Every now and then we hear from cosmetic companies after we review their products. We really do welcome their comments (well, most of the time… Sometimes the comments are just so off the wall it’s just irksome), but it’s always so strange how so many companies are quick to respond to us when they object to something we’ve written, yet trying to get information from them before we’ve written a word is almost impossible.

We recently received a letter from the Vice President of Product Development and the Director of Education for the Nia 24 brand. They took issue with several points in our review of their products. They did provide some clarification and we made changes where appropriate. Overall, what they were pushing for is for us to admit that the form of the B vitamin niacin that they use in their products was superior to every other form.

I know this will make for a longer, more technical blog than we normally do, but for those interested in how we handle such correspondence, I have included the original letter below along with my responses to each point. Interestingly, the overall review for this brand was quite positive but their form of niacin is not the best. That part of the review has not changed! I stand by the research I originally used as well as the documented sources provided in my response to the company. Enjoy!

Here’s the letter from Nia24 with our responses in red.

Dear Bryan, Paula and Associates:

It was recently called to our attention by a loyal fan of NIA 24® and subscriber to your Beautypedia website that the information you have posted about the NIA 24® products is inaccurate. Indeed, after reading the review ourselves, we wanted to clarify a few discrepancies in hopes that you will alter your website to reflect the true facts that substantiate and support NIA 24®.

1. “their claims for niacinamide.” (under “Strengths”, line 2) – To clarify, Niadyne Inc, maker of NIA 24®, does not make claims about niacinamide because that is not the ingredient in our products. As you mention further down in your review, NIA 24® products are based on nicotinic acid – an alternate form of Niacin chosen for two reasons:
(1) the presence of nicotinic acid receptors on skin cells (see attached, newly published article)
(2) nicotinic acid is known to increase levels of cyclic AMP within skin cells and release the hormone leptin intracellularly. Nicotinic acid has been clinically proven to affect hyperpigmentation reduction pathways through these receptors found within skin. Conversely, niacinamide has not been shown to have such effects.

This has been clarified on Beautypedia. However, there is ample research proving niacinamide (nicotinamide) is a cell-communicating (cell-signaling) ingredient too, not to mention its effect on hyperpigmentation. Sources include: International Journal of Molecular Medicine, August 2008, pages 229-236; Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, April 2008, pages 298-304; Current Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 13, 2006, pages 883-895; and IFSCC Magazine, Volume 5, No. 4, 2002, pages 285-289)

2. “very small line of products” (under “Weaknesses”, line 1) – The product offerings within NIA 24® represent a stream-lined product range developed for physician dispensing that effectively delivers clinically-proven efficacious levels of the Pro-Niacin® molecule in an easy to use regimen still able to be tailored to various skin types.

This is a fact. The Nia 24 line consists of seven products. Yes, that’s streamlined but hardly an assortment of products capable of meeting the needs of “various skin types”. Therefore, we believe the line’s size is a weakness because it does not offer enough products to meet a variety of skin types, preferences, and other mitigating factors.

3. “no exfoliants” (Weaknesses, line 1) – The Physical Cleansing Scrub is a physical exfoliant using spherical jojoba beads encapsulated with the Pro-Niacin® molecule, which roll across skin to provide gentle exfoliation without tearing the skin.

This has been corrected so it now reads “No AHA or BHA exfoliants”. We actually praised your scrub and put it under “strengths”. I apologize that the distinction wasn’t originally made clearer.

4. “sole sunscreen contains irritating fragrance chemicals” (Weaknesses, Line 2) – NIA 24® products are fragrance, color and dye-free with masking agents that simply mask the less desirable odors inherent in mineral sunscreens.

Your mineral sunscreen contains the following fragrance chemicals known to cause irritation (all are on the EU list of 26 fragrance allergens required to be listed if they are part of a cosmetic company’s fragrance blend):

• Eugenol
• Citronellol
• Geraniol
• Isoeugenol
• Limonene
• Linalool

In addition, it contains the ingredient methyldihydrojasmonate, which is INCI-classified as a fragrance ingredient by virtue of its function (Source: International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, Eleventh Edition, 2006, page 1,353).

Eugenol and isoeugenol are problematic, with isoeugenol less of a sensitization concern. We doubt the amount of the fragrance ingredients listed above are cause for concern for the majority of consumers, but the fact remains that skin-care products are better off without them (Sources: Journal of Applied Toxicology, May 2008, pages 530-534; Toxicologic Pathology, 2007, pages 696-701; and British Journal of Dermatology, February 2000, pages 279-283).

5. “NIA 24® is all about the B vitamin niacinamide” (1st paragraph, Line 1) – This is inaccurate. NIA 24® does not contain niacinamide but rather, a patented form of Niacin, called Pro-Niacin®, made of nicotinic acid with an added lipophilic tail. This patented structure enables optimal penetration of the molecule through the lipid-rich stratum corneum, deep within skin to deliver Niacin to the lower epidermal layers where skin cells divide. As skin regenerates, healthy Niacin-enhanced cells gradually replace older unhealthy cells to promote the generation of healthier skin cells from the inside-out and build a stronger skin barrier.

You can call it whatever they want, but the fact is they you’re using one of many forms of niacinamide (Myristyl nicotinate). We do mention that your form of niacinamide is not the same as pure niacinamide, but that they have similar functions. The doctors behind Nia 24 have published several papers on niacin, which is another name for niacinamide. Nicotinic acid is the scientific name for vitamin B3 (Source: www.naturaldatabase.com).

6. “how it [Pro-Niacin®] performs on skin isn’t fundamentally different from how “regular” niacinamide functions” (3rd paragraph, last sentence) – On the contrary, study data indicates that Pro-Niacin®, which effectively delivers nicotinic acid (not niacinamide) is very much “fundamentally different” for the following reasons:

(1) Its patented structure dramatically improves penetration of the molecule into skin, delivering Niacin to skin cells to stimulate natural repair processes (see attached graph from clinical study comparing Pro-Niacin® to niacinamide).

The attached “study” is simply a graph showing their form of niacinamide performed better than “regular” niacinamide. There are lots of studies from Procter & Gamble indicating niacinamide’s affinity for certain cell receptors. The doctors behind Nia 24 may feel their form of niacinamide is superior, but that stands to reason given their stake in the company (Sources: British Journal of Dermatology, September 2008, pages 567-577; Dermatologic Surgery, July 2005, pages 860-865; and Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, March 2007, pages 20-26).

To further illustrate this point, consider this quote from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review board’s final report of the safety assessment of niacinamide and niacin: “The CIR Expert Panel considered that Niacinamide and Niacin are sufficiently similar from a toxicologic standpoint to combine the available data and reach a conclusion on the safety of both as cosmetic ingredients.” They also stated that “Both ingredients are readily absorbed from skin, blood, and the intestines and widely distribute throughout the body” (Source: International Journal of Toxicology, 2005 Supplement, pages 1-31).

(2) As stated previously, Nicotinic Acid stimulates mechanisms NOT stimulated by niacinamide. Refer to attached 2009 published paper for a more in depth review.

Their paper mentions this but the studies were done by the doctors behind Nia 24 and the paper has a disclaimer stating that it is “sponsored research managed in accordance with the Arizona Board of Reagents conflict-of-interest policies, supported in part by Niadyne Development. All of the published studies on PubMed dealing with myristyl nicotinate were performed by the doctors behind Nia 24. In contrast, there is significantly more (and more varied) research about niacinamide’s role in skin care and overall health care. If anything, when we wrote the review we relied more on those studies instead of what the Jacobsons have published about their form of niacinamide. Although it’s true that P&G’s studies on niacinamide are tied to their use of this ingredient in several Olay products, there is a wealth of independent, substantiated research on niacinamide that is simply lacking for myristyl nicotinate. However, based on what we know about how niacinamide functions topically, we concluded that the Nia 24 products would, in fact, offer skin multiple benefits.

This is an important bit of research sourced from the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, April 2004:

Nicotinic acid (also generally known as niacin) and niacinamide (also known as nicotinamide) are similarly effective as a vitamin because they can be converted into each other within the organism. The blanket term vitamin B(3) is used for both. Niacinamide is a component of important coenzymes involved in hydrogen transfer. Here, the two codehydrogenases, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) are of central importance. Topical application of niacinamide has a stabilizing effect on epidermal barrier function, seen as a reduction in transepidermal water loss and an improvement in the moisture content of the horny layer. Niacinamide leads to an increase in protein synthesis (e.g. keratin), has a stimulating effect on ceramide synthesis, speeds up the differentiation of keratinocytes, and raises intracellular NADP levels. In ageing skin, topical application of niacinamide improves the surface structure, smoothes out wrinkles and inhibits photocarcinogenesis. It is possible to demonstrate anti-inflammatory effects in acne, rosacea and nitrogen mustard-induced irritation. Because of its verifiable beneficial effects, niacinamide would be a suitable component in cosmetic products for use in disorders of epidermal barrier function, for ageing skin, for improving pigmentary disorders and for use on skin prone to acne.

If this is true, and we have no reason to doubt it isn’t, it can be argued (just as we did in the summary for Nia 24) that these ingredients are so similar that their benefits overlap: either one is going to improve your skin. Nia 24 products are going to benefit your skin due to myristyl nicotinate’s similarity to niacinamide.

7. “This isn’t an affordable line by any stretch of the imagination.” – See attached Competitive Cost Analysis comparing NIA 24® to similar physician channel brand. In comparison to other lines that provide similar clinically proven results within skin, this line is quite competitive and is not considered “pricey” by most of our accounts.

The slides presented are not legible and the attachment cannot be enlarged beyond 100%, which still keeps the typeset unreadable. Regardless, although Nia 24 may be a deal when compared to other physician-owned/dispensed brands, the fact remains that there are mass market products with niacinamide that should give any consumer pause when they’re considering which brand to purchase.

I also found this bit of research interesting:

Mammals predominantly use nicotinamide rather than nicotinic acid as a precursor for NAD biosynthesis. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) is the rate-limiting enzyme that converts nicotinamide to nicotinamide mononucleotide in the NAD biosynthetic pathway from nicotinamide in mammals. The same protein has also been identified as a cytokine (pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor or PBEF) or an insulin-mimetic hormone (visfatin).

Source for the above: http://http://journals.lww.com/co-gastroenterology/Abstract/2007/03000/The_regulation_of_nicotinamide_adenine.11.aspx

8. “Their claims of superiority aren’t supported in published studies” (last paragraph, 6th line) – This is completely inaccurate. With over 150 clinical studies, many funded by the National Institutes of Health and many listed in the attached document (only about 20 of these are provided on our website), clinical substantiation of the superiority of myristyl nicotinate to other forms of Niacin is available for your review in high quantity.

I looked over many of these studies, some of which were more claim substantiation-oriented. I didn’t find a single one that concluded myristyl nicotinate was superior to niacinamide. The National Institute of Health Web site didn’t have any of these superiority studies, either though they have considerably more information on niacinamide and skin than myristyl nicotinate and skin.

9. “You’re just as likely to see the same benefits from using less expensive products that contain efficacious amounts of niacinamide. (last paragraph, 7th line) – Please refer to attached graph illustrating the delivery of Pro-Niacin compared to niacinamide. In addition, please refer back to #2 and the attached published article which reviews the presence of nicotinic acid (not niacinamide) receptors on skin cells and the pathway of leptin release and hyperpigmentation reduction via nicotinic acid.

This is a repeat of your belief that the type of niacinamide Nia 24 uses is superior to other forms of niacin. You have not shown irrefutable proof that this is the case. Therefore, given the copious research on niacinamide, it was fair and honest of us to conclude that a consumer is likely to see the same benefits using a well-formulated product with niacinamide as they would using Nia 24’s version of this vitamin.

Again, it is our desire that your review of the NIA 24® products reflect accurate information and convey the 30 years of science that have gone into the making of this range. This proprietary niacin molecule is substantiated with 79 patents granted/pending and over $10 million in clinical data. We have also been chosen by the National Cancer Institute as a potential skin cancer prevention agent. Thus, there is a wealth of clinical studies and data backing the validity of any and all claims made by Niadyne, Inc.

Without question myristyl nicotinate has potential as a chemoprotective and anti-cancer ingredient, particularly in regard to skin cancer and precancerous lesions. However, so does niacinamide (not to mention many drugs such as 5-fluorouracil or imiquimod). The fact that the National Cancer Institute acknowledges myristyl nicotinate doesn’t mean it is the best or the only option to protect skin from UV damage that may lead to various skin cancers.