Ziaja might not dominate billboards yet skincare insiders know it for quietly reliable formulas and wallet kind prices, a combination that makes the Polish brand hard to ignore once discovered.
Their latest jar carries a mouthful of a name, Vitamin C.B3 Niacinamide Night Cream, hinting at a buffet of actives packed inside. Ziaja claims this plush emulsion drenches skin in five vitamins plus comforting butters and oils, then works overnight to ease dullness, boost elasticity and help you greet the mirror with a well-rested glow.
To see how much of that promise survives real life I benched my usual night cream and used this one exclusively for two straight weeks, applying a generous layer before bed and resisting the urge to add any extra serums.
Note: this is not a paid or sponsored review. The product was bought with my own money and all opinions are genuine and personal. Skincare results can vary from person to person.
What Is Vitamin C.B3 Niacinamide Night Cream?
This is Ziaja’s take on an overnight treatment, a category of products designed to sit on the skin for eight or so hours while you sleep. Unlike lighter lotions that disappear quickly, overnight creams are purposely richer so they can seal in moisture, drip feed active ingredients and offset the water loss that naturally occurs at night. The payoff is a face that feels less thirsty and looks calmer by morning, provided the formula plays nicely with your skin.
Here the formula combines five vitamins – niacinamide (B3), vitamin C, provitamins B5 and B6 plus vitamin E – with shea butter, camellia oil, canola oil and hydrolysed rice protein. Together these ingredients aim to replenish water, support collagen creation and soften rough patches while you are horizontal. The texture is classed as a velvety emulsion, meaning it straddles the line between a traditional thick night cream and a lighter gel cream, and it is intended as the final step after cleansing and any treatments.
In short, Vitamin C.B3 Niacinamide Night Cream is a no frills leave-on product meant to lock in hydration, deliver a multivitamin boost and tackle signs of fatigue without requiring any extra effort beyond applying a generous layer before bed.
Did It Work?
In the name of rigorous research I put my beloved ceramide cream on ice for three days before the test so my skin could hit the reset button, a move I proudly declared “very scientific” to the amusement of no one but myself. Fourteen nights felt like a fair window to judge a product that promises visible overnight change so I set a reminder on my phone and settled in.
Application is pleasant if you enjoy a rich glide. The first evening I used a blueberry-sized blob, pressed it in, then waited for the familiar tackiness many night masks leave. Instead the finish stayed lightly balmy which meant my cheek stuck to the pillowcase a little yet not enough to disturb sleep. I woke to skin that felt cushioned and looked less ruddy, though the touted glow was subtle at best.
Nights two through five followed a similar pattern. Hydration was consistent, dry patches around my nostrils softened and the faint tightness I sometimes feel after retinol did not reappear. On the flip side the cream occasionally pilled when layered over my water-based hydrating serum so I learned to keep the routine minimal: gentle cleanser, mist, then straight in with the cream.
By the one-week mark I noticed a slight evening of tone around old blemish scars which I credit to the niacinamide. However the promised “more youthful glow” was more of a healthy satin finish rather than a true brightness and it faded by mid-morning unless I followed with a luminous sunscreen.
During the second week the formula’s heavier side showed. A couple of tiny closed comedones popped up on my jawline, nothing dramatic but enough to remind me that dimethicone plus butters can overstay their welcome on my combination skin. I dialed back the amount to a pea-size and the bumps calmed within two nights, although the hydration boost became less pronounced with the smaller dose.
On the final morning my complexion felt comfortable, looked even and certainly not dull, yet I cannot say it delivered the transformative brightness the marketing implies. For someone with very dry or consistently irritated skin this plush texture could be a nightly savior. For my combo-leaning face it lands in the pleasant but not essential category.
So did it work? Partly. It kept moisture locked in and smoothed minor roughness, ticked the “rested” box most mornings and never caused real irritation. Still the moderate plumping and muted glow are not enough to dethrone my lighter, fragrance-free standby. I will finish the jar on travel nights when I want a single multitasking step yet I doubt it will claim a permanent spot on the shelf.
Main Ingredients Explained
The name gives away the stars so let’s start there. Niacinamide sits high on the list and at the 5 percent ballpark it is a multitasker that brightens, calms redness and reinforces the skin barrier. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate is the gentler cousin of pure vitamin C and needs converting by the skin before it can fight free radicals yet it is also more stable so you are less likely to see that dreaded orange oxidation ring around the jar. Provitamin B5 (panthenol) teams up with vitamin E to trap water while B6 helps regulate excess sebum, a handy trio if your skin swings between oily and parched overnight.
The comfort factor comes from a blanket of emollients: shea butter, camellia oil, canola oil and octyldodecanol. Shea scores a 2 on the comedogenic scale which means it can clog pores on very breakout-prone skin whereas camellia is lightweight and packed with oleic acid so it softens without feeling greasy. Dimethicone adds that silky slip and creates an occlusive layer to reduce overnight water loss. Occlusives can be polarizing but this silicone is non-comedogenic for most people and easily removed with a morning cleanse.
Hydrolysed rice protein is the sleeper hit, forming a flexible film that helps skin hold on to moisture and may give a mild tightening effect by morning. Carbomer and cetyl alcohol give the cream its stable, velvety body while PEG-100 stearate and glyceryl stearate keep oil and water phases happily married. Phenoxyethanol and hydroxyacetophenone preserve the formula below the EU 1 percent safety limit and parfum adds a light citrus-floral scent backed by linalool, geraniol and limonene which are potential irritants if your skin is sensitive to fragrance.
No animal-derived ingredients appear in the INCI so the cream is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Pregnant or nursing users should still run it past a healthcare professional first as even generally safe actives like niacinamide and vitamin C can be used too aggressively in layered routines. If you are acne-prone note the moderate comedogenic potential of shea butter and canola oil; comedogenic means the ingredient may block pores and trigger bumps especially if you already struggle with congestion. Everyone else can enjoy the cushiony texture so long as they commit to a thorough cleanse the next morning.
One final note: the absence of photoreactive ingredients makes this strictly a night formula by design rather than necessity so nothing stops you from daytime experiments but the richer finish may sit heavy under makeup. Stick to its bedtime brief and it plays the part of an uncomplicated vitamin-laden blanket reasonably well.
What I Liked/Didn’t Like
Here is the quick rundown after two weeks of nightly use.
What Works Well:
- Noticeable overnight hydration that leaves skin cushioned and comfortable by morning
- Velvety texture spreads easily so a small amount covers the whole face without tugging
- Niacinamide plus rice protein help even tone and calm redness for a subtly smoother look
- Formula is vegan friendly and comes from a brand known for accessible pricing
What to Consider:
- Rich blend of butters and dimethicone may encourage minor clogging on combination or breakout prone skin
- Can pill if layered over watery serums so works best as the single final step
- Brightening effect is mild and may disappear by midday without supporting products
My Final Thoughts
A good overnight treatment earns its keep by giving you the kind of low effort high reward result that makes stumbling to the bathroom at 6 a.m. slightly less harrowing. In that respect Ziaja’s Vitamin C.B3 Niacinamide Night Cream did its job. After two weeks my skin felt consistently cushioned, redness took a mini holiday and makeup glided on more politely each morning. Still the vaunted glow showed up like a shy party guest and slipped away before lunch which is why the jar stops at a solid 7/10 in my book.
I have tangoed with more night creams than I care to admit so I feel confident saying this one suits normal to dry or mildly sensitive skin that craves comfort over fireworks. Combo or congestion-prone faces could see tiny bumps if the buttery base hangs around too long, though dialing the dose down helps. If you love a single step routine at midnight you will probably be pleased, if you are chasing dramatic brightening you might keep swiping left.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, but with caveats: enjoy the plush texture, expect steady hydration, temper dreams of a morning ring-light effect. I will keep the jar for winter weekends yet I will not weep when it is empty.
For readers shopping around, a few alternatives I have personally emptied and rate highly deserve mention. Nocturnal Revive Cream by Deascal is my current allrounder crush – lightweight yet nourishing, friendly to every skin mood and priced kindly. If you fancy a peptide packed option Advanced Night Restore by Medik8 delivers firming support without heaviness. Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment offers gentle resurfacing with a side of fruit salad fragrance for those chasing radiance. Finally Laneige’s Bouncy & Firm Sleeping Mask wraps skin in springy hydration that feels positively cloud like.
Before you slather anything new across your face meditate on fragrance tolerance, pore clogging potential and how the formula fits with actives you already use. And please patch test first – sorry for sounding like an over-protective parent. Remember results stick around only as long as the product does so keep up the nightly habit if you want the morning mirror to stay friendly.