Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) CAS 98-92-0

What is Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)?

Niacinamide is the amide of nicotinic acid — pyridine-3-carboxamide, C₆H₆N₂O. It is one of the two forms of vitamin B3, and in the body it becomes part of NAD and NADP, the coenzymes that carry electrons through a very large share of cellular metabolism.

It is a white crystalline powder melting at 128–131 °C, freely soluble in water and in alcohol, mildly hygroscopic and essentially odourless. It is one of the more stable vitamins: it tolerates heat, air and a wide pH range far better than folic acid or vitamin C, which is why it survives food processing and extrusion.

The practical difference between niacinamide and nicotinic acid matters commercially. Nicotinic acid causes cutaneous flushing at supplement doses; niacinamide does not. That single distinction is why niacinamide dominates the multivitamin and fortification markets even though the two are nutritionally equivalent for correcting deficiency.

Its second market has grown quickly. In skincare, niacinamide at 2 to 5% is used for barrier function, sebum control and pigmentation, and cosmetic buyers have become a significant share of world demand with their own expectations around colour, odour and nicotinic acid content.

Why niacinamide specifically

• No flushing. Unlike nicotinic acid, it does not cause the cutaneous flush that makes high-dose B3 unpleasant, which is why supplement and fortification formulators choose it.
• Unusually stable for a vitamin. It tolerates heat, moisture, air and a broad pH range, so it survives extrusion, baking and long shelf lives where other vitamins degrade.
• Freely water-soluble. Which makes it straightforward to formulate in liquids, syrups, effervescents and cosmetic aqueous systems.
• One ingredient, four markets. Pharmaceutical, food fortification, animal feed and cosmetic demand all run on the same molecule at different grades, which keeps it widely available and competitively priced.

How Niacinamide is Manufactured

Niacinamide is made from 3-picoline by way of the nitrile. The hydrolysis step is where the grades diverge, because stopping cleanly at the amide is the whole challenge.

• Ammoxidation of 3-picoline. 3-Picoline is reacted with ammonia and air over a catalyst to give 3-cyanopyridine. This is the dominant route to the intermediate.
• Partial hydrolysis. The nitrile is hydrolysed to the amide. Taking it too far gives nicotinic acid, so control at this step determines the main impurity figure on the certificate.
• Enzymatic hydrolysis. A nitrile hydratase enzyme route gives very high selectivity for the amide, with correspondingly low nicotinic acid content. It is widely used where the specification is tight.
• Crystallisation and purification. Crystallised, washed and dried. Colour of solution and residual solvent figures come from how cleanly this ran.
• Drying and milling. Dried under controlled conditions, since the material is mildly hygroscopic, then milled to the required particle size.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of pharmacopoeial grade. Food, feed and cosmetic grades, and specific particle sizes, are available — send us the specification or the monograph you work to.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Behaviour in the formulation

Niacinamide is chemically robust, which is most of its appeal. Four behaviours are worth knowing:

• Hydrolysis to nicotinic acid. Strong acid or alkali, particularly with heat, converts the amide back to the acid. In a liquid formulation held at extreme pH, nicotinic acid can appear over shelf life even if the starting material was clean.
• Thermal stability. It survives baking, extrusion and retort processing better than almost any other vitamin, which is why fortification programmes rely on it.
• Hygroscopicity. It picks up moisture and cakes in humid storage — a handling issue rather than a stability one.
• Maillard interaction. With reducing sugars at elevated temperature it can contribute to browning in fortified foods, though far less readily than amino acids.
• Cosmetic activity. At 2 to 5% in topical formulations it acts on barrier function, sebum and pigmentation, with formulation pH mattering because extremes drive the hydrolysis above.

Niacinamide vs Nicotinic Acid and the Other B Vitamins

Vitamin B3 comes in two forms that are nutritionally equivalent and clinically different, which is the source of most confusion in this category.

Stated plainly: niacinamide and nicotinic acid both correct B3 deficiency, and only one of them makes the patient flush. That is why niacinamide is the default in multivitamins, fortification and cosmetics, while nicotinic acid persists where its distinct effects on blood lipids are the reason for using it at all.

Industries We Supply Niacinamide To

The same white powder goes to a vitamin plant, a flour mill, a feed premix line and a cosmetics lab. What changes between them is the grade, the particle size and the documentation each sector expects.

Where Niacinamide is Used

Niacinamide serves four largely separate markets from one molecule. These are the end uses our customers buy it for.

In multivitamins and supplements

Niacinamide is the default B3 source because it delivers the nutrient without the flushing reaction that makes nicotinic acid unpopular at supplement doses. It is also one of the easier vitamins to formulate with, being freely water-soluble, stable and chemically unreactive toward most other premix components. The main formulation points are hygroscopicity in powder blends and keeping liquid formulations away from pH extremes that would hydrolyse it.

In food fortification

Mandatory fortification of flour and other staples with B vitamins operates in many countries, and niacinamide is the form used because it survives milling, baking, extrusion and long storage. Fortification-grade material is usually specified for particle size as well as purity, because a premix has to distribute uniformly through a very large mass of flour — a specification point that has nothing to do with chemistry and everything to do with blending.

In skincare

Cosmetic use at 2 to 5% has grown rapidly, and cosmetic buyers bring expectations that pharmaceutical users do not: tight colour and odour limits, and particular attention to nicotinic acid content, which has been associated with irritation in topical products. Formulation pH matters too, since strongly acidic or alkaline systems will slowly hydrolyse the amide over shelf life.

Quality Control & Testing

Every lot is released against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis written against the monograph you nominate, with the impurity and physical figures your application depends on reported alongside.

• Assay — titration or HPLC on the dried basis, reported against the monograph range.
• Nicotinic acid — the over-hydrolysis impurity, and the figure with a real consequence in supplements and skincare.
• Melting range — a fast check that catches moisture and impurity carry-over.
• Appearance and colour of solution — the figure cosmetic buyers react to first.
• Loss on drying and residue on ignition — moisture and inorganic residue, both affecting potency calculations.
• Particle size — reported where a distribution has been agreed, which matters for premix uniformity.
• Heavy metals and residual solvents — elemental impurity and ICH residual solvent control.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

Niacinamide causes fewer problems than most vitamins, and the ones it does cause are usually moisture or pH. This table is the shortcut our technical desk works through before anyone opens a complaint file.

Packaging, Storage & Shipping

• Standard packing. 25 kg net in fibre drums with polyethylene liners, or in lined HDPE bags, palletised and shrink-wrapped.
• Storage. Cool, dry and well-ventilated, away from strong acids, alkalis and oxidising agents.
• Humidity. Mildly hygroscopic. Keep liners tied and drums closed; caked material is harder to charge accurately and may carry elevated moisture.
• Dust control. Charge under local exhaust ventilation; the fine powder aerates readily.
• Segregation. Store away from strong acids and bases, which hydrolyse the amide to nicotinic acid.
• Cross-contamination. Food, feed and cosmetic grades should be stored and handled with the segregation each supply chain requires.
• Shelf life. Typically 36 months in unopened original packing under those conditions — long for a vitamin, reflecting its stability. Re-test assay and loss on drying rather than assume.
• Transport classification. Not classified as a dangerous good for transport.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Niacinamide is a vitamin with a long record of safe use in food, supplements and medicines. It is not classified as hazardous and the handling considerations are physical rather than toxicological.

• Dust explosion risk. Like any fine organic powder, airborne niacinamide presents a dust explosion hazard. Earth and bond transfer equipment and control ignition sources.
• Nuisance dust. Not toxic, but airborne dust irritates the respiratory tract mechanically. Local exhaust ventilation at charging and dispensing points.
• Eye contact. Mechanical irritation only. Safety glasses during dispensing and transfer.
• PPE. Dust mask where dust is generated, safety glasses and normal plant workwear. No special chemical protection is required.
• Incompatibilities. Strong acids and alkalis, which hydrolyse it to nicotinic acid, and strong oxidising agents.
• Spill response. Sweep or vacuum avoiding dust clouds; the material dissolves readily, so wash down after the bulk is removed.
• Environment. Not hazardous to the aquatic environment. Dispose as ordinary industrial waste in line with local regulations.
• First aid. Flush eyes with water if dust enters them; move to fresh air if dust inhalation causes irritation.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Niacinamide is a compendial vitamin, a permitted food and feed additive and a widely used cosmetic ingredient. Because obligations differ by territory and use, the notes below are orientation rather than legal advice — confirm your own position with your regulatory adviser.

• Pharmacopoeial status. Monographs in IP, BP, Ph. Eur. and USP. We supply against the monograph you nominate, with a compliance statement on the COA.
• Food fortification. Permitted and in many countries mandated as a fortificant in flour and other staples. Fortification-grade material and the supporting statements are quoted separately from pharmaceutical grade.
• Feed additive status. Approved as a nutritional feed additive in the major regulatory systems, with feed-grade documentation available.
• Cosmetic use. Widely permitted as a cosmetic ingredient, typically at 2 to 5% in finished products. Confirm the conditions for your market and product type.
• Nicotinic acid limits. Where your application is sensitive to flushing or irritation, the nicotinic acid limit belongs in the specification rather than being left to the monograph maximum.
• Supporting statements. BSE/TSE, allergen, GMO, halal and kosher statements available; it is a wholly synthetic product with no animal-derived input.

We Supply Niacinamide Worldwide

Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) from India to customers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America, handling the export documentation, pharmacopoeial and food-grade documentation and freight so the material arrives ready to use.

• Incoterms. EXW, FOB, CIF, CFR and DAP quoted to suit your purchasing terms and freight arrangements.
• Ports. Regular shipments through Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra, with other Indian ports arranged where it suits the routing.
• Documentation. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, COA, SDS and the monograph compliance and supporting statements issued as a complete set.
• Flexible volumes. A single drum for laboratory qualification, through LCL consolidations, up to repeat full container loads on a supply contract.
• Supply continuity. Because we are independent of any one producer, a plant turnaround or a shipping disruption at one source does not have to become your stock-out.

Buying Niacinamide from Chelora

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For niacinamide that means settling two things at enquiry: which supply chain it is entering, because pharmaceutical, food, feed and cosmetic grades carry different documentation, and whether your application needs a nicotinic acid limit tighter than the monograph allows.

• Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA written against the nominated monograph, with nicotinic acid and particle size reported where specified, plus SDS, TDS and supporting statements.
• Samples before commitment. Trial quantities for formulation qualification ahead of a commercial order.
• Quantities. From a single 25 kg drum through to full container loads on contract supply.
• Grade range. Pharmaceutical, food, feed and cosmetic grades, with defined particle sizes where premix uniformity requires them.
• Export experience. Packing, labelling and export documentation handled for sea and air freight.
• Related vitamins. Folic acid, vitamin E acetate and the wider vitamin and excipient range from one supplier, which keeps a multivitamin formula on a single order.

How ordering works

• Send the enquiry. Product, grade or pharmacopoeia standard, quantity, destination port and the Incoterm you buy on. If you have a spec sheet, attach it — it saves a round trip.
• We quote. Price, lead time, packing and a sample COA, normally within one working day.
• Sample and qualify. For first orders or critical applications, we send a trial quantity so your lab can sign off before you commit.
• Confirm the order. Proforma invoice issued; payment terms agreed against the volume and the relationship.
• Production and QC. Material allocated and released against a batch-specific COA, with a pre-shipment sample where the application calls for it.
• Ship and document. Packed, labelled and loaded with the full export document set, and tracked through to arrival.

Related Vitamins, Nutraceuticals & Excipients

Buyers of niacinamide usually source several of these alongside it — multivitamin and fortification programmes typically buy three or four together. Consolidating them on one order cuts freight cost and gives you a single point of contact for documentation.