Can I use glycolic acid with niacinamide?
Yes. The old warning against this pair was about pH, and it does not hold up for finished products used on skin. The same answer applies to lactic acid.
Yes. Apply the glycolic acid first on dry skin and the niacinamide after it. Niacinamide supports the barrier that an exfoliating acid strains, so the two suit each other. What needs watching is how often you use the acid.
Where the warning came from
Glycolic acid products are acidic and niacinamide products sit closer to neutral. The worry was that mixing them would stop the acid working, or would convert niacinamide into nicotinic acid, which makes skin flush.
That conversion needs heat and a long time in a strongly acidic solution. Two finished products layered on a face for a few minutes do not provide those conditions. Some people do flush a little, and for them splitting the two across morning and night solves it.
How to layer them
Cleanse and dry the skin. Apply the glycolic acid. When it has dried, apply the niacinamide, then a moisturiser.
Use the acid at night. Alpha hydroxy acids make skin more sensitive to the sun for some time afterwards, so sunscreen the next morning is part of using one.
Why the pairing makes sense
Glycolic acid loosens the outer layer of dead cells. That is useful, and it also asks something of the barrier underneath. Niacinamide supports that barrier and is one of the best-tolerated actives there is. Used together, the routine is often more comfortable than the acid alone.
What to watch
Count your exfoliating steps across the week. An acid toner, an exfoliating face wash and a weekly peel add up, and the total is what strains a barrier. Niacinamide does not cancel that.
If skin feels tight, stings when products go on, or starts to flake, drop the acid and keep the niacinamide and moisturiser until it settles.
Cham makes no AHA product.
This page describes how ingredients behave together. It does not diagnose. A prescriber, a pregnancy, or a diagnosed skin condition outranks anything written here.
Related questions
Do I need to wait between glycolic acid and niacinamide?
A minute, or until the acid has dried, is enough. Long waits are not needed. If your skin flushes when you layer them, use the acid at night and the niacinamide in the morning.
Which goes first, glycolic acid or niacinamide?
The acid first, on clean dry skin, then niacinamide, then a moisturiser.
Can I use glycolic acid and niacinamide every day?
Niacinamide can be used daily. Glycolic acid is better kept to a few nights a week for most people. Using niacinamide alongside it does not raise the amount of exfoliation your skin can take.