Why NAD+ Is Suddenly Everywhere in Skincare

Why Is NAD+ Trending Now?

According to board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD, FAAD, you’re hearing NAD+ more than ever lately because it’s technically part of the “natural aging” movement since NAD+ is already present in your body and part of the “natural pathways that our body uses.” 

Since NAD+ levels naturally decline with age, scientists took an interest in studying it for overall wellness benefits, and the skincare industry quickly took note, adds Dr. Hu. “I see NAD+ as part of a bigger shift from traditional anti-aging to skin longevity, supporting the skin’s ability to stay resilient, repair itself, and function well over time,” she says. 

What Does NAD+ Do in Skincare?

NAD+ is actually a large molecule which doesn’t lend itself well to absorbing through the skin’s surface. “One important thing to understand is that pure NAD+ can be challenging to formulate with, especially in water-based skincare, because it’s not always the most stable ingredient in aqueous systems,” explains Dr. Hu. 

This is where NAD+ booster ingredients come in. These are ingredients that you’re likely already familiar with, like niacinamide that helps “boost” the skin’s regenerative process – aka creating more NAD+ coenzymes that bonds to enzymes to get a chemical reaction (quicker cell turnover). “That is one reason many skincare brands use an indirect NAD+ booster approach instead of simply adding pure NAD+ into a formula,” says Dr. Hu. “Rather than supplying NAD+ directly, [skincare] products are designed to support the skin’s own NAD+ production, regeneration, or recycling pathways which essentially help skin cells maintain healthier NAD+ activity from within.”

If brands contain pure NAD+, it’s going to be a highly concentrated stabilized forms of it. If a product contains an ingredient that’s listed on the label as an NAD+ precursor, that means that it contains ingredients that can help boost the NAD+ molecule process on your skin’s surface. 

NAD+ vs. Niacinamide

Although they're related, they're not the same ingredient. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that's often used to help support your skin's natural production of NAD+, while NAD+ itself is a coenzyme involved in cellular repair and energy production.

How to Incorporate NAD+ Into Your Skincare Routine

Some brands like INTUISSE use their own patented forms of NAD+ that can be absorbed into the skin’s surface. Others, like ACADERMA, use RejuveNAD™, “which is a bioactive NAD+ booster complex that supports cellular regeneration by helping stimulate NAMPT, an enzyme involved in the skin’s natural NAD+ recycling pathway,” says Dr. Hu. 

Both doctors agree that it can be used both in the morning and at nighttime. In the morning, it will help “protect against free radical damage and skin-aging pollutants,” says Dr. Nazarian. “Or it could be used in the evening to support our bodies' natural repair mechanisms that happen as we sleep,” she adds.

The most important thing to remember when using NAD+ or boosters in your routine? Pairing it with ingredients that supports the same goals, says Dr. Hu. Peptides and antioxidants will help. “NAD+ supports skin from the inside out at a cellular level, so layering it with actives that address inflammation and collagen production amplifies the effect.”

Should You Look for NAD+ or NAD+ Boosters?

NAD+ and NAD+ boosters are found in both serums and moisturizers. In general, serums contain more concentrated ingredients and go on the skin before moisturizing. Moisturizers that also contain NAD+ boosters will intensify the desired result.

“The NAD+ booster is working alongside ingredients that reinforce the skin barrier and address the same cellular aging pathways,” explains Dr. Hu. “The most effective approach is to look at the whole formula rather than fixating on the format.”

Final Thoughts 

While there is still a long way to go before NAD+ in its pure form is easily accessible and absorbed into the skin’s surface on a mainstream level, using NAD+ boosters in your skincare routine can help kickstart the NAD+ regenerative process.

NAD+ is a “natural substance that our body contains, and is ultimately a version of vitamin B, which is in its natural state essentially good for just about everyone with skin,” says Dr. Nazarian.

“Ultimately though it's just a new version of an old skin care recommendation that dermatologists have been making for years,” she adds. “Antioxidants, like vitamin C and vitamin B, are great at neutralizing free radical damage and can be used topically and even in your diet to help boost your body’s immune system.”