You probably know your vitamin C from your vitamin E and have heard all the buzz around vitamin A (aka retinol) lately. But how familiar are you with vitamin B? While it may be one of the lesser known vitamins in skincare, it has been used in hard-working formulas for a long time and the benefits of vitamin B for skin are well worth investing in. 

Does your skin need vitamin B?

Quite simply, yes! The B group of vitamins are essential for our body’s wellbeing and growth. Our bodies can’t produce its own vitamin B or store it. Plus, a vitamin B deficiency is most likely to first show signs - such as redness, pigmentation and dermatitis - in the skin, so it’s especially important to incorporate the powerhouse ingredient into your skincare line-up. 

Vitamin B is stable and gentle so it’s suitable for all skin types and recommended for daily use in skincare.

Vitamin B skin benefits

1. Fade pigmentation

Pigmentation is one of the top skin concerns for Australians, unsurprisingly given our outdoor lifestyles and harsh sun, which is why our skin could greatly benefit from a daily topical vitamin B application. Vitamin B has been clinically proven to help fade pigmentation and works to prevent hyper-pigmentation by slowing down the transportation of melanin to the skin’s surface. 

Good to know: In all of our vitamin B HydroSkin products, we have used equal to or greater than amounts used in clinical trials to ensure you achieve the best results from our formulas. 

2. Brightens skin

Vitamin C tends to get all the glory in the brightening department, but vitamin B deserves praise for its ability to even out skin tone and make it appear brighter and more radiant. It’s also more stable and less irritating than vitamin C, making it a top brightening ingredient that all skin types can get on board with. 

3. Hydrates skin

Part of why vitamin B could be a more suitable brightening ingredient for your skin type is because of its ultra-hydrating properties. Vitamin B is water-soluble, so it’s able to easily penetrate the skin’s surface, reduce trans-epidermal water loss, and improve skin’s ability to trap in moisture for longer-lasting hydration.

4. Anti-ageing

Vitamin B is a great addition to any anti-ageing skincare routine. It can help to increase collagen production in skin, restore cellular energy, and repair damaged DNA for a more youthful complexion. 

5. Calms redness

Some of the best active ingredients around (like vitamin C and retinol) come with a lot of warning signs and aren’t well tolerated by sensitive skin types. Vitamin B is different. It’s able to get to work on brightening your skin and fighting the signs of ageing without causing irritation. In fact, its anti-inflammatory nature simultaneously works to calm redness and repair a damaged skin barrier.

Types of vitamin B in skincare

There are eight different types of B vitamins, ranging from B1 to B12; but in skincare, the most common are vitamin B3 - or niacinamide - and vitamin B5, which is also known as panthenol. 

Vitamin B3 (niacinamide)

There are a lot of unique benefits of vitamin B3 for skin. It is easily absorbed and penetrates deep in the layers of skin, making it one of the most influential vitamin Bs to use. It is great for treating pigmentation and age spots as well as inhibiting melanin to prevent free radical damage and pigmentation from forming. Niacinamide also helps improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, refine pores and control oil production, calm redness, and improve the skin’s protective barrier so it better retains moisture.

Vitamin B5 (panthenol)

Vitamin B5 is the hydrating, soothing and repairing vitamin B in the family. If dry or dull skin are among your top skin concerns, then vitamin B5 is for you. It works as an excellent humectant to draw moisture to skin, and as an emollient to keep it there, while also supporting the skin’s natural repair process.

How to include vitamin B in your skincare routine

Vitamin B is an ingredient that just about all of us could benefit from more of in our daily skincare routines. HydroSkin’s Vitamin B Mist is an easy and effective way to reap the rewards of both vitamin B3 and vitamin B5. It utilises the power of these two types of vitamin B to fade age spots and hyper-pigmentation, reduce redness, soften wrinkles, and improve hydration. When used after cleansing, it acts as the perfect carrier for ensuing serums and creams to be absorbed deep into the skin. 

 

Skin generally can’t get enough of vitamin B, so don’t be shy introducing it into additional steps in your skincare. You can also find it in our HydroSkin C Moisturiser, which combines the hydrating and pigmentation-fighting perks of vitamin B3 and B5 with fellow brightening superstar vitamin C; our HydroSkin Moisturiser Light, which is great for oily and irritation-prone skin types; and our HydroSkin Eye Cream, which brightens the skin around the eyes and reduces puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles for younger-looking eyes.