Alpha Lipoic Acid - not an AHA but an antioxidant, from beautypedia:
Enzyme that, when applied topically on skin, appears to be a very good antioxidant. Taken internally, alpha lipoic acid is a water- and fat-soluble antioxidant that is capable of regenerating other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E. It is also believed to exert numerous soothing effects.
While studies of alpha lipoic acid do exist, few of them were carried out on people, and none were double-blind in an attempt to evaluate its effects on signs of aging.
It’s clear from the research that alpha lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant, but it isn’t the only one; there are lots of great antioxidants, whether in the form of food, supplements, or applied topically to skin. Note that alpha lipoic acid is extremely vulnerable to degradation by sunlight. Last, higher concentrations of alpha lipoic acid (5% or greater) are capable of causing a burning or stinging sensation on skin.
Argireline is apparently 'botox in a jar', a peptide that helps with wrinkles by relaxing the muscles but the jury is out on it a bit, from Truth in Aging:
Most of us know that Argireline prevents the formation of expression wrinkles by somehow inhibiting muscle movement. For this reason, it is sometimes called Botox in a jar. But, in fact, they work very differently. First a 101 on what happens when you frown.
So, here’s how a muscle contracts. A super lipid (called a vesicle) releases a neurotransmitter to the synapses, sending a signal for the muscle to move. Three proteins, called the SNARE complex, are essential for the final stages of this process (called exocytosis). Got that? Now, here's where acetyl hexapeptide-3 comes in.
Argireline is made by Lipotec (based in Barcelona, Spain). Lipotec discovered that acetyl hexapeptide mimics one of the proteins in the SNARE complex and as a result can destabilize it. Even a slightly destabilized SNARE won’t work. No SNARE equals no muscle movement. No frowning equals no wrinkles (although there are many other ways that wrinkles are caused of course).
Lipotec does not claim that Argireline works in any other way, such as boosting collagen or repairing skin. As you would expect, Lipotec claims that simply ensnaring SNARE is enough to have an impact on wrinkles. Lipotec’s studies were based on a 5% Argireline) and female volunteers. Wrinkles around the eyes decreased up to 17% after 15 days of treatment and up to 27% after 30 days of treatment. The only independent study that I have found was conducted by a Spanish university and published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science that says that a 10% concentration of Argireline reduced wrinkles by 30% over 30 days.
There are fears that Argireline will make your skin sag with long term use. I haven't found any explicit evidence of this and I think the rumors are flying around because of a misunderstanding of the way that Argireline and the other Botox in a jar formulas) work. A rumor that has been perpetuated, if not started, Cosmetic Cop, who said: If all the muscles in your face were relaxed you’d have sagging, not youthful, skin, not to mention that it also would affect your hand (you apply it with your fingers), which would prevent you from picking up a cup or holding the steering wheel of your car.
This definition that they are muscle relaxers, as we have just seen, is not true. They prevent muscles from contracting rather than causing them to relax. Quite a different thing.
Nonetheless, my position is that I would never choose a potion because it has Argireline in it. If manufacturers think that it is so fashionable these days that they can't avoid it, that's fine. But I'll be looking for collagen builders and preventers of structural aging such as Matrixyl 3000 or the more recent Teprenone.
So at 10% it may actually be interesting but as an ingredient simply added in somewhere not so much... so promising. It appears to be a quick fix ingredient but whether it works long term is another question.