Review: Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster

I started using a high concentrated niacinamide serum a few years ago now, when I discovered the brand The Ordinary. I even wrote a review on my blog bonnie-garner.com way back when (in 2017!).

Then, travel forward a few years, and I discovered Paula’s Choice’s fabulous 10% Niacinamide Booster, which became my favorite until, until, until… I discovered Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster Serum, which is a serious contender!

This is the second product from the brand I’ve tried and I came to it a bit late because the first serum I tested from them didn’t really convince me (see my review of Allies of Skin Triple Hyaluronic Antioxidant Hydration Serum). Since then, I understand the brand has reformulated this acid hyaluronic serum, so I’ll have to try it again sometime!

Allies Of Skin is a skincare brand just the way I like them, very technical and “ingredients-focused”. And this niacinamide-based serum clearly had everything to convince me!

In this review, I will summarize the benefits of niacinamide, this superstar cosmetic ingredient. I will also introduce you to the Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster serum in detail, and I will tell you all about my experience with it!

Niacinamide benefits on the skin:

Let’s first talk about the star ingredient in this Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster serum, niacinamide!

Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3 or PP, is a rockstar ingredient in cosmetics. It belongs to the category of antioxidants, and it’s a very ‘complete’ ingredient that has a lot of different actions on the skin.

It’s widely used in cosmetics and has been for years. If you run through the list of ingredients in the skincare products in your bathroom, it’s very likely that some of them contain some niacinamide!

Its benefits on the skin:

– it helps to improve the skin’s barrier function by strengthening the intercellular cement. In short, it means that the skin has a better protection from external aggressors,

– it prevents the formation of free radicals with its antioxidant action, so it helps to preserve the youth of the skin,

– it improves the skin’s hydration by limiting its natural loss of water,

– it helps to reduce the sebum production and the size of the pores,

– it also helps to reduce white and blackheads,

– it also helps to even the texture of the skin for a smoothing effect,

– it improves skin elasticity and helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,

– it also has a brightening effect on hyperpigmentation and dark spots,

– it’s considered to also have an effect on rosacea according to several studies (don’t quote me on this one, I’m not a doctor, so I strongly recommend asking a medical professional on this topic).

I also use niacinamide in my routine because I have been using retinoids for several years. Retinoids and niacinamide work great together. One of the things that niacinamide does very well is to help reduce the feeling of irritation that you can get when using retinol. To me, it’s a true winning duo!

According to studies, niacinamide is most effective between 5 and 10%, which is why it’s important to know its concentration when choosing a product that contains it. Beyond 10%, it’s also effective but on some people, this high percentage can become irritating (that’ s my case).

There are plenty of different serums that feature niacinamide with a high concentration (10% or more) in their formula. I’m thinking of the one from The Ordinary that I mentioned above, of course, but also the one from Geek & Gorgeous, which is pretty similar in concept. These two are pretty simple when it comes to formulas, and niacinamide is clearly the star of the product. They’re effective, but they’re not really multi-tasking products.

Then there are the serums that use a high concentration of niacinamide, but not only. Niacinamide is still the star, but this time it presents itself with its own backing choir. Paula’s Choice Niacinamide 10% Booster is more like that, which is one of the reasons I love it. But as you’ll see, the Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster Serum didn’t just come with its own choir, there’s an entire orchestra and the backup dancers to go with it! 😀

Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster Serum, product presentation:

Allies Of Skin is clearly a very technical brand, and the ingredients in their formulas are not there just for the sake of it. The “allies” in Allies Of Skin are in fact the ingredients! The brand chooses them with great care, with an emphasis on effective and scientifically proven active ingredients, in formulas that are intended to be “clean”.

At the beginning, the brand had relatively few references because the creator, Nicolas Travis, has always been a fan of a rather minimalist skincare routine, with very complete, self-sufficient products.

But with the growing popularity of the brand, their catalog has expanded and there are now about 15 products available. I will not complain about it! (#moreismore)

And the Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster serum is one of their most interesting, if you ask me.

As I mentioned above, in the formula of this serum, the niacinamide is not alone, the whole gang is there to support it and enhance its action! It is concentrated at 10% here, for a better efficiency and a whole series of actions on the skin mentioned in the chapter above.

But the Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster also contains:
– several anti-oxidant/preventive anti-aging ingredients: coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone), green tea, astaxanthin, ergothionein, vitamin E, Centella Asiatica (which is also soothing and purifying), goji berries, fermented resveratrol,
– a group of ingredients that smooth and act on the texture of the skin: pomegranate extract, silver, ribose, ATP, chlorella, gluthatione…
– a complex of pre- and probiotic ingredients for a soothing and protective effect, including Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide and Lactobacillus,
– hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights with glycerin for a moisturizing effect,
– soothing bisabolol,
– and soothing and brightening licorice root.

The formula is truly complete and multi-tasking!

In short, this serum has an anti-aging effect (prevention and treatment). It also smoothes the skin’s texture, enhances its radiance, and it offers a soothing and hydrating effect as a bonus.

I’m in my forties, I have a combination skin, with visible pores and I also tend to have textured skin. It’s simple, this serum just ticks all my boxes!

The texture of the product is quite fluid, almost liquid. I guess it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but for me, who likes to layer products/ do layering in my skincare routine, it’s perfect.

Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster Serum, my experience:

I’ve been using serums with 10% niacinamide for several years now. There is always at least one in my routine, usually the evening one (you can use it morning and evening if you want, no worries, but I like to alternate products 😉 #moreismore etc).

Since introducing this ingredient in high concentration into my routine, I find that my skin is smoother (this is probably a combined effect with the retinol and exfoliating acids that I use very regularly), but I also find that it’s also more resilient and has less redness. Even though my skin isn’t really sensitive to begin with, I used to get a little red on my cheeks a few years ago, but now it’s all gone!

Regarding the purifying effect of niacinamide and the reduction of pores’ size, I would also say that it works pretty well, but that it is probably the cumulative result with retinol (the two ingredients work super well together, #winningduo).

This review is very overdue, as I’m already on my second bottle of Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster serum. I used a whole bottle several months ago, then tried other highly concentrated niacinamide products from La Roche Posay and Paula’s Choice that didn’t convince me as much. I posted about them on my Instagram account if you’re curious (here and here). 😉

So for the past 3 months or so, I’ve been using the Allies Of Skin serum every night, either alone or mixed with one of my other serums. The brand actually recommends it that way and its very liquid texture makes it easy to “mix” with other products. I take two pumps of it. The brand recommends three, but I find that two is more than enough for my face and neck.

It absorbs quite quickly, and doesn’t leave a sticky feeling on the skin.

If I were to compare it to other serums in the same genre that I’ve tried (The Ordinary, Paula’s Choice, Geek & Gorgeous etc…), I’d say the results are pretty similar with maybe a bit more of a soothing effect, which is always nice to have. The user experience is also more pleasant with this product, especially if I compare it to others at a lower price.

I also really like the fact that this is a larger bottle than most of its competitors (which are usually between 20 and 30ml), because at 50ml, it lasts me longer. I can usually use it for 4-5 months.

It’s not cheap, I realize that. But the formula is really complete, it does the job, I see real results on my skin, and above all the bottle is bigger than the ones from the competition. So for me, all that kinda compensates for the high price.

In conclusion:

Allies Of Skin is definitely back in my good graces with this serum 😂😂😂.

I’m on my second bottle, and the third one is on the way. You never know, in case there’s a global shortage of niacinamide!

I find it extremely complete. And even if you’re not a niacinamide junkie like me, if you’re looking for a good, all-around anti-aging serum that will help you get a prettier skin texture while soothing it, it’s worth checking out. 🙂

The Allies Of Skin Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster is sold between $73 and $75 for 50ml, depending on the retailers.