Although highly effective, the benzoyl peroxide can sometimes cause side effects such as irritations or skin dryness. To overcome these limitations, it is increasingly common to combine it with other active ingredients that complement and enhance its action, while reducing the risk of irritation.
Benzoyl peroxide and niacinamide in the same product could exert complementary and synergistic effects, enhancing the efficacy in the topical treatment of acne. A 28-day pilot trial on 22 patients suffering from mild to moderate acne aimed to evaluate this efficacy. The results showed a significant reduction in acne lesions after treatment compared to the vehicle. Non-inflammatory, inflammatory, and total lesions decreased by 40%, 43%, and 41% respectively. Additionally, skin redness decreased by 11% after treatment and sebum production by 42%.
Furthermore, benzoyl peroxide is not always well tolerated, particularly during the initial weeks, causing irritation, erythema, and skin dryness by interfering with the skin barrier, which results in an increase of up to 80% in transepidermal water loss. This is where niacinamide, an anti-inflammatory molecule, comes into play. It is capable of preserving the function of the skin barrier by reducing transepidermal water loss, which allows epidermal cells to improve the epidermis barrier and the level of hydration.
This study, however, must be interpreted with caution, as the number of subjects is not significant enough to yield reliable results.