Reviews
Mad Hippie
Mad Hippie: Vitamin A Serum,...
153 Reviews
This is such a good serum. It helped with the texture of my skin so much while also brightening my skin. The creamy texture helped with not drying my skin out.
*bought with my own money
📍 CLAIMS:
dramatically reducing the appearance of wrinkles & discoloration, revealing beautiful, youthful skin due to the bioavailable form of retinoids.
📍KEY INGREDIENTS:
▫️Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate - ester of retinoic acid and a relatively newer member of the ever-growing retinoid family. This form is much more active and more stable than retinol. Just like retinoic acid, it binds directly to the nuclear receptors of skin cells, but the irritating potential, at the same time, is much lower. There are not so many studies on HPR yet.
Official website claims ‘We use approximately 1%-2% HPR in our Vitamin A Serum’. Honestly, that sounds pretty weird. 1% is quite a big difference. We are talking here about a cosmetic product with a certain formula, and not about a soup that is cooked by eye🤔
Complex contains 90% of solvent (dimethyl isosorbide) and 10% of pure HPR. So, we have 0.1-0.2% pure HPR here, this is a working concentration, but not the largest, rather for beginners.
▫️Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice - is responsible for moisturizing, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Suitable for whitening sensitive and inflamed skin.
▫️Oat Beta-Glucan - polysaccharide, prebiotic. "Feeds" the friendly microflora of the skin, strengthens the local immunity. Activates metabolic processes and cell regeneration, promotes more active penetration of active ingredients. Plus hydration, regeneration, strengthening of vessel walls, fighting inflammation and even anti-age due to indirect stimulation of collagen and elastin production
▫️Hydrolyzed Soybean Palmitate (Phytoceramide) - phytoceramides extracted from soybeans. It helps to ‘patch up’ the protective barrier.
▫️Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil - has a high content of lauric acid, so it can potentially be comedogenic (not everyone, this is an individual skin feature). Antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.
▫️Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil - contains the antioxidant vitamin E. High content of linoleic acid, which has an anti-inflammatory effect, reduces the severity of allergic reactions, enhances skin immunity and strengthens the protective barrier.
▫️Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil - essential oil obtained from the orange peel. It acts as a fragrance here. Can photosensitize the skin and give an allergic reaction.
📍PACKAGE:
There are two options: 15 ml and 30 ml.
A dark glass bottle with a dropper. Box is printed with soy inks on FSC certified paper. All materials used are fully recyclable.
Taking care of the planet is, of course, wonderful. But for retinoids, bottle with dropper is not the best package, because it oxidizes upon contact with air. 15ml are used quickly enough, but I would not take package of 30ml, I would look for a product in a safer package, for example, with a vacuum pump.
📍 MY EXPERIENCE:
▫️ Milky serum of medium density with the smell of orange peel.
▫️ It is pleasant to apply, absorbed in a few minutes and tightens my skin a little. This serum requires following with a cream after 20-30 minutes, because it doesn’t contain enough lipids for solo use.
▫️I didn’t have any side effects, irritation, peeling, but my skin was already familiar with retinoids.
▫️ Paired with vitamin C (vitamin A in the evening, vitamin C in the morning), they work perfectly and make me a glowy well-cared skin with an even tone.
▫️My skin: combination, sensitive, with freckles.
📍HOW TO USE:
▫️ Like any retinol-containing product, beginners should start using this serum 1-2 times a week, gradually increasing the multiplicity (+1 application per week), if there are no side effects. Gradually bring the frequency of use to 5-7 days a week in PM routine.
▫️ Sun protection is required. Sunscreen, sunglasses, cap.
📍BOTTOM LINES:
✅ bioavailable form of retinoids
✅ recyclable package
✅ reasonable price
⛔️ a dropper style dispenser that allows contact with air
⛔️ orange essential oil smells nice, but it is not suitable for everyone, especially for sensitive skin
⛔️ the exact percentage of HPR is unclear
📍FOR WHAT SKIN:
Oily skin; Combination skin; Dry skin (with a good barrier cream after).
Sensitive - with caution, there may be a reaction to the Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil.
I use the Vitamin A Serum for every night skincare routine. It works for me. It helps my skin look refresh and brighten. I love the package as well, small and easy to carry around.
This is a nice gentle Vitamin A serum. It absorbs nicely and has a natural pleasant, but light scent. It’s a little runny, but a little goes a long way!
I’ve been using this to improve my skin and get rid of dark spots for the last few years, and it’s had a noticeable effect on my skin. There’s no real scent to this serum, which I appreciate, and it soaks into my skin quickly and doesn’t leave any weird feeling or residue. I like the easy to use dropper bottle too.
I was super excited to try this. It’s a thicker serum & you don’t need that much but it made my skin feel uncomfortable after it sets in. I don’t think my skin liked it very much. I appreciate the cute little glass bottle though
I loved this serum so much that forced my best friend and mom to try it out. Absolutely love the way that it makes my skin feel, and the scent is so lovely.
I’ve been using consistently for over a year and I see a huge difference. I absolutely love this entire line. I suffered from melasma and I’m getting older and needed to start some sort of routine and this line is it
This isn’t a bad vitamin A, like it doesn’t break my face out, but it could definitely be better & more results driven. I didn’t notice any significant change, both positive & negative. I didn’t have any new breakouts from this, but it didn’t work as good as just a regular retinol.
Absolutely love this product. It makes my skin feel so good. I also love the smell. It smells like oranges and flowers. Love that it is make with natural ingredients as well. Would highly recommend this product.