threshold at which niacinamide delivers clinically meaningful results, and it's what separates a formula with real brightening efficacy from one that simply lists niacinamide on the label.
According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Connie Yang, “Niacinamide is one of the most well-studied, multifunctional ingredients in skincare. At 2%, it can visibly improve skin tone, help minimize the look of pores, and support the skin barrier—making it an ideal ingredient in a daily cleanser. When paired with antioxidant-rich ingredients like peach extract, it delivers both immediate radiance and long-term skin benefits without over-stripping.”
The Key Benefits of Niacinamide for Skin
- Brightening. Niacinamide visibly improves skin’s glow, helping to fade the appearance of uneven tone and dullness over time. It's one of the most evidence-backed brightening ingredients available, and unlike vitamin C, it doesn't oxidize or become unstable in formulation, making it reliably potent from first use to last.
In a 1-week clinical study on 33 people, Peach Glaze 2% Niacinamide Cleanser significantly improved skin brightness within 8 hours of use, meaning the brightening effect begins before you even apply your serum.
- Pore refinement. Niacinamide visibly reduces the appearance of enlarged pores by controlling oil and helping to strengthening the skin around each pore opening, making pores appear tighter and less visible. In the same 1-week clinical study on 33 people, 100% had instantly smaller-looking pores after a single use.
- Skin tone and texture improvement. With regular use, niacinamide smooths uneven texture and evens out skin tone, two of the most common concerns for people dealing with dullness or post-breakout marks. In a 1-week clinical study on 33 people, both skin tone and skin texture significantly improved after one week of daily use.
- Barrier support. Niacinamide strengthens the skin barrier, particularly valuable in a cleanser, where surfactants can sometimes compromise barrier integrity. Niacinamide actively counteracts this tendency, helping the skin stay resilient and balanced after every wash.
- Compatibility with all skin types. Unlike many actives that require a skin-adjustment period or are contraindicated for sensitive skin, niacinamide is exceptionally well-tolerated. In consumer testing on 33 people, 100% agreed Peach Glaze 2% Niacinamide Cleanser is gentle enough for daily use and appropriate for their skin type.
How Niacinamide Works Alongside the Other Key Ingredients
Niacinamide doesn't work in isolation in the Peach Glaze formula. It's supported by two other clinically active ingredients that amplify its brightening and barrier-supporting benefits.
- Custom-developed Peach Juice provides a natural source of Vitamin C for brightening, visibly plumps skin with antioxidant-rich hydration, and supports a strong barrier for healthier-looking skin. The peach actives are developed exclusively for OLEHENRIKSEN's Peach Glaze collection, custom-formulated to extract the full spectrum of the fruit's flavonoids and antioxidants, not just a standardized commodity extract. Together with niacinamide, peach juice creates a layered brightening effect that addresses dullness through multiple pathways simultaneously.
- Scandinavian Cloudberry Fruit Juice is a custom superberry ingredient sourced from Scandinavia's wild cloudberry, a fruit revered in Nordic wellness traditions for its exceptional antioxidant content. Cloudberry helps brighten skin and defend against the environmental stressors that accumulate on skin throughout the day and contribute to a dull, uneven complexion. In the Peach Glaze formula, it adds a brightening and antioxidant dimension that complements niacinamide's more targeted pore-refining and tone-evening work.
The result is a cleanser where every active ingredient has a specific, evidence-based role, and where the combination delivers more than any single ingredient could on its own.
What Makes This Different From Adding a Niacinamide Serum?
Niacinamide in a cleanser and niacinamide in a serum work differently, and both are worth having in a routine. A leave-on serum delivers a sustained dose of niacinamide that sits on skin for hours, driving longer-contact benefits like pigment regulation and ceramide synthesis. A rinse-off cleanser delivers a briefer, faster-acting dose that still delivers measurable improvements in brightness, pore appearance, and skin comfort, before the serum even goes on.
Think of the Peach Glaze Cleanser as step one of a compounding brightening system. Every wash lays a brighter, more refined foundation for everything that follows. Pair it with Peach Glaze Niacinamide Serum for a full routine that delivers niacinamide benefits at every stage, and finish with Peach Glaze Glow Mist to maintain that luminosity throughout the day.
