A battle of the vitamin B3's. Every wonder if that new more expensive skin care product is worth the splurge? Is it just hype or is it actually better? Today we compare The Ordinary and Maelove Skincare Niacinamide serums to determine which is better.
Ever feel like sometimes a product comes along and it is just too good to be true? How can it be made of quality ingredients and give visibly good results at such an affordable price? For me, that product is The Ordinary Skincare Niacinamide serum – and truthfully pretty much every product in The Ordinary line. So, what happens when another brand, one you respect and admire, comes out with a competing product at a considerably higher price point? Do you give it a try because maybe it is actually worth the more expensive price tag?
This was my exact predicament when Maelove launched a Niacinamide serum a few months back. As an esthetician and general lover of all things indie beauty, I decided to compare NIA to The Ordinary. If you’re looking for an in-depth review of both The Ordinary Skincare and Maelove’s niacinamide serum, and a consensus on which one is best for what skin needs…keep reading.
Previously my holy grail Niacinamide serum was from The Ordinary. Frankly, it offers an unprecedented advantage over most others I’ve come across – the ridiculously affordable price. For me, price is just one consideration factor when purchasing skincare. I also care about the brand’s mission, formulation of ingredients, and what am I getting in exchange – the efficacy of it. Then I generally decide, does the culmination of all these elements warrant the product's price point? So, the question to answer today is, considering price, quality, and results…which is the better serum?
The Rules of the Game. What To Expect When Introducing New Skincare.
Before we get started, I want to talk a little bit about some potential reactions, contraindications, and results to expect when introducing new skincare. As I said, I am a licensed esthetician, I have to give a good precursor. Therefore, first I want to preface this skincare review by emphasizing – all skins are different. What works for me, might not work for you. What I am sharing are simply my thoughts and opinions, take from it what you will. Also, my years as a practicing esthetician taught me to evaluate each skin’s situation holistically. There are a lot of contributing factors as to why someone might break out or have a sensitive reaction to a product. One particular common influence, which might cause a negative reaction, that comes to mind is over-exfoliating. Yes, it can be bad for your skin to regularly use too many actives.
For example, if you use a form of vitamin C in the morning, retinol at night, and a fermented essence 2x a day adding something “safe” like Niacinamide (also known as Vitamin B3) could result in a reaction. It doesn’t mean you should stop what you’re doing, or that you can’t use niacinamide serums, but it might mean your skin is overloaded. Learning to listen to your skin is the best advice I can give – introduce one thing at a time. Give each new product its chance to surprise you. Reactions and results can take a while to make their debut. This is why I give a new product a minimum of 2 weeks, but ideally for 4 weeks, to know if it is a good fit for my skin.
Now, don’t get me wrong, if your face swells, erupts in hives, or doesn’t’ stop itching - you should probably stop using whatever you just began testing. And no, an acne breakout doesn’t mean you had a bad reaction. Sometimes clogging is just sitting under the surface of the skin, waiting patiently to pop up at the most inconvenient time. Even still, a breakout can also mean a product is working. Dehydrated skins often see more breakouts as they become better hydrated. The once smothered deep down breakout now has the chance to break free up through the softer better-hydrated surface. And as annoying as a break out can be – always seems to be the worst when you have some special event planned – the bacteria and sebum that make up a breakout needs to come up and out. Otherwise, it sits in the hair follicle – pores as some like to refer to them – and expands it. And who wants a bacterial cesspool growing in under the surface of their skin?!
The Round-Up. What is Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and What Can It Do For Me?
For a little background, as sensitive acne-prone combination skin, I sometimes struggle to find the right acne combatting ingredients in my skincare. Niacinamide is a water-soluble skin-loving powerhouse vitamin that helps improve the appearance of pore size, uneven skin tone, dullness, fine lines, and helps repair a damaged skin barrier. In the words of the experts Paula's Choice:
"Niacinamide is a very effective skin-restoring ingredient that offers multiple benefits for aging and blemish-prone skin. Among these benefits is the ability to visibly improve the appearance of enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines, dullness, and a weakened skin surface. Niacinamide can also mitigate and to some extent help visibly repair damage from UV light. Unlike many beneficial ingredients, niacinamide is stable in the presence of heat and light."
So, now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty - a Battle of the B3’s.
First Up. Maelove Skincare NIA 10 Calming Serum.
Let's discuss the newbie to the niacinamide acne-prone skin savior game…Maelove’s NIA 10 Calming Serum. As a lover of the Maelove brand, I was eager to give their new niacinamide serum a try. For anyone interested in learning more about Maelove’s story click here. And to clarify, no, this is not a sponsored post. As an esthetician, marketing professional, and entrepreneur at heart I just admire the tenacity it takes to create a brand name for yourself. Let alone the dedication to get positive word of mouth with a limited marketing budget in the multi-billion dollar beauty industry. But, I digress, back to the topic at hand.
In general, Maelove’s thing is designing affordable products using quality ingredients. They focus on creating extensively researched, scientifically driven, potent formulations to meet the expressed wants and needs of customers. Another product in Maelove’s arsenal that arguably disrupted the skincare industry with its affordable no-nonsense vitamin C serum – The Glow Maker. Not one to disappoint, NIA 10 is designed to address acne-prone skins with a powerful combination of antiaging ingredients and water-loving hydration.
Much like The Ordinary, NIA 10 contains 10% niacinamide and is reinforced with Zinc. Yet, one leg up NIA 10 provides is skin-soothing ingredients like white tea, aloe, mushroom extracts, and vitamin E. These skin-loving humectants add good slip to the serum making it easier to massage into the skin. The combination of antioxidant ingredients in NIA 10 works together to powerfully reduce redness, impart moisture and boost elasticity to provide long-term anti-aging results.
It took me just over 2 months to finish the bottle of @maeloveskincare NIA 10 serum. The serum itself is a decent weight, not too thick or heavy but also not so thin it absorbs quicker than you can spread it. For those who don’t like the “soapy” effect of some other B3 serums (I’m talking to you The Ordinary), you’ll be happy to know this one is without. It doesn’t dry out or irritate my sensitive skin and has aided in the dark spot reduction of my post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and post-inflammatory erythema (PIE).
The NIA 10 Calming Serum is great for those looking for one-stop-shop niacinamide serum to use in their daily skincare routine. If you don't want multiple serums or enjoy making a custom skincare cocktail - this is for you. Unlike some other Niacinamide serums, Maelove’s truly is an all-encompassing serum - not a booster. While the directions say you can add it into other serums and creams there’s no need. Since I have been a long-time niacinamide user it’s hard for me to say how quickly you should expect results from NIA 10 in your skin.
Next Up, The Ordinary Skincare Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum.
Okay, now it’s time to discuss what was my holy grail vitamin B3 serum…The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum. Before my comparison experiment, I had been using The Ordinary’s niacinamide for some time, at least 6 months if I had to guess. In the beginning, there was an acclimation period where my skin felt a little sensitized at first.
To be clear I didn’t have any burning or excessive dryness but I did notice a slightly heightened feeling of sensitivity to my skin when I first introduced niacinamide. And to be honest, this is not an uncommon occurrence for my skin, in fact, it happens when I introduce almost anything new. What can I say – I guess my skin doesn’t like change. Admittedly knowing this about my skin does quell any negative worries I might have about adding new skincare products and noticing negative reactions to my skin.
Bearing in mind my skin's finicky nature, I kept on using The Ordinary’s niacinamide. Slowly I worked up to using it 2x a day and made sure to be mindful of whatever other actives might intensify my skin’s sensitivity levels. The results were amazing. Niacinamide helped to reduce the occurrence of my acne flareups, visibly reduce any pigmentation issues I had, and bonus my skin now had a glow. Wonderful. I mean hello - In Search of glow.
As far as B3 serums go, The Ordinary is hard to beat. The ingredients list is nice and short and the pH is at a skin appropriate 5.5 to 6.5. The only sticky issue with their formulation is its consistency. This serum is a thicker weight gel and might put some people off. Well, that and the “soapy” effect some get when working the serum into their skin. Personally, this didn’t bother me but I can completely understand how it could. All in all, it is a simple and to-the-point formula. The Ordinary’s B3 provides the perfect ingredients for us cocktail makers to mix into, or layer on top of, our various skin care concoctions.
The only element I felt was lacking from this serum was hydration. Its inability to hydrate my perpetually dehydrated skin meant it only acted as a supplemental element to my multi-step skincare routine. Don’t get me wrong, given its affordable price point, I was okay layering a few serums to get the desired effect. That effect, of course, being hydrated, happy, glowing, acne-free skin – isn’t that what we are all after? And to be fair - simplicity is The Ordinary's thing. They focus on "clinical formulations with integrity". All products are potent and affordable designed to allow customers to create their unique skincare routines based on their individual needs.
And the Winner is...
Right about now you might be asking yourself – but which is the better one? Sorry to disappoint but both are great. Seriously. The key factor in which is better for your skin depends on your skin goals, its current condition, and your desired skincare routine. Me, I don’t mind doing a 10 step routine every night. Others may want a far more minimalist routine by choosing to focus on multipurpose products.
So, I will break it down the easiest way I can. Anyone who doesn’t mind layering multiple products or prefers single ingredient-focused products, that do one thing and do it well – The Ordinary Niacinamide is a great option. A no-fuss formula that is great for layering at a ridiculously affordable price. For those who want a serum to have multiple benefits for their skin – Maelove NIA 10 is the way to go. Not only will it help combat acne and visible signs of aging but it will also work to soothe, heal and hydrate your stressed-out skin.
I know, I know - I didn't pick a clear winner. But here's the thing - with skincare, there is no such thing as a universal option. As I said, way back up, in the beginning, some 1660 words ago - all skin's are different. Me, I am a combination skin that suffers from keratosis pilaris, persistent dehydration, hormonal acne, and sensitivity. There are many variables to consider but if I were suggesting for a client it might look something like this...
Normal to oily skins who don't struggle with dehydration or sensitivity issues - check out The Ordinary. A to-the-point formula that can (most likely) be combined with other anti-aging or acne-fighting products in your skincare arsenal.
Normal to oily dehydrated skins with painful acne and enlarged pores - go with Maelove. The hydrating properties will most likely not counteract any other acne solutions you're using and it will help further inflammatory issues.
Normal, combination skins who use other humectant-loving products (like hyaluronic acid) and tend to have 'whitehead pimple' breakouts - go with The Ordinary. Its simplicity will work well for you and you most likely don't need the extra hydration.
My sensitive skin acne-prone friends - Maelove is great. It provides the acne-fighting ingredients you need to prevent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or erythema with soothing vitamin E.
If you have any further questions or comments feel free to reach out. Find me on Instagram @insearchofglow or email searchingforglow@gmail.com.
*Disclaimer* This is not a sponsored blog post. The products were not gifted and all opinions and images are my own.