Review - Tiam Vita B3 Source Vs The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum

This review of the Tiam Vita B3 source vs The Ordinary Niacinamide serum has been long coming, my apologies. But before we get into that, some back story!

Niacinamide is one of the skincare faves I discovered last year, and haven’t stopped raving about. When I’m not obsessing over K Beauty products, you can find me asking anyone that cares to listen if they have incorporated Niacinamide in their routine.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the picture. I talked all about Niacinamide and it’s importance in skincare here, so you might want to go read that real quick.

So far, I have used Niacinamide serums by two brands – The Ordinary and Tiam. Both serums are quite popular in the skincare community, and are often pitted against each other. In today’s post, I’ll be sharing my experience with both of them. So, let’s dig in!

The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum Or The Tiam Vita B3 Source, Which Is Really Worth The Hype?! Click To Tweet

Tiam Vita B3 Source Niacinamide Serum Review

Product Type & Claim.

Tiam is a Korean beauty brand, and the Vita B3 source is the very first Niacinamide serum I tried. The key ingredients in the Tiam Vita B3 source are 10% Niacinamide and 2% Arbutin. Tiam claims that this product targets uneven skin tone, and lightens dark spots, giving you a brighter complexion. It can be used on all skin types.

I listed all the benefits of Niacinamide in skincare here

Packaging.

The Tiam Vita B3 source comes in 40 ml size and in a dark heavy bottle, with a dropper for dispensing it.

Texture.

This product has a light, watery consistency which makes it absorb easily, and it doesn’t feel sticky on the face. I haven’t actually noticed any “scent/smell”, so I’ll say it has none.

Price and Availability.

This isn’t readily available in Nigeria, but you can get it from a couple of K beauty stores in Nigeria. I got mine from shopmodavracha on IG , and for N9137. If you have ways to ship stuff from the abroad over here, you can purchase it from yesstyle.

My Experience.

This product can be used both during the day and at night, but I started with alternate days because my friend who recommended it to me mentioned that it can cause some slight purging, and it’s better to build it up.

Because of its watery consistency, it’s quite easy to apply, absorbs quickly, and also doesn’t cause any tingling. I got and used the Tiam Vita B3 source with a bunch of other K beauty products (see here) when my skin decided to go haywire on me. I was breaking out, and consequently had a lot of dark scars from the acne.

It was quite unproblematic for me, and my skin improved after using this. The dark spots faded a whole lot, and my breakouts reduced. Although, like i stated earlier, I used this in combination with a few other products.

You can see before and after pictures here

The second time I repurchased/used this product, I didn’t bother alternating it, and I noticed some slight breakouts afterwards. I think it may have made me purge a bit, but asides from this, I have no negative thing to say about the product.

K Beauty's Tiam Vita B3 Source Niacinamide Serum Is All The Rave. Here's My Experience With It! Click To Tweet

The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum Review.

Product Type & Claim.

The Ordinary is a household name in skincare, so this product might be more familiar to you. The key ingredients in the Ordinary Niacinamide serum are 10% Niacinamide and 1% Zinc.

The ordinary claims that this product reduce the appearance of skin blemishes (dark spots) and congestion. The zinc in it helps to balance visible aspects of sebum activity. It can be used on all skin types, with extra benefits to oily skin because of its sebum activity.

I listed all the benefits of Niacinamide in skincare here

Packaging.

The ordinary Niacinamide acid 10% comes in both 30 ml and 60ml size and in their usual minimalist clear bottle with a dropper for application.

Texture.

This product has a more gel like consistency, although it’s still fairly lightweight. It foams slightly on application, and feels a bit sticky too. This feeling subsides soon enough, and doesn’t leave any residue. I also haven’t noticed any “scent/smell” with this.

Price and Availability.

This is more readily available, and can be bought from a variety of skincare brands here. You can also purchase it from Asos. I got mine from Buybetter on IG for N5500 . It’s a lot cheaper online, but then you have to ship it down too.

My Experience.

The Ordinary Niacinamide serum can be used day, and night, but the brand warns against using it in the same routine as their ascorbic acid, so I used this at night only.

Although it doesn’t absorb as fast as the Tiam one, I didn’t have any issues with application, and even took to it so much that when I switched back to the Tiam one, I was a bit annoyed at how fast it absorbed lol. Also because of the consistency, I could apply less product and still get it to spread round.

It brightened my dark spots even further, contributed to the general glow of my skin, but I really can’t say if it had any effects on oiliness for me because I have normal type skin. I’ve repurchased this multiple times now, and definitely still intend to repurchase.

The Ordinary Niacinamide Serum, Is It Worth The Hype? We Investigate! Click To Tweet

Tiam Vita B3 source vs The Ordinary Niacinamide serum.

Would I pit both against each other? Which do I prefer/recommend?

They both have the same concentration of Niacinamide, but where Tiam has arbutin, The ordinary has zinc instead. The zinc has an added benefit of helping with oil production, while the arbutin helps speed up the process of lightening dark spots.

When it comes to treating hyperpigmentation, the Tiam one does a faster job, although both still helps with it. I think that they are both really good niacinamide serums. In fact, I’m currently on my second bottle of the Tiam Vita B3 source, but I’ve also used the ordinary one three times now.

From my review of both, you can tell that one area where they really differ is the consistency. The ordinary serum feels a bit more moisturizing because it stays on the skin for a bit longer. (Refer to the pictures above)

I’ll be repurchasing the Ordinary Niacinamide next because it’s more budget friendly for me, readily available, lasts longer, and still gets the job done. Although, I currently don’t have any hyperpigmentation, so I can easily settle with this for maintenance, and the general benefits of Niacinamide.

There’s also the case of purging with the Tiam Niacinamide (which is temporary btw), which did not occur at all with the Ordinary one. If you don’t know what purging is, check this out.

I Tried The Niacinamide Serum From Two Popular Skincare Brands - Tiam & The Ordinary, And Here's What I Think About Them! Click To Tweet

Have you used any of these Niacinamide serums? What was your experience like? In the skincare battle of Tiam Vita b3 source vs The Ordinary Niacinamide serum , which takes the lead for you?
Have any other niacinamide serum suggestions? Please share in the comment section. Share, comment and let’s connect!

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