Mad Hippie Serums, Plus Vitamin C and Light Moisturizers

Mad Hippie Serums, Plus Vitamin C and Light Moisturizers

Mad hippie started with a couple who moved to Central America, surfed every day and watched the sun change their skin. These are the Mad Hippie serums, oils and creams I would start with, plus vitamin C serums and light moisturizers that sit well next to them.

Mad Hippie tells its story plainly. Sam and Dana Stewart were newlyweds who packed two suitcases and moved to Central America, where Sam found surfing and their skin started to show what hours in the equatorial sun do. They wanted naturally based skincare that was also effective, and the brand was born from that. The brand says it was founded in 2009, and I like that the catalog has stayed small and pointed.

The lead product is the Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum. The product page lists vitamin C as sodium ascorbyl phosphate, plus vitamin E, ferulic acid and hyaluronic acid, in a formula free of parabens, synthetic fragrance and dyes. The Super A Serum is the night one, with three retinoids and bakuchiol, and the page says to start every other night and wear sunscreen. The Corrective Peptide Serum is about peptides for pores, sagging and texture. The AHA + BHA Milk Serum uses glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids in a milky formula for smoother texture. The Antioxidant Facial Oil, with argan oil and sea buckthorn, is the last step when skin needs more. Then the Face Cream with peptides and CoQ10, the Eye Cream with peptides and Kakadu plum, and the Brightening Gel Moisturizer, an oil-free gel with ethyl ascorbic acid and niacinamide.

A quick test: add one new serum at a time and wait a week before the next. If your skin stays calm, you can layer the next one.

Big numbers collage for Mad Hippie: six products from Mad Hippie, innisfree and Youth To The People, each set beside a large numeral
Mad Hippie

Mad Hippie serums, oils and creams

Vitamin C serums, from gentle to strong

Vitamin C comes in a lot of forms, so this grid runs from gentle to strong. innisfree Rapid Vitamin C Serum pairs vitamins C and E and ferulic acid with a green tea enzyme and is made for dark spots and post-breakout marks. The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% is a lightweight water-based serum, and The Ordinary Multi-Antioxidant Radiance Serum adds ginseng for dull skin. Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C uses a stable form called THD ascorbate with a little glycolic acid. Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster is a 15 percent pure vitamin C serum. Medik8 C-Tetra Advanced 20% is a gel-serum with phyto exosomes. Skinfix Brighten + Firm is a 15 percent vitamin C serum that the brand says is accepted by the National Eczema Association. The Glow Super Brightening Serum with Vitamin C + Vitamin E is a fragrance free option that promotes radiance.

How to use it: apply vitamin C in the morning on clean skin, let it sink in, then moisturizer and sunscreen.

What I would skip: stacking a high percentage vitamin C with a retinoid or an acid in the same routine. Use vitamin C in the morning and keep the night for something like Super A.

Vitamin C serums

Light creams for daily wear

After a serum, a light moisturizer does the boring and useful work. Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip is a lightweight gel moisturizer with hyaluronic acid for a dewy glow. LANEIGE Balance Mode Shine Control is a lightweight, noncomedogenic lotion for oily skin with niacinamide. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan is a clear oil-free gel. For sensitive or redness-prone skin, AESTURA A-CICA365 is a fragrance free gel cream with centella and panthenol, and AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 Lightweight Face Lotion has ceramides and niacinamide. Sincerely Yours So Soft is a fragrance free lightweight cream with hyaluronic acid, ceramides and niacinamide. ILIA The Base Face Milk is a milky moisturizer that layers under makeup, and Summer Fridays Cloud Dew is a fragrance free gel cream with coconut water and three forms of hyaluronic acid.

A pairing tip: if you use the Mad Hippie Brightening Gel Moisturizer in the morning, pick a richer cream from this grid for the evening so your routine has a light layer and a comfort layer.

What I would skip: a heavy cream over an oil, then another cream on top. Two moisturizers usually cancel each other out and feel sticky.

Light daily moisturizers

Building a short routine

A short routine beats a long one you do not use. Morning: cleanser, a vitamin C serum, a light moisturizer, sunscreen. Night: cleanser, one treatment such as a retinoid serum or a peptide serum, then a moisturizer that suits your skin type. Keep acids to a couple of nights a week and put the oil last. Mad Hippie started from the idea that you should not have to pick between clean ingredients and results, and I think the same goes for your shelf. Choose a few formulas, use them for a month, and keep the ones your skin likes.