Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment Versus Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum

Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment Versus Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum

This pore-care treatment is formulated around Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture.

This calming serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Resveratrol to calm redness and fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Niacinamide 20%

Pentylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Acetyl Glucosamine

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Spiraea Ulmaria Extract

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Camellia Japonica Flower Extract

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Allantoin

Lecithin

Pullulan

Panthenol

Silica

Xanthan Gum

Sclerotium Gum

Propanediol

Sodium Phytate

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Niacinamide 20%, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Acetyl Glucosamine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Lecithin, Pullulan, Panthenol, Silica, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Propanediol, Sodium Phytate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Niacinamide

Phenyl Trimethicone

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Octyldodecanol

Resveratrol

Diglucosyl Gallic Acid

Asiaticoside

Madecassoside

Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside

Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Betaine

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol

PEG-8

Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane

Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane

Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane

Punica Granatum Fruit Extract

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract

Citrus Grandis Peel Extract

Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Citrus Limon Peel Oil

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Polysorbate 60

Sorbitan Isostearate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Dimethicone

Trideceth-6

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone

Tocopherol

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Triethyl Citrate

Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Octyldodecanol, Resveratrol, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Asiaticoside, Madecassoside, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Betaine, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, PEG-8, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Citrus Grandis Peel Extract, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Sodium Phytate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Trideceth-6, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Triethyl Citrate

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

Sodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.

Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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