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
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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!