Mad Hippie Eye Cream Versus Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel

Mad Hippie Eye Cream Versus Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Niacinamide

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Panthenol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Glyceryl Stearate

Glycerin

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate

Stearyl Alcohol

Glycine Soja Protein

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein

Superoxide Dismutase

Ascorbic Acid

Squalane

Caffeine

Hesperidin

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Isopropyl Palmitate

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract

Microcrystalline Cellulose

Cellulose Gum

Tocopherol

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Phenethyl Alcohol

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

Xanthan Gum

Camellia Sinensis Extract

Citrus Aurantifolia Peel Extract

Ceramide NP

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Superoxide Dismutase, Ascorbic Acid, Squalane, Caffeine, Hesperidin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Isopropyl Palmitate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Tocopherol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia Peel Extract, Ceramide NP

Cyclopentasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Tapioca Starch

Methyl Gluceth-20 Benzoate

Dimethicone

Cyclohexasiloxane

Polysilicone-11

Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3

Phospholipids

Hyaluronic Acid

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Salix Alba Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Adenosine

Pisum Sativum Extract

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Dextran

Polysorbate 20

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Tapioca Starch, Methyl Gluceth-20 Benzoate, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Niacinamide, Phospholipids, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Panthenol, Salix Alba Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Adenosine, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Pisum Sativum Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Dextran, Polysorbate 20, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.

One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.

Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.

Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.

Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.

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.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

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.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a synthetic signal lipopeptide. This just means it is a three amino acid chain bolted onto a palmitic acid tail so it can slip through the skin's lipid barrier.

This peptide has a "build more, lose less" approach.

It's designed to mimic the collagen-stimulating activity in your skin by copying a snippet of one of your skin's own matrix proteins. This nudges fibroblasts into making more collagen while inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down skin protein.

The manufacturer's in vivo study of 45 volunteers found 1% and 2.5% reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 7% and 12% respectively, after using it twice daily for 84 days.

This is in the expected range for peptides; they're slow and cumulative actives and not overnight fixers.

Typical use levels range from 1-3% and this ingredient gets along with pretty much everything.

On the fungal acne front: Although palmitic acid sits in the chain length that Malassezia can feed on, this ingredient has it locked in an amine bond. This makes it hard for Malassezia to access as a source of food, and therefore fungal acne safe.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Sodium 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.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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!

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