This is a long overdue review of a stellar product. Mad Hippie was a brand I always heard about but never tried until I got this Vitamin A Serum from a friend. Details per Ulta & Mad Hippie:
Mad Hippie's Vitamin A Serum works to exfoliate the skin, improving the appearance of sun damaged, aging skin. This Next level serum is feared by wrinkles and sun damage alike. Nine actives with HPR and sodium hyaluronate. Hydroxypinacolone retinoate (HPR) is a revolutionary, bioavailable form of vitamin A that works to dramatically improve the appearance of wrinkles and discoloration. Sodium hyaluronate works to plump up and moisturize while reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Key Ingredients
- HPR: Revolutionary new form of vitamin A that is bioavailable in its current state without the need of any inefficient metabolic steps (retinol requires 2). Works to dramatically reduce the appearance of wrinkles & discoloration, revealing beautiful, youthful skin.
- Phytoceramide: Aids in moisture retention, leading to more plumped up, hydrated skin.
- Sodium Hyaluronate: The salt of hyaluronic acid (HA), sodium hyaluronate, has been shown to have better skin penetrating capabilities than HA alone. Works to moisturize the skin while reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
- Oat Beta Glucan: Naturally hydrates and soothes the skin. Oat beta glucan has been shown reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
- Aloe Vera: Works to nourish the skin while forming a thin protective layer.
Mad Hippies is such an affordable and decent brand. This serum has a nice light hydrating serum texture. I love it when retinol/retinal serums have a more light serum texture versus a thicker cream texture (I got burned out by the thick heavy prescription retinol textured creams). This one has aloe, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, beta glucan, phytoceramide (soybean palmitate) and a few oils like coconut & safflower. Normally coconut oil in my nemesis and breaks me out but I had no issues with this feeling heavy nor breaking me out ever so this form they used worked OK for me. I don't remember it having a scent other than natural as it has no essential oils.
This serum uses retinal in the form of Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate aka HPR. This is one of my favorite types of retinal. This is a newer member to the retinol family. It’s a retinoic acid ester so it’s related to retinoic acid. The beauty of this version is that it does not have to be converted by the body to retinoic acid. It simply binds with the retinoid receptors of the cells to do its thing. As it doesn’t need conversion by the body it’s supposed to be less irritating.
So lets talk about retinol in general. Retinol, retinoids or retinal are all forms of vitamin A which accelerate skin cell turnover leading to a rejuvenated complexion. Retinol is the gold standard in skincare because it helps with everything-lines, wrinkles, uneven texture and skin tone, dullness. You name it retinol helps. It’s your anti-aging power house ingredient. It ranges from prescription strength to over the counter. Retinol and other forms have to be converted by enzymes in the skin to become vitamin A aka retinoic acid. Only as this last product retinoic acid can retinol work on the skin.
Here’s the basic conversion:
Retinyl palmitate > Retinol > Retinaldehyde > Retinoic acid
So the closer you get to retinoic acid the more effective it is. They all have far less irritation or side effects than prescription retinoic acid. With all that being said I love HPR because it's effective and gentle, I never get bad side effects. It may not be the strongest one but it works. So yes this serum was an effective retinal treatment that gave moderate results with no irritation or side effects. For me it's a great daily serum. I like being able to use a more gentle form daily versus a strong one once a week. Though sometimes I do alternate and flip flip back and forth. For the price I would totally recommend this and I would absolutely buy it again.
Ingredients
Deionized Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Vitamin A (HPR:Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate), Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexyl Glycerin, Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera Oil), Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Citric Acid, Steam Distilled Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Oat Beta-Glucan, Phytoceramide (Soybean Palmitate), Acetyl Glucosamine.
