If I had to pick a skin care company that I think will be a $100MÂ dollar company within ten years, it would be Mad Hippie.
I’m not kidding.
In a day and age where more 19-to-34-year-olds are receiving financial assistance from their parents than being financially independent (Pew Social Trends, 2012), there’s a grave need for well-branded, high-performance skin care packed with proven ingredients under $40 or $50 a bottle. A few brands try, but most of them depend on just one pivotal ingredient, like retinol, and then stuff every single one of their products with it, so no one gets the benefit of any variety from many other inexpensive lines.
Enter Mad Hippie. Their vitamin A serum has the newest form of retinol, retinyl retinoate, which has been shown to be stronger than retinol, ounce for ounce. And now their Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum ($34.99, MadHippie.com) has bowled me over with two alpha hydroxy acids in high concentration (glycolic acid and lactic acid), vitamin C, niacinamide, apple stem cells, sodium hyaluronate, and more.  This serum is great for treating and preventing fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, skin roughness, and skin dryness. It’s recommended for all but the most oily and acne-prone of skin types.
Glycolic Acid May Fight Fine Lines and Wrinkles and Firm Skin
Glycolic acid has been shown to smooth the skin, quicken the rate of cell turnover (which is reduced by up to 7% every ten years), decrease small wrinkles and increase collagen production (Dermatologic Surgery).
As the smallest of the alpha hydroxy acids, glycolic acid penetrates the skin well. In a thin formulation like Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum, you’re getting double the benefit, as glycolic acid will get into the skin quite deep and hence work for a rather long time.
I’ve seen treatments that have offered 15% glycolic acid and not much else for well over $80. Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum has a high concentration of glycolic acid and a ton of other ingredients and costs less than $40. (Can I get a hip, hip, hurray?)
Believe it or not, glycolic acid is not drying. It gets this reputation because, at concentrations over 30%, it can be irritating and make you look like a lobster. But at lower concentrations, glycolic acid functions as both a moisturizer and an exfoliator, increasing the skin’s production of hyaluronic acid, which can hold 1000 times its weight in water (Skin Therapy Letter).
Lactic Acid Fights Fine Lines and Wrinkles and Hydrates
Lactic acid, like glycolic acid, is an AHA.
Lactic acid is bigger than glycolic acid, so it does not penetrate the skin as well as glycolic acid. In turn, lactic acid has been shown not to improve skin firmness nearly as well as glycolic acid with regular use over time (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology).
However, lactic acid is still included in Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum because it has been shown in studies to improve fine lines, wrinkles, and skin roughness over time. Lactic acid is also even more hydrating than glycolic acid: Though glycolic acid stimulates sodium hyaluronate production in the skin, lactic acid is the main ingredient in one of the only prescription drugs FDA approved for dry skin, LacHydrin.
Vitamin C as Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum also contains vitamin C as sodium ascorbyl phosphate.
There are so many different derivatives of vitamin C out there. I even wrote a post about this a few years back.
The take-home points from sodium ascorbyl phosphate are chiefly positive. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate is amongst the most stable of vitamin C forms out there, beating out even ascorbyl palmitate in at least one study (International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2001). This means that you don’t have to worry about light, heat, and air hitting Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum as much as, say, a pure L-ascorbic acid or ascorbyl palmitate serum.
Further good news? Sodium ascorbyl phosphate may boost UVA protection, similar to L-ascorbic acid (Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2001).
Yet, while I think vitamin C is a great addition to Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum, it’s not the reason I would keep buying or recommending the serum. (And no, I am not saying this just because I manufacture one; I recommend several different brands!) Instead, I would buy Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum for mainly nighttime use or exfoliating purposes, and keep the vitamin C in it as an extra bonus.
Niacinamide is a “Does It All” Wonder
I’m a huge fan of niacinamide. After a bath or shower, one of my favorite things to do is to slather on a niacinamide-rich serum or cream.
In the case of Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum, niacinamide rounds out the anti-aging trifecta: It reduces fine lines and wrinkles, takes down hyperpigmented spots and blotchiness, and increases skin elasticity (Bissett et. al.,)
Though niacinamide has been shown to have mild effects against acne, I still recommend this product only for persons with normal, dry, or very dry skin — not recommending it at all for the oily to acne-prone. I mean, a published study in the International Journal of Dermatology found that 2% niacinamide was more effective than petrolatum in hydrating the skin, so that’s saying something.
What if the Product Makes You Break Out?
Here are a few questions: Do you exfoliate regularly (at least once a week)? Do you use products with retinoids? What about other AHA treatments? Do you get facials? Do you use a facial steamer?
If your answer to all of these is no, then Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum may temporarily make you break out. Most of us have excess oils, dirt and debris lodged deep within our skin. Unless we’re purging it out regularly, exposing our skin to a concentrated product like Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum may make you temporarily break out.
That said, once you get the gunk out, you’re likely to have smoother, firmer, and brighter skin than ever before. But you may go through a rough period, roughly after 2-4 applications.
How to Incorporate the Product Into Your Regimen
As with any concentrated product, start with once/week and gradually work up.
I use Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum at night on Sundays instead of a retinoid.
Personal Use and Opinions
Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum is a medium-thick, cream-colored serum. It has a mild scent, like if you were smelling a bouquet of wildflowers and a little bit of rubbing alcohol (which is product does not have) at the same time.  After it absorbs, it doesn’t smell much at all.
It absorbs into the skin fairly well, feeling a little bit tacky on the skin for about a minute, but then drying to a smooth and clear finish.
I recommend Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum for nightly use once or twice a week to start, and gradually working up to nightly use, only if you do not already use a retinoid or retinol-containing product.
Bottom Line
In a world where it’s hard to find a product with a high concentration of proven ingredients from a quality brand you can trust for under $50, Mad Hippie has done it with their Mad Hippie Exfoliating Serum. Definitely a must-buy for everyone with normal, normal/dry, and dry skin who is looking for a boost!
Water, Glycolic Acid, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Vitamin B5 (Panthenol), Lactic Acid, Matrixyl Synthe ‘ 6 (Glycerin-Water(Aqua)– Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin–Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Potassium Hydroxide, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, White Tea Extract (Camelia Sinensis), Goji Berry Extract (Lycium Barbarum), Polysorbate 20, Xantham Gum, PhytocellTec (Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Xanthan Gum, Glycerin, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Water), Gigawhite (Water, Glycerin, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Veronica Officinalis Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract), Methyl Cellulose, Glycerin, Melatonin, Caffeine, Biotin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ceramide 3, Squalene, Behentrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Potassium Citrate
A special thanks to Mad Hippie for collaborating with me on this post. For more, visit Mad Hippie.com.