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Cosmeceutical Vitamins: Vitamin B
Summary and Key Features
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Niacinamide is a water-soluble, stable, low molecular weight vitamin that readily penetrates the stratum corneum.
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Niacinamide has been used topically in prevention of photodamage, reduction in acne, improvement in bullous pemphigoid, and treatment of rosacea and atopy.
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Panthenol or provitamin B5 is also known as pantothenol and pantothenyl alcohol.
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Panthenol has been used topically to treat wounds, bruises, scars, pressure and dermal ulcers, thermal burns, postoperative incisions/distention, and dermatoses.
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Topical vitamin B3 and provitamin B5 provide a variety of beneficial effects to skin, such as barrier enhancement, moisturization, and aging skin appearance improvement.
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NAD+ and related precursors, such as niacinamide, have found specific and novel mechanistic linkages to aging diseases.
Introduction
The nutritional value of B vitamins has long been known, and in recent years the utility of topical vitamin B 3 (niacinamide) and provitamin B 5 (panthenol) is being increasingly recognized. There are several reports of topical niacinamide and panthenol providing therapeutic dermatologic effects. More recently, both of these B vitamins have been utilized in topical cosmetic products to provide beneficial effects for a wide array of more common skin problems such as those associated with aging. In those applications, these B vitamins have been found to be well tolerated by the skin and can thus be used broadly across skin types.
The likely mechanisms involved in these effects have not been completely elucidated. However, since both of these B vitamins are precursors to important cofactors in metabolism, a general mechanism involving this precursor function can be invoked.
This chapter overviews the topical effects and mechanisms of these B vitamins. Since there is a considerable literature on both materials, this review can by necessity only briefly describe the array of published work.
Niacinamide
Material
Vitamin B 3 encompasses a family of structurally similar compounds. The focus here is on niacinamide, also known as nicotinamide and in older literature as vitamin PP (for pellagra preventing). Niacinamide is a water-soluble, stable, low molecular weight substance that readily penetrates the stratum corneum. Mechanistically, it is a precursor that rapidly incorporates into the NAD(P)H pools, which serve as critical redox factors in numerous enzymatic reactions. More recently, NAD + has been shown to have significant roles in regulating cellular metabolism via protecting cells from oxidative stress and as a function of aging. This is of particular relevance to skin that is daily exposed to environmental stressors such as UV, pollution, smoke, etc. since it has been reported that NAD + levels are lower in aged skin in both genders.
Topical therapeutic effects
Niacinamide has been used topically in prevention of photodamage, reduction in acne, improvement in bullous pemphigoid, and treatment of rosacea and atopy. The specific mechanisms for these effects have not been defined, although there are considerable effects of niacinamide that may contribute. Additionally, niacinamide is a precursor to NAD(P) and their reduced forms NAD(P)H, cofactors are important in many cellular metabolic enzyme reactions, so it has potential to impact many tissue functions. Also, since the reduced forms of these cofactors are potent antioxidants, a redox regulation mechanism is a strong possibility.
Topical cosmeceutical effects
Topical niacinamide is extremely well tolerated by the skin. That mildness and the broad use potential noted above have triggered several recent controlled cosmeceutical clinical studies, which have revealed many beneficial effects of chronic topical niacinamide in aging skin.
Barrier and irritation
Topical niacinamide reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL), indicating improved barrier function. The treated skin was found to be significantly more resistant to damage by barrier-destructive agents such as the surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and trans -retinoic acid. This translates into less irritation and facial red blotchiness ( Fig. 6.1 ).
The mechanism for barrier improvement is likely due to niacinamide-induced increases in skin barrier layer lipids such as ceramides and barrier layer proteins such as keratin, involucrin, and filaggrin. Increases in these primary structural components would be expected to have a significant effect on building the barrier.
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