Versus

Mad Hippie Vitamin A serum Versus Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment - US

Serum
Facial Treatment
American Brand United States
American Brand United States

Updated on June 28, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe . They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and retinoid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain oils

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
1% Retinol Treatment

Water

Skin Conditioning

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Isononyl Isononanoate

Emollient

Castor Isostearate Succinate

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Antimicrobial

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

PEG-33

Humectant

Polysorbate 20

Emulsifying
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Behenyl Alcohol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

PEG-100 Stearate

0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Emollient
2 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Silicon Icon

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Retinol

Skin Conditioning
Retinoid IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Ceramide Ng

Skin Conditioning
Ceramide IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid Icon

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Humectant
Helps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Bleaching
Good for Dark Spots Icon

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconAntioxidant IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Arctium Lappa Seed Oil

Emollient
Oil Icon

Salix Alba Extract

Skin Conditioning

Glycine Soja Sterols

Emollient
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Lecithin

Emollient

Allantoin

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant Icon

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein

Humectant

Sorbitan Laurate

Emulsifying
1-2 / 1-2 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Disodium EDTA

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Emulsion Stabilising

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sodium Hydroxide

Buffering

Tribehenin

Emollient
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning

PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides

Emulsifying
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer

Emollient

PEG-10 Phytosterol

Emulsifying

PEG-8 Dimethicone

Emulsifying
Silicon Icon

PEG-14

Humectant

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Absorbent
0 / 0

Arachidyl Glucoside

Emulsifying

Arachidyl Alcohol

Emollient

Sclerotium Gum

Emulsion Stabilising

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Benzoic Acid

Masking
Preservative IconMay worsen Eczema Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

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

Learn more about Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

When to use

59 Routines
7% use in am
93% use in pm
76% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
418 Routines
8% use in am
92% use in pm
64% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Mad Hippie Vitamin A serum 19 ingredients

Vitamin A serum hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment 53 ingredients

4.5 /5
from 4 ratings
Ninamujer's avatar

Nina

1 year ago
Review

Love it
My favorite retinol. Been using it for a year and never had any bad reactions (be sure to follow instructions like starting slow). It's a bit pricey but worth it