Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
The amide form of niacin, and the metabolically active form your body actually runs on: a cofactor in NAD⁺ and NADP⁺, the coenzymes behind cellular energy metabolism and DNA repair. No flush, high stability, and a specification sheet that reads cleanly across food, feed, pharma and cosmetic use.
Chelora Chemicals supplies USP, BP/EP and FCC-grade niacinamide to food, supplement, animal-feed and cosmetic-ingredient manufacturers worldwide, with a batch COA on every consignment.
Product identity
- CAS Number
- 98-92-0
- IUPAC name
- Pyridine-3-carboxamide
- Molecular formula
- C₆H₆N₂O
- Molecular weight
- 122.12 g/mol
- EC / EINECS
- 202-713-4
- Hazard classification
- Not classified (GHS)
- SMILES
- NC(=O)c1cccnc1
- HS Code
- 2936 29*
* Confirm the current HS classification and food/feed/pharma regulatory status for your destination with your own regulatory affairs team.
What Niacinamide is used for
Niacinamide is a white, odourless crystalline powder, freely soluble in water, and the amide derivative of niacin (nicotinic acid). In the body it is converted to NAD⁺ and NADP⁺, coenzymes central to energy metabolism, and it is this biochemical role — not a cosmetic add-on — that makes it one of the most widely consumed vitamin-grade intermediates in the world.
Commercially, it sits in two distinct markets that both buy from the same specification: nutritional fortification — food, beverage, infant formula and animal-feed premixes that correct or guarantee Vitamin B3 intake — and cosmetic-active formulation, where niacinamide is a widely specified skin-barrier and brightening ingredient in serums, moisturisers and masks.
Niacinamide versus niacin
- Niacinamide (this product) the amide form; does not cause the flushing reaction, and is the form most commonly used in fortification and cosmetics.
- Niacin (nicotinic acid) the free-acid form; can cause a transient vasodilation flush at nutritional and pharmacological doses, and is preferred where that flush or its lipid-modifying pharmacology is specifically wanted.
- Both convert in vivo to the same NAD⁺/NADP⁺ pool — the choice between them is one of tolerability and formulation, not of final nutritional value.
See our wider nutraceutical range for the other B-vitamin intermediates we supply, including calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B5) and folic acid (Vitamin B9).
Appearance and handling character
The material is a stable, non-hygroscopic, free-flowing powder with no special storage demands beyond a cool, dry warehouse. It carries no GHS hazard classification and is not regulated as a dangerous good — it behaves, in practice, like the straightforward food and pharmaceutical ingredient it is.
| Parameter | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White crystalline powder |
| Assay (titration) | 99.0 – 101.0% |
| Melting range | 127 – 131 °C |
| Loss on drying | 0.5% max |
| Heavy metals | 10 ppm max |
| Residue on ignition | 0.1% max |
Important: the figures above are indicative of commercial USP/FCC-grade material and are offered for planning only. The batch certificate of analysis is the governing document. Tell us your target monograph and we will quote against it exactly.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Physical state | Crystalline solid at ambient |
| Water solubility | ~1,000 g/L at 25 °C (freely soluble) |
| Solvent solubility | Soluble in ethanol, glycerol; sparingly in ether |
| pH (1% solution) | 6.0 – 7.5 |
| Hygroscopicity | Low — stable in normal humidity |
| Thermal stability | Stable to typical food-processing and tableting heat |
Physical constants compiled from public reference and pharmacopoeia data for CAS 98-92-0 and rounded for readability. Treat them as orientation, not as a specification.
Where our customers put this vitamin to work
One specification, two large and distinct demand bases: nutritional fortification and cosmetic-active formulation.
Food & beverage fortification
Added to cereals, flours, beverages and functional foods to meet guaranteed Vitamin B3 declarations on the label.
- FCC and food-grade documentation
- Compliant with major fortification standards
- Technical desk support on dosing
Dietary supplements
A core B-complex and multivitamin ingredient supplied for tablet, capsule and powder-blend manufacture.
- USP/BP/EP pharmacopoeia grades
- Flow and compressibility documented on request
- Small packs for formulation trials
Infant formula
Used at carefully controlled fortification levels in infant and follow-on formula to meet statutory Vitamin B3 content.
- Infant-formula-grade documentation package
- Heavy-metal and microbiological reporting
- Batch traceability to the producing plant
Animal feed & premix
A standard component of poultry, swine, aquaculture and companion-animal vitamin premixes.
- Feed-grade specification available
- Bulk-bag packing for premix houses
- Contracted annual tonnage supported
Cosmetic & skin-care actives
A widely used skin-barrier and brightening active in serums, moisturisers, sheet masks and OTC skin-care formulations.
- Cosmetic-ingredient grade on request
- Fine particle-size options available
- INCI-standard documentation supplied
Research & analytical use
Reference standard and small-scale formulation trial quantities with the same documentation as the commercial lot.
- Packs from 100 g
- Full analytical documentation available
- Retained sample held against the lot
How we supply Niacinamide
Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and sourcing partner, not a manufacturer. On a food, pharma and cosmetic-grade vitamin, that means we route your order to a producer whose quality system — not just its price list — matches the market you are selling into.
We place your order with whichever qualified producer best matches your target monograph, your price point and your delivery window.
We keep a second qualified source on this line, because niacinamide demand runs year-round across fortification, supplement and cosmetic customers simultaneously, and a single-plant disruption should never become your production problem.
- Target monograph confirmed before we quote. USP, BP/EP or FCC — each carries slightly different documentation, and we match it before pricing.
- End-use confirmed up front. Food, feed, pharma and cosmetic buyers sometimes need different particle size or microbiological limits, and we ask before quoting rather than after.
- Heavy-metal and microbiological limits reported. Standard on every COA for this ingredient category, not an optional add-on.
- Packing matched to your production line. Drums, cartons or bulk bags, sized to how you actually charge the material.
- Batch traceability to the producing plant. Full chain of custody documentation on request, standard for food and pharma supply chains.
- Export machinery handled in-house. Classification, labelling, freight booking and customs paperwork are ours to manage.
Packed the way your plant receives it
A stable, non-hygroscopic vitamin powder gives us real packing flexibility. Tell us your production-line format and we will quote to it.
Fibre drums, PE-lined
The standard commercial format for food, feed and pharma customers, with a food-grade polyethylene inner liner.
Multi-wall paper cartons
Lighter, stackable cartons preferred by some supplement and food manufacturers for warehouse handling.
Bulk bags (FIBC)
For contracted premix-house and fortification-line volumes, moisture-barrier lined as required.
Trial / sample quantities
Small packs dispatched for formulation or shelf-stability trials before a commercial order is placed.
Incoterms to suit you
Quoted on the Incoterm your purchasing team works to, with documentation filed before the booking is made.
Scheduled contract supply
We hold contracted tonnage and release it against your production calendar, rather than asking you to warehouse it.
A vitamin ingredient with no GHS hazard classification
Niacinamide carries no GHS hazard classification and is not regulated as a dangerous good. The guidance below is good-manufacturing-practice orientation — your facility's own food/pharma handling procedures and the SDS supplied with your consignment remain the governing documents.
Hazard classification
Niacinamide is not classified as hazardous under GHS/CLP for acute toxicity, irritation, sensitisation or environmental endpoints at the concentrations and routes relevant to its food, feed, pharma and cosmetic use. It is nonetheless handled under standard good-manufacturing-practice housekeeping, since any fine powder deserves dust control regardless of toxicological classification.
General handling notes
Treat it with the same care you would apply to any bulk food or pharmaceutical powder ingredient.
- Routine dust control on transfer. Good practice for any fine powder on a production line, independent of hazard classification.
- Standard food/pharma PPE. Gloves and a dust mask are reasonable good practice during bulk handling and weighing.
- Keep containers closed between use. Minimises both dust generation and any slow moisture pickup.
- No special spill procedure required. Sweep or vacuum and dispose of as ordinary solid waste, or reclaim if within specification.
Storage
- Cool, dry warehouse storage. No refrigeration or inert-atmosphere requirement — niacinamide is a stable, shelf-stable ingredient.
- Keep containers sealed between uses. Limits moisture pickup and keeps the product free-flowing.
- Store away from strong oxidisers as routine good practice. Not a reactivity requirement specific to this material, simply standard warehouse segregation.
- Rotate stock on a first-in-first-out basis. Straightforward inventory practice for any food or pharma raw material with a defined shelf life.
Handling & PPE
- Standard GMP handling. Treat it as you would any bulk vitamin or nutraceutical powder ingredient in a food, feed or pharma facility.
- Dust mask and gloves during bulk transfer. Reasonable good practice rather than a hazard-driven requirement.
- No specialised containment required. Ordinary local exhaust ventilation at transfer points is sufficient.
- Food-contact-grade equipment where relevant. Standard requirement for food and infant-formula fortification lines.
Transport
Niacinamide is not regulated as a dangerous good for air, sea or road transport under IATA, IMDG or ADR/RID rules. It ships as ordinary general cargo, which keeps freight costs and lead times straightforward compared with the hazardous intermediates we also supply — ask us for a freight quote alongside your product pricing.
What travels with every consignment
On a vitamin that enters food, infant formula and cosmetic products, the paper trail is as important as the assay. Verifying what the source plant sends is precisely the work you are buying from a supplier.
Certificate of Analysis
Batch-specific assay, melting range, loss on drying, heavy metals and microbiological results against your chosen monograph.
Safety Data Sheet
Full-section SDS covering composition, handling, storage and disposal, in the language your destination requires.
Monograph compliance statement
Written confirmation of compliance with the USP, BP/EP or FCC monograph you have specified for your filing.
Non-GMO & allergen statements
Standard declarations requested by food, infant-formula and supplement customers, issued by the producing plant.
Certificate of Origin
Chamber-attested where required, plus preferential-origin forms where a trade agreement gives your import duty relief.
Retained & pre-shipment samples
Pre-shipment samples carry the same COA as the commercial lot, so what your laboratory qualifies is exactly what arrives.
From nicotinic acid to the coenzyme that runs your cells
Niacinamide's commercial production and its biochemical role both trace back to the same pyridine ring. The outline below is general background, not a process disclosure.
Start from a pyridine precursor
Industrial routes typically proceed via 3-cyanopyridine or nicotinic acid derivatives, produced from pyridine-based feedstocks.
Amidation / hydrolysis
The nitrile or ester functionality is converted to the primary amide, giving the nicotinamide structure.
Crystallise and purify
The product is crystallised, washed and dried to pharmacopoeia or food-grade purity under controlled conditions.
Mill and QC release
Particle size is adjusted for the target application and the batch is tested against the specified monograph before release.
Why it matters biologically
Niacinamide is the building block for two coenzymes that touch almost every metabolic pathway in the body:
- NAD⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Central to cellular respiration and energy production.
- NADP⁺. Drives biosynthetic reduction reactions and antioxidant regeneration.
- Deficiency causes pellagra, historically a major public-health problem, which is why fortification programmes specify Vitamin B3 by law in many countries.
- No flush at normal doses, unlike niacin, which is why niacinamide is the form of choice for fortification and for leave-on cosmetic formulation.
That biochemistry is also why documentation matters so much here — a batch entering infant formula or a pharmacopoeia-grade supplement needs the same rigor as a pharmaceutical active, even though the molecule itself carries no hazard classification.
| Material | Position in the family |
|---|---|
| Niacinamide CAS 98-92-0 — this product | Vitamin B3 (amide form) |
| Calcium pantothenate CAS 137-08-6 | Vitamin B5 |
| Folic acid CAS 59-30-3 | Vitamin B9 |
| Vitamin E acetate CAS 7695-91-2 | Fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin |
We supply across this vitamin and nutraceutical range — see the full intermediate range. Send the CAS number and we will confirm the correct material before quoting.
What actually moves the price of this product
Knowing what drives the quote helps you time a purchase and read whether an offer is realistic.
Pyridine feedstock costs
Production depends on pyridine-chain feedstocks, so upstream petrochemical pricing filters through over a quarter, not a day.
- We flag feedstock-driven moves in the quote
- Longer contracts smooth short-term swings
- Ask about indexed pricing on large volumes
Grade and monograph
Food-grade, USP and cosmetic-ingredient specifications carry different testing and documentation costs for the same base molecule.
- Tell us the real monograph you need
- We will say when a lower grade will do
- Over-specification is the commonest cost leak
Particle size & micronisation
Cosmetic and tablet-grade requirements for fine or standardised particle size add a processing step over bulk food grade.
- Ask whether your formulation truly needs micronised grade
- Standard grade suits most fortification use
- We quote both and let you compare
Freight and packing format
Non-dangerous-goods status keeps freight simple — bulk bags typically beat drums on a landed-cost basis at volume.
- Compare on landed cost, not ex-works
- Ask about bulk-bag pricing at contracted volumes
- We quote FOB, CIF, CFR or DDP as you prefer
Source geography
Global niacinamide production is concentrated in a handful of regions, so logistics lead time can matter as much as unit price.
- We hold a second qualified source on this line
- Ask which sourcing region best fits your lane
- Regional stock can shorten lead time materially
Shelf life and inventory
A 36-month shelf life gives real flexibility to buy ahead of a forecast price move without the stockholding risk other intermediates carry.
- Longer shelf life supports forward buying
- We hold inventory and release on call-off
- Ask about scheduled despatch
| If your end use is… | Specify |
|---|---|
| Food & beverage fortification | FCC food-grade, standard particle size |
| Dietary supplements / tablets | USP/BP/EP grade, compressibility data on request |
| Infant formula | Full documentation package, micro/heavy-metal reporting |
| Animal feed premix | Feed-grade specification |
| Cosmetic skin-care actives | Cosmetic-ingredient grade, fine particle size on request |
Not sure which row you are in? Describe your formulation and our technical desk will recommend the grade and particle-size specification.
Support that goes beyond shipping the drum
What our technical desk will do
- Confirm your target monograph before anything else. USP, BP/EP, FCC or a cosmetic-ingredient spec each drive different documentation.
- Recommend particle size for your process. Tableting, powder blending and cosmetic formulation each have different practical requirements.
- Flag dosing and labelling thresholds. We point you to your own regulatory team for the figures, but we know where the common questions sit.
- Be straight about what the molecule can and cannot carry. No hazard classification does not mean no documentation is required for food or infant-formula use.
Regulatory & compliance notes
- Food and feed additive status varies by country. We check destination rules before quoting, not after you have raised the PO.
- Fortification levels are regulated, not optional. Many jurisdictions set maximum and minimum Vitamin B3 levels in fortified foods and infant formula.
- Cosmetic ingredient listings differ between regions. We supply the identity data you need for your cosmetic-ingredient filing (INCI, CAS, EC number).
- Pharmacopoeia compliance is batch-specific. We confirm which monograph version a given batch was tested against.
None of the above is legal, nutritional or regulatory advice — your own regulatory affairs team owns the final compliance position for your product. What we commit to is accurate product identity data, an honest statement of specification, and complete documentation to work from.
From enquiry to delivered pallet
Send the specification
Product name or CAS 98-92-0, your target monograph and end use, quantity, pack preference and destination port.
Receive a firm quote
Pricing, lead time, packing and Incoterm confirmed in writing within 24 hours — our sourcing desk is staffed around the clock.
Qualify and approve
Sample dispatched if you are qualifying a new source. Batch COA shared for your approval before the material is released.
Ship and track
Documentation issued, freight booked, and the consignment tracked through transit and clearance to your door.
Others in the Chelora range
What buyers ask us about Niacinamide
What is the difference between niacinamide and niacin?
What is niacinamide used for?
What grade do you supply?
Is niacinamide hazardous to handle?
How is it packed and what is the shelf life?
What is the minimum order quantity?
Do you supply food, feed and cosmetic grades separately?
Do you manufacture this yourself?
Request pricing on Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
Send your target monograph, intended end use, quantity, pack format and destination port. Our sourcing desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and comes back with pricing, lead time and packing options.