Episode
Why Niacinamide Is Not the NAD+ Hero You Think It Is
- Published
- Apr 22, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3584
- Processing state
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- HTTPS://www.younggoose.com
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Summary
Most of the NAD+ skincare on shelves right now is built on a misunderstanding. And if you've been trusting niacinamide to do the heavy lifting, this episode is going to change how you read a label. This episode is Part 2 of our NAD+ deep dive. Here, we get into what actually works to raise NAD+ in the skin, the real precursors, the delivery technology that gets them where they need to go, and the mitochondrial support system most brands leave out. We also walk through the lifestyle levers that move the needle, and why one of them becomes non-negotiable for women after a certain age. If Part 1 explains what steals your NAD+, this episode is where the science gets practical and eye-opening. What's Discussed: (5:07) What the clinical data actually says about topical niacinamide (7:21) Why most niacinamide products on your shelf are underdosed (8:16) The roundabout pathway that makes niacinamide a poor NAD+ precursor (9:03) Niacinamide is a brightening agent, not an NAD+ booster (10:15) Why NMN can't cross the skin barrier alone (11:19) CD38 and blocking the enzyme that destroys NAD+ (13:03) NAD+ alone is potential energy, not usable energy (13:45) Liposomal encapsulation and how real precursors get into the skin (17:02) The five mitochondrial pathways your skin actually needs (18:53) Senescent cells and the next telomeres conversation (25:17) Why NAD Apex targets NAD+ in three dimensions (26:39) Lifestyle strategies: fasting and the AMPK pathway (28:47) How to get 30 to 50% more NAD+ from caloric restriction through fasting (30:37) The fun fact behind why 16:8 fasting became the standard (33:02) HIIT and its compounding effect on baseline NAD+ (34:51) Sleep is an NAD+ dependent repair session, not just rest (39:15) Your skin does 8x more renewal at night (41:38) Sun prote…