I've been using The Ordinary's niacinamide + zinc serum for about 3 weeks now and I'm not sure if I'm seeing real results or just placebo. My pores on my T-zone still look pretty big to me. Has anyone actually had success with this stuff for minimizing pore appearance, or should I try something else?
Three weeks is honestly too short to judge anything skincare-related, so don't write it off just yet! Niacinamide does help with pore appearance for plenty of people, but it works by regulating sebum and reducing inflammation rather than actually shrinking pores - so results are more subtle than dramatic. Some folks see noticeable improvements after consistent use for 2-3 months, while others don't notice much at all. If you've got oily skin in your T-zone, you might have better luck sticking with it longer, but if your pores are more of a structural thing, you'd probably need something heavier like a retinoid or a good AHA/BHA routine to see real change.
Niacinamide does genuinely help with pore appearance, but here's the thing most people don't mention - it works best if you're consistent for at least a couple of months, and the results are more about looking refined than actually shrinking pores. The catch is that The Ordinary's formula is super basic and affordable, which is great, but if you have oily skin already, layering it under heavier moisturizers can sometimes make things look worse before they get better because it regulates oil production and that adjustment period can be weird. If you stick with it and make sure you're not overdoing other actives at the same time, you should notice your T-zone looking smoother and less shiny around the 6-8 week mark - that's when sebum control really kicks in and makes pores appear smaller.
the thing about pore size is that niacinamide doesn't actually shrink them - it just makes them *look* smaller by controlling oil and tightening skin a bit, so you're chasing a visual effect rather than a structural fix. i tried the ordinary's version on my own face for maybe two months before noticing anything worth mentioning, and what i saw was more of a smoothing effect on my t-zone rather than pores visibly vanishing. if you're determined to stick with it, give yourself at least 8-12 weeks and make sure you're layering it right (apply to damp skin, let it dry before other products), but honestly some people's pores just respond better to retinoids or gentle chemical exfoliants than to niacinamide alone.
The Ordinary's niacinamide formula is solid for pore appearance, but there's a catch nobody's mentioning - if your skin barrier gets irritated from mixing it with other actives (like vitamin C or acids), your pores can actually look worse because the skin gets inflamed and puffy! Make sure you're not overloading your routine, and give it a full 6-8 weeks minimum before deciding if it's working, since sebum regulation and skin tightening take time to show up visibly. If you're using it solo and keeping everything else gentle, you should notice your T-zone looking less shiny and textured over that timeframe, even if the actual pore size hasn't magically changed.
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