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BulkActives are DIY skin care suppliers of skin actives, cosmetic ingredients, cosmeceuticals, active ingredients, and standardized botanical extracts for diy skin care products and homemade cosmetics.
New & Updates
Attention: BulkActives is a part-time
business.
Orders are processed on Saturdays and mailed on Mondays at the
latest, usually earlier.
Social networking:
Follow us on Twitter for updates or read our blog for skin care articles.
Free original software: Recipe creator database and HLB calculator
We now offer a range of NON-formaldehyde releasing preservatives:
phenoxyethanol (paraben free) & paraben and phenoxyethanol combo
Back in stock!!
Out of stock:
Pantothenic acid (replaced with d-Panthenol)
Xanthan Gum
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
Is an active ingredient for DIY skin care and homemade cosmetics from BulkActives.
About Niacinamide
"Also called vitamin B3, niacin, and nicotinic acid, this water-soluble ingredient is stable in the presence of heat and light.
Topical application of niacinamide has been shown to increase ceramide and free fatty acid levels in skin, prevent skin from losing water content, as well as stimulate micro-circulation in the dermis.
2% niacinamide was shown in one small study to be more effective than petrolatum (Vaseline) for reducing water loss from skin and increasing its hydration levels.
Procter & Gamble, whose Olay skin-care line sells several products with niacinamide, published a double-blind study involving 50 women. The subjects used a product containing 5% niacinamide (whether that amount is included in Olay's niacinamide products was not mentioned) for a period of 12 weeks. Results included an improvement in the appearance of wrinkles, skin discolorations, less redness, a reduction in sallowness, and improved elasticity.
Another study seconded P&G's findings that niacinamide is a helpful ingredient to address skin discolorations. It appears that topical niacinamide has an inhibitory effect on the transfer of melanosomes to skin cells, thus it can interrupt the process that causes irregular pigmentation to form.
In addition to niacinamide's growing reputation as an excellent barrier repair and skin lightening agent, some existing animal studies and in vitro studies on human fibroblasts (cells that produce connective tissue such as collagen) have demonstrated that niacinamide may have a mitigating effect on skin tumors.
Fewer studies exist to examine niacinamide's anti-acne properties. An older study compared a gel containing 4% niacinamide with the prescription acne medicine Clindamycin and found it works just as well as the prescription, but without the risk of antibiotic resistance.
Perhaps even more important is the potential for niacinamide as a cell-communicating ingredient.”Paula Begoun, Cosmetics Ingredients Dictionary
Product details
Solubility: water
Suggested percentage:4% to 5% (4% Glucosamine with 2% Niacinamide)
Storage:
Cool, dry place. Do not freeze. Keep away from light and moisture!
Country of origin: India
Manufacturer's data: Niacinamide COA
Glucosamine reduces the amount and appearance of hyperpigmentation, age spots and uneven melanin distribution (4% Glucosamine with 2% Niacinamide). Glucosamine stimulates the production of hyaluronic acid and increases collagen production.
Topical glucosamine for hyperpigmentation
(HealthNewsDigest.com).. CINCINNATI, OH, July 7, 2006.
For many women, accumulated sun exposure has already
permanently damaged their skin cells, causing them to overproduce pigment that
shows up as unsightly dark splotches and uneven skin tone over time. But new
research indicates that glucosamine - a
compound best known for treating arthritis - can actually help stop the
formation of new age spots, and help fade existing ones.
"These findings
on glucosamine may impact the way dermatologists treat UV-related skin damage in
the future. Right now we have prescription and surgical options, which some
people aren't willing to try," says Alexa Kimball, M.D., assistant professor of
dermatology, Harvard Medical School and lead researcher on one of the studies
testing glucosamine. "It's exciting to see this level of research being done on
topical cosmetic applications of glucosamine, and the promising results."
An International Consensus on Glucosamine Skin Benefits In early 2006, a
group of leading dermatologists from around the world and Procter & Gamble
Beauty scientists convened in Rome to review and discuss the glucosamine data.
The panel determined that n-acetyl glucosamine, a more stable form of
glucosamine, reduced the amount of melanin in skin cells, meaning there was less
excess pigment in the skin to cause age spots. Additionally, the panel concluded
that a formulation of n-acetyl glucosamine and niacinamide, a vitamin B
derivative, significantly reduced the amount and appearance of
hyperpigmentation, age spots and uneven melanin distribution. Researchers paired
n-acetyl glucosamine with niacinamide because they knew that niacinamide had
similar effects on slowing down pigment production and hypothesized that the two
might work better together.
The panel reviewed data from three studies
involving the n-acetyl glucosamine /niacinamide formulation. Tissue studies
showed a reduction in melanin and an increase in collagen - a key structural
protein in skin. Three double-blinded placebo- controlled clinical studies
involving more than 200 subjects, including a study supervised by Dr. Kimball,
showed improvement in hyperpigmentation and skin tone and a decrease in the size
of age spots. The research is set to be presented in July at the "Academy '06"
meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), and was first presented at
the AAD annual meeting in March 2006.
The interest in glucosamine
as a possible treatment comes in part from what scientists already know happens
on a cellular level when skin is exposed to UV radiation. Chronic UV exposure
can damage melanocytes, cells in the skin responsible for producing melanin, in
a variety of different ways. Often, this damage can lead to a loss of cellular
control, and the production of chemicals that allow the cells to keep producing
more and more melanin - which eventually leads to age spots and uneven
discoloration. Additionally, as skin ages, cell turnover slows down and melanin
"dust" - microscopic particles of melanin - can become trapped in the upper
layers of skin, resulting in a duller appearance.
Researchers are
familiar with these processes and that has helped them focus on substances -
such as n-acetyl glucosamine - that are known to interrupt the UV-triggered
chemical signals that turn on melanin production. Skin care products that
utilize signal-blocking ingredients currently exist in the marketplace, but
products with n-acetyl glucosamine/niacinamide - which block melanin at two
different points in the pigment producing process - are among the newest and
most studied.
"Pigmentation is an appearance issue that strikes an
emotional chord for women, and even though we're constantly telling our patients
about the importance of UV-protection, once the damage is done, we need to be
able to provide them with ways to help," says Dr. Kimball. "The level of
research and validation on topical cosmetic application of glucosamine will help
it stand apart from other ingredients when it comes to improving tone and
treating hyperpigmentation.
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) has many qualities that make it useful for acne medications, and for anti aging formulations. It has properties that make it effective for: anti contol, as an anti-inflammatory, oil control, skin lightening, skin brightening, to increase ceramide levels, to prevent water loss in skin, and for its anti aging effects to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and improve skin elasticity.
Read references and abstracts