Nads Hair Removal vs NAD+ Cream: A Philadelphia Guide

Nad's is an Australian sugar-wax depilatory brand sold at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, and Amazon — including locations throughout Philadelphia. It is unrelated to NAD+, a coenzyme used in skin-recovery topicals that happens to share a similar-sounding name. If you intended to research NAD+ cream rather than Nad's brand hair removal, the two are entirely different categories of product.

If you searched "nads hair removal philadelphia" and ended up here, you likely hit a common name collision online: Nad's brand hair removal and NAD+ cream sound nearly identical but solve completely different problems. This guide separates the two so you can find what you actually want — whether that is a sugar wax kit on a CVS shelf in Center City or a clinician-prescribed topical recovery formulation.

What Nad's brand hair removal actually is

Nad's is a brand owned by the Australian family company Sue Ismiel and Daughters, founded in the early 1990s. Its core line is sugar-based body wax kits, depilatory creams, hair-bleaching gels, and facial-wax strips, sold over the counter at major drugstores and mass retailers. In Philadelphia you can typically find Nad's products on the shelf at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and large Target stores in Center City, University City, and the Northeast, with online availability through Amazon Prime and Walmart.com.

Nad's products are cosmetic, not pharmaceutical. They remove hair either through mechanical adhesion (sugar wax pulls hair from the follicle) or chemical depilation (creams containing thioglycolate salts that break down hair-shaft keratin at the skin's surface). They have no biochemical relationship to NAD+ as a molecule.

If you have sensitive skin, eczema, recent sunburn, or any active dermatologic condition, patch-test any depilatory before using it across a larger area, and consider asking a Philadelphia-area dermatologist before using thioglycolate creams on the face, bikini line, or underarms. For more durable hair reduction than at-home wax can deliver, licensed estheticians and dermatology offices throughout the city offer professional waxing, sugaring, and laser hair removal — each with different cost, skin-tone, and durability tradeoffs.

NAD+ — the molecule behind a different product entirely

NAD+ stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It is a coenzyme present in every living cell, where it shuttles electrons during the reactions that produce cellular energy and serves as a substrate for sirtuins and PARP enzymes involved in DNA repair (Imai and Guarente, Trends in Cell Biology, 2014). Tissue-level NAD+ concentrations decline measurably with age in human skin, muscle, and other organs, which has made the molecule a central object of aging-biology research over the past decade (Massudi et al., PLOS One, 2012; Rajman et al., Cell Metabolism, 2018).

Because NAD+ itself is a relatively large, polar molecule, getting it across an intact skin barrier is a delivery challenge. Most NAD+ skincare formulations therefore deliver precursor molecules — nicotinamide (vitamin B3), nicotinamide riboside (NR), or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) — that the skin absorbs and converts intracellularly. Nicotinamide is the most-studied of these in topical use, with a long dermatology track record. A topical NAD+ cream is, in other words, a recovery and skin-aging product, not a hair-removal product. The naming overlap is coincidental.

If recovery topicals are what you were actually researching, the topical NAD+ recovery cream at Body Good Men is one example of a clinician-prescribed formulation in this category, dispensed through a licensed compounding pharmacy after an online clinical review.

What the research shows about topical NAD+ precursors

The published evidence for topical NAD+ precursors centers mostly on nicotinamide rather than NAD+ itself. Three lines of dermatology research are worth knowing about before evaluating any product in this category:

• Skin barrier and hydration. Topical nicotinamide at concentrations of 2–5% has been associated in placebo-controlled trials with improved stratum corneum barrier function and reduced trans-epidermal water loss, alongside measurable reductions in fine lines, sallowness, and hyperpigmentation among photoaged adults (Bissett et al., Dermatologic Surgery, 2005).
• Photodamage and DNA repair. Nicotinamide replenishes cellular NAD+ pools that UV exposure depletes, supporting the activity of DNA-repair enzymes that consume NAD+ as a substrate. This biology underlies the chemoprevention effect seen in the ONTRAC randomized trial, where oral nicotinamide reduced new non-melanoma skin cancers in high-risk patients (Chen et al., NEJM 2015).
• Topical NAD+ itself. Direct topical NAD+ has a thinner peer-reviewed evidence base than its precursors. Most claims you see online for "NAD+ cream" rest on precursor research and laboratory pharmacology rather than randomized trials of intact NAD+ on human skin.

The practical implication for shoppers in Philadelphia: read the active-ingredient list, not the front-of-package marketing. The molecule and concentration in a tube of "NAD+ cream" matter more than what the label calls it.

How a clinician evaluates a candidate for a NAD+ recovery topical

A licensed clinician reviewing a request for a topical NAD+ product typically wants to understand the patient's specific recovery or skin-aging goal, baseline skin condition and any active dermatologic disease, current medications and supplements, history of skin cancer or significant photodamage, and any pregnancy or lactation considerations. From there, the clinician decides whether a topical NAD+ precursor is a sensible match, whether a different active ingredient would be more appropriate, and whether the right delivery format is a topical, a different route, or a combination.

Telehealth has widened access for Philadelphia patients who do not want to wait weeks for an in-person dermatology slot. The clinician-supervised NAD+ Cream program at Body Good Men reviews eligibility online and, if a clinician determines you are a candidate, fulfills through a licensed pharmacy partner.

Questions to bring to your provider

If you have decided NAD+ rather than Nad's brand hair removal is what you actually want, the productive questions for a clinician include:

• Is a topical NAD+ precursor (nicotinamide, NR, NMN) likely to address what I am trying to improve?
• How does this fit with the rest of my skincare or recovery routine, and are there ingredients I should avoid stacking with it?
• Are there interactions with medications, supplements, or other topicals I am currently using?
• What follow-up timeline makes sense to evaluate whether this is helping?

Bringing those questions to a telehealth visit or an in-person dermatology appointment produces a much sharper outcome than self-prescribing from a marketing page. The licensed-clinician review built into the NAD+ recovery topical at Body Good Men is structured around that exact conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nads hair removal the same as NAD+ cream?

No. Nad's hair removal is an Australian-brand depilatory product line — sugar wax kits, depilatory creams, and bleaching gels — sold at CVS, Walgreens, and Target throughout Philadelphia. NAD+ cream is a separate category of skincare or recovery topical built around the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and its precursor molecules. The two products share a phonetic resemblance and nothing else, biochemically or commercially.

Where can I buy Nads hair removal in Philadelphia?

Nad's brand products are stocked at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and large Target stores across Philadelphia, including locations in Center City, University City, South Philly, and the Northeast. Online, the line is available through Amazon, Walmart.com, and the Nads brand website. Specific SKU availability — sugar wax kits, hair-removal creams, facial wax strips, and bleaching gels — varies by retailer and inventory cycle, so call ahead if you need a specific product.

What does NAD+ cream actually do?

A topical NAD+ cream typically delivers a precursor molecule — most commonly nicotinamide — that the skin absorbs and uses to replenish intracellular NAD+ pools. Published research on topical nicotinamide has shown improvements in barrier function, photodamage repair, and pigmentation (Bissett et al., 2005). Whether a specific cream produces meaningful change for a given person depends on its formulation, concentration, the user's baseline skin condition, and consistency of use.

Do I need a prescription for NAD+ cream?

Some lower-concentration NAD+ products are sold over the counter as cosmetic moisturizers, while higher-concentration or compounded NAD+ creams require a clinical evaluation and a prescription dispensed through a licensed pharmacy. Whether a prescription product is appropriate depends on your skin and recovery goals, medical history, and what your clinician determines is the right delivery format and concentration for your situation.

Is NAD+ cream safe to use long-term?

Direct long-term safety data for topical NAD+ itself is limited, because the category is relatively new. Topical nicotinamide — the most-studied precursor — has decades of dermatology use and a generally favorable safety profile in published trials, with side effects usually limited to localized irritation at higher concentrations. Discuss any extended-use plan, including pregnancy and lactation considerations, with a licensed clinician.

If NAD+ recovery is what you actually want

If you are considering topical NAD+ recovery and want to know whether it is appropriate for you, talk to a licensed clinician. The NAD+ Cream program at Body Good Men connects you with a US-licensed clinician who reviews your eligibility and, if appropriate, prescribes through our partner pharmacy.

Important Disclosure

men.joinbodygood.com is operated as an affiliate of Body Good Studio LLC and is a whitelabel certified partner of Leg Up Rx. men.joinbodygood.com does not provide medical services, prescribe medications, or maintain patient records. All clinical evaluations, prescription decisions, and medication fulfillment are handled by licensed medical and pharmacy partners through Leg Up Rx. This article is for general informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed healthcare provider before starting any treatment. Eligibility for any medication is determined solely by a licensed clinician.