Index / ZO Skin Health / ZO Skin Health
ZO Skin Health

ZO Skin Health.

ZO Skin Health

About this product

ZO Skin Health is a professional-grade skincare brand founded by dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi, formulated with active ingredients like retinol and exfoliants designed to address aging, sun damage, and uneven skin tone.

Best for

Mature skin

The Guru Index verdict

64%

Mixed

~Mixed · 64%
3Reviewers
1Approved
1Mixed
1Skip

What the gurus are saying

The gurus split on whether ZO's formulas justify the price, one found them unremarkable compared to cheaper alternatives, while another praised the retinol for not desensitizing skin as quickly as other formulations. However, experts agree the brand demands professional guidance; ZO's potent actives can trigger weeks of peeling and redness that pays off for those with significantly sun-damaged skin, but may be too aggressive for anyone whose skin already looks reasonably good. Anyone considering it should work with a skin professional who understands the full regimen, not use it alone.
Synthesized from 3 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

AHA

Full ingredients

Aqua/​Water/​Eau, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Palmitoyl Glycine, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Dimethicone, Panthenol, Lactose, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture, Lactis Proteinum/​Milk Protein/​Protéine Du Lait, Carbomer/​Papain Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Algin, Algin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Neopentyl Glycol Diisostearate, Lecithin, PEG-12 Glyceryl Laurate, PEG-35 Castor Oil, Panthenyl Triacetate, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alcohol Denat, Aminomethyl Propanol, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzalkonium Chloride, Fragrance/​Parfum, Farnesol, Farnesyl Acetate

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Skip
"I think Zo, for example, is a brand that I don't think is worth it because I don't think they really have any really interesting formulas. There's nothing special about these formulas and you can find much more worthwhile products over the counter for a much lower price point."
Approved
"If there's one that I sort of recommend in terms of retinol, I'd probably recommend this because this is not going to desensitize your skin as quickly as some of the other formulations. Definitely a brand that delivers results. But I would never use this brand by yourself. I would always have some professional skin professional to point you in the right direction because you need someone that knows skin to be able to say, well, stop this, use this, use this just once a day, alter it, or just stop using this altogether and replace it with this. It requires an innate knowledge of absolutely everything going on. I always say with ZO Skin Health you learn something new every day."
~Mixed
"Dr Obagi started the skin care line Obagi as well as ZO Skin Health. Dr Obagi always recommended a pretty aggressive approach to skin care. He recommended using tretinoin or Retin-A at the highest strengths, he recommended using prescription strength hydroquinone and aggressive physical exfoliators. If you get on the original Obagi formulas you can get dry flaking red inflamed skin, skin that literally looks like you are erupting, and that can persist for a couple of months. But the interesting thing with Obagi and his recommendations is you give it a few months of this skin that's just literally peeling off your face and red and irritated and it can really aggressively reverse the aging process. For people who have really sun damaged thick age skin being aggressive with skin care can create some very impressive results. But the problem is this type of aggressive skin care may be good if you've got really aged sun damaged skin but it can be actually not so good if you've got skin that already looks pretty good."
You might also like

Similar products worth a look.

Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Subscribe to the digest