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Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Nicotinamide vs Pumpkin Seed Oil: Nicotinamide has the stronger overall evidence (5.5 vs 4.5/10); they're alternatives for improve skin health — the best pick depends on your goals. Take the 60-second quiz for a pick tailored to your goals.
Nicotinamide wins 3 of 3 categories. Both are solid choices — the best pick depends on your specific goals.
Verdict
Too few graded studies
2 of 2 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
Verdict
Mostly mechanism / observational
Top outcomes
500mg twice daily
Morning and evening with meals
Niacinamide tablets (500mg)
1000–2000 mg daily (oral capsule) or 3 g/day for cardiovascular benefit
With meals (lunch or dinner), Split dose morning and evening with food
Cold-pressed softgel capsule
and 1 more not shown
3-12 months
8 weeks
Days
First days
4-12 weeks
8-12 weeks
6 weeks
8-12 weeks
A Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Nicotinamide for Skin-Cancer Chemoprevention.
The New England journal of medicine (2015) · Rct · n=386
ONTRAC: phase-3, double-blind RCT randomizing 386 patients with ≥2 prior non-melanoma skin cancers to 500 mg nicotinamide twice daily or placebo for 12 months
Skin Cancer Prevention and Antiaging: Role of Nicotinamide.
International journal of molecular sciences (2026) · Review
Review of the biological rationale and clinical evidence for nicotinamide and NAD+ precursors in photoaging and cutaneous carcinogenesis
Topical nicotinamide compared with clindamycin gel in the treatment of inflammatory acne vulgaris.
International journal of dermatology (1995) · Rct · n=76
Double-blind RCT of 76 patients randomized to 4% nicotinamide gel or 1% clindamycin gel twice daily for 8 weeks for moderate inflammatory acne
Evaluation of the Safety and Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplements for Treating Hair Loss: A Systematic Review.
JAMA Dermatology (2023) · Systematic review
30 articles were included comprising 17 RCTs, 11 clinical studies, and 2 case series in individuals without known nutritional deficiency
Pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita pepo) versus tamsulosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia symptom relief: a single-blind randomized clinical trial.
BMC Urology (2021) · Rct · n=73
Both tamsulosin and pumpkin seed oil (360 mg twice daily) produced significant decreases in IPSS and improvements in quality of life over 3 months
The effects of pumpkin seed oil supplementation on arterial hemodynamics, stiffness and cardiac autonomic function in postmenopausal women.
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (2019) · Rct · n=23
Augmentation index (AIx), brachial and central systolic blood pressure significantly decreased following PSO (3 g/day for 6 weeks) but not placebo (P<0.05)
Nicotinamide has a higher evidence score (5.5/10 vs 4.5/10) and wins in 3 of 3 categories.
For improve skin health, Nicotinamide has a higher relevance score (68 vs 60).
No documented interaction was found in the data searched. This does not establish that this exact combination is safe.
The right pick depends on your goals. Answer a few quick questions for a personalised recommendation — or dig into the full evidence on each.