Acne-prone skin just needs a little extra help, amirite? To be honest, if your breakouts stop at your face, I might even consider you lucky. Body breakouts are a whole other ball game to deal with and can be just as persistent as the ones you get on your face. As someone with highly sensitive skin, I’ve struggled with breakouts all over, and it wasn’t until I started using an exfoliating body treatment and lotion with a certain skincare ingredient that things started to change for the better.
That superstar ingredient is niacinamide—it really helps curb breakouts in unwanted places and has also helped fade dark spots I’ve had on my back for years. Talk about a dramatic transformation. Being the curious beauty editor that I am, I decided to dive into why niacinamide makes a great addition to your bodycare routine with a dermatologist. If you’re interested in trying it out to clear up your body breakouts, too, keep reading! There’s lots of key information ahead.
According to board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp, MD, the answer is yes! I’ve written about this particular ingredient quite a bit because it has so many different benefits and is great for every skin type. Niacinamide can treat acne and dryness while also benefitting those with oily skin because it keeps your skin from overproducing oil throughout the day. Camp says, “Niacinamide is a vitamin B derivative that is included in skincare products because of its beneficial impacts on skin health, such as reducing inflammation, pore size, and the appearance of blemishes. It is also well tolerated by all skin types.”
If you struggle with body breakouts, it can definitely help to use an exfoliant a few times a week (my favorite is Nécessaire’s Body Exfoliator), but finding a body lotion that contains niacinamide may provide further acne-clearing benefits. “It may help treat body acne because of its anti-inflammatory properties, ability to fortify the skin barrier, and ability to improve the appearance of uneven skin tone,” Camp explains. This makes it great for both acne and the dark spots that tend to follow. I found that adding it to my daily bodycare routine helped fade so many dark spots on my back from previous breakouts. I also won’t lie—I hit the gym a lot and tend to break out around my butt area, and adding niacinamide into the mix really reduced the number of bumps I was getting and the dark spots there too. Check out a few of our recs below.