NAD Serum
NAD Serum from Skin by Render, built on Nad+. Below: what's in it, whether the active actually reaches the layer it needs to, where it goes in a routine, and what to expect.
NAD Serum at a glance
| Sold by | Skin by Render |
| Price | $34.98 |
| Where it goes | Serum — thinnest first |
| Key active | Nad+ |
Does Nad+ actually work on skin?
This is a different question from whether it works injected, and the answer is often different too — a molecule has to survive the stratum corneum before any of its biology matters. Full Nad+ breakdown →
Human clinical evidence
- No meaningful controlled evidence for topical NAD+ on skin. The systemic NAD+ literature is a separate argument and does not transfer to a serum.
Correlative data
- A recent and heavily marketed addition to skincare. Reported experience is hard to separate from the rest of the formula.
How the mechanism reads
- NAD+ is central to cellular energy and to sirtuin and PARP activity, and skin NAD+ falls with age and UV exposure. Replenishing it locally is a reasonable idea.
- NAD+ is ~663 Da and highly polar — close to the practical limit for passive skin penetration, and the polarity works against it. Whether a topical raises NAD+ in living skin at all is not established.
- NAD+ is large, charged and unstable — close to a worst case for crossing intact skin — which is why serious topical work in this space uses precursors rather than the dinucleotide itself. A product listing NAD+ high in the ingredients is making a penetration claim it has not evidenced.
- The mitochondrial argument for skin is genuinely interesting (energy availability for repair, sirtuin signalling), and it is currently better served by the oral route, where the human data actually is.
How to use NAD Serum
Step 3 — Serum — thinnest first
AM. Sits comfortably under sunscreen. The mechanism is interesting and the molecule is large, charged and hard to get through skin. Run it as a supporting layer, and keep the expectation with the oral route where the human data is.
What to expect, and when
Unclear — topical NAD+ has no controlled evidence. Treat as experimental.
Where to get NAD Serum
Buy NAD Serum at Skin by Render →Other Nad+ products in the Vault
The rest of the routine
Every cosmetic in the Vault is free to read — mechanism, evidence, layering and where to buy, no login. What the Academy adds is the compound side: 237 peptides and small molecules with dosing, cycling and the protocols that use them.
Join the Academy — $10/mo →