Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Mad Hippie Corrective Peptide Serum Versus Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum

Mad Hippie Corrective Peptide Serum Versus Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Ceramide NP to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier. This anti-aging serum is formulat

Mad Hippie Corrective Peptide Serum Versus Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Ceramide NP to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract

Propanediol

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2

Sodium Hyaluronate

Apium Graveolens Seed Extract

Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide

Squalane

Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract

Sorbitan Trioleate

Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose

Polyglucuronic Acid

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-22

Avena Sativa Meal Extract

Phenethyl Alcohol

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Stearyl Alcohol

Polyglutamic Acid

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Lecithin

Ceramide NP

Tocopherol

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Propanediol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Sodium Hyaluronate, Apium Graveolens Seed Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Squalane, Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Sorbitan Trioleate, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polyglucuronic Acid, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-22, Avena Sativa Meal Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyglutamic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Lecithin, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate

Panthenol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Dicaprylyl Ether

Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate

Tetrapeptide-21

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14

Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate

Saccharide Isomerate

Allantoin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Tapioca Starch

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer

Polyvinyl Alcohol

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Hydroxide

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Tetrapeptide-21, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Saccharide Isomerate, Allantoin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tapioca Starch, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

This ingredient is used in skincare as a delivery system.

It works by "encapsulating" active ingredients with its unique ring shape that is water-loving on the outside and oil-loving on the inside. This improves the stability and absorption of the product into the skin.

According to a manufacturer, it also offer some moisturizing effects.

This synthetic, signal peptide has unique skin conditioning properties in that is a matrikine-mimetic compound.

First of all, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is a signal peptide; signal peptides tell the body to create more collagen.

What is a matrikine-mimetic compound?

This peptide has the ability to mimic matrikines in skin. Our skin created matrikines by breaking down matrix proteins into peptides.

Matrikines play a role in:

Though further research is needed, this ingredient seems pretty promising. In one study, women over the age of 40 with visible photoaging used a vitamin C serum with this ingredient for 56 days (15% ascorbid acid, 5 ppm palmitoyl tripeptide‐38). The results found improvement in skin roughness and skin tone.

This peptide is also part of the famous Matrixyl synthe’6, a blend of ingredients that also includes glycerin, water, and hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin.

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is the potassium salt of a mixture. This mixture consists of the esters from phosphoricacid and cetyl alcohol.

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier and cleansing agent. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

As a cleansing agent, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate helps gather oils, dirts, and pollutants from your skin. This makes it easier to rinse them away with water.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
  4. 04Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
  5. 05Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
  6. 06Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
  7. 07The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure …
  8. 08Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
  9. 09Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
  10. 10Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
  11. 11Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
  12. 12Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
  13. 13This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
  14. 14Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
  15. 15Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
  16. 16Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
  17. 17It’s often used to:
  18. 18Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
  19. 19Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
  20. 20In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Mad Hippie Corrective Peptide Serum

Mad Hippie Corrective Peptide Serum Ingredients in Mad Hippie Corrective Peptide Serum explained: benefits, concerns, and detailed analysis of 30 ingredients including Water, Glycerin, and …

Source: skinsort.comView reference →

Product

Eie Klotho Peptide Serum

Eie Klotho Peptide Serum Eie Klotho Peptide Serum ingredients explained: Aqua, Phosphate Buffered Saline, Propanediol, Glycerin, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Ethylhe…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

Waylab Elevate Peptide Serum

Waylab Elevate Peptide Serum Waylab Elevate Peptide Serum ingredients explained: Water, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2- Hexanediol, Ac…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side