ZO Skin Health routines are built in layers. A core daily sequence of cleansing and exfoliating comes first; serums, retinol and moisturizer are added on top, depending on what your skin needs. This guide maps the ZO products we carry to each step, compares the exfoliants and programs, and ends with a few simple places to start.
A ZO routine at a glance
| Step | Morning | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanse | Gentle Cleanser or Exfoliating Cleanser | The same cleanser; start with an oil-based cleanser if you wore heavy makeup or SPF |
| Tone (optional) | Calming Toner | Calming Toner |
| Exfoliate | — | Exfoliating Polish or Dual Action Scrub, two to three evenings a week |
| Pads | Complexion Renewal Pads, if you follow the Daily Skincare Program card | Complexion Renewal Pads, starting three evenings a week |
| Serums | Brightalive, Firming Serum | Brightalive, Firming Serum or Growth Factor Serum |
| Eyes | Growth Factor Eye Serum | Growth Factor Eye Serum |
| Retinol | — | Wrinkle + Texture Repair, for established retinol users |
| Moisturize | Hydrating Creme | Hydrating Creme or Renewal Creme |
| Protect | Broad-spectrum SPF | — |
Step 1: choose a cleanser
- ZO Gentle Cleanser: a sulfate-free foaming cleanser for all skin types, including skin that feels sensitive. It lifts away makeup, oil and daily buildup without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped.
- ZO Exfoliating Cleanser: a sulfate-free foaming cleanser with jojoba esters that gently buff the skin's surface and a low concentration of salicylic acid for the look of congested pores. It is made for combination and oily skin and gives more clarifying action than the Gentle Cleanser. It also comes in a travel size.
Massage onto damp skin for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse with lukewarm water. If you like a toner, ZO Calming Toner is alcohol-free and hydrating, for all skin types, swept over skin after cleansing, morning and evening.
Step 2: choose an exfoliant
Much of the ZO range sits here. The five options differ in format, strength and how often they are used.
| Exfoliant | What it is | How often | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complexion Renewal Pads | Pre-soaked textured pads with 2% salicylic acid, glycolic and mandelic acids, allantoin and aloe | Evenings, starting three times a week and increasing to nightly | Combination and oily, congestion-prone skin |
| Exfoliating Polish | Ultra-fine magnesium crystals with vitamins A, C, C-ester and E, mixed with water into a paste | Two to three times a week | All skin types, especially rough, dull or congested-looking texture |
| Dual Action Scrub | Uniformly milled beads with a low percentage of salicylic acid in a creamy base | Two to three evenings a week | Combination and oily skin with visible congestion, blackheads and dullness |
| Exfoliation Accelerator | Leave-on glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids in a buffered base, with niacinamide | Evenings, starting three times a week and increasing to nightly | Combination and oily skin; established users comfortable layering acids |
| 2% Salicylic Acid Pads | Single-swipe pads with 2% salicylic acid, an AHA blend and a calming botanical complex | Evenings, starting three times a week | Blemish-prone, congestion-prone skin |
Polish or scrub?
Both are massaged onto damp skin for 30 to 60 seconds, two to three times a week, then rinsed off. The Exfoliating Polish buffs with magnesium crystals and suits all skin types, including skin that feels sensitive when it is used in moderation. The Dual Action Scrub adds a low percentage of salicylic acid, which makes it the one for congested-looking pores.
When to move to the Exfoliation Accelerator
The leave-on Exfoliation Accelerator is the next step if your weekly exfoliation has plateaued, and it is made for established skincare users. For the first month, don't use it on the same evening as retinol. Whichever exfoliant you choose, follow with moisturizer, and wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every morning.
Step 3: add serums and retinol
- ZO Brightalive Skin Brightener: a retinol-free radiance serum with brightening botanicals and antioxidants that helps reduce the look of dullness and uneven skin tone. Use it morning and evening, under moisturizer and SPF.
- ZO Firming Serum: a featherweight peptide serum for the look of firmness along the jawline, cheeks and mid-face. It doesn't rely on retinol, so it works in the morning under SPF; in the evening, apply it before any retinol.
- ZO Growth Factor Serum: an evening serum with growth-factor ingredients, retinol and amino acids. Press one pump into clean skin. Because it contains retinol, alternate it with a separate retinol rather than using both on the same night.
- ZO Growth Factor Eye Serum: the eye-area version, with the ZPRO complex, peptides, hyaluronic acid and caffeine. Pat it around the orbital bone morning and evening.
- ZO Wrinkle + Texture Repair: a 0.5% retinol night cream for established retinol users. Start two to three nights a week, build up gradually and apply a hydrating moisturizer 10 to 15 minutes later. It isn't ideal as a first retinol.
Step 4: moisturize and protect
- ZO Hydrating Creme: the lighter daily moisturizer, for normal to combination skin. It layers under SPF and makeup without pilling and is the everyday moisturizer in most ZO regimens, especially in the morning.
- ZO Renewal Creme: a rich night moisturizer with ceramides, plant lipids and a multi-peptide complex, for mature, dry or dehydrated skin and for routines with retinol. Use it as the final evening step.
You can pair them: Hydrating Creme in the morning and Renewal Creme at night. Finish every morning with a broad-spectrum SPF; our sun protection shelf has mineral and tinted options.
ZO programs: a routine in one box
ZO programs bundle several products into one routine, and most come with a regimen card that sets out the morning and evening order.
| Program | What is inside | Made for |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Skincare Program | Gentle Cleanser, Exfoliating Polish, Complexion Renewal Pads and Daily Power Defense | Anyone new to ZO or to advanced skincare, and the look of early signs of aging; it leaves out the higher-strength retinols |
| Getting Skin Ready Kit | Travel sizes of Gentle Cleanser, Exfoliating Polish and Complexion Renewal Pads, lasting roughly four to six weeks | First-time ZO users, trial, travel and gifting |
| Aggressive Anti-Aging Program | Growth Factor Serum, a 0.5% retinol, Exfoliating Polish, Daily Power Defense, a cleanser and a moisturizer | Established skincare users with mature skin; not a first introduction to retinol |
| Skin Brightening Program (Non-Retinol) | Brightalive, Complexion Renewal Pads, Daily Power Defense, a cleanser and a moisturizer | A brighter, more even-looking tone without retinol |
| Skin Brightening Program + Texture Repair | Four coordinated steps, including a 0.5% retinol | Evening the look of tone and smoothing the look of surface texture |
| Skin Normalizing System | Exfoliating Cleanser, Exfoliating Polish, Complexion Renewal Pads and Oil Control Pads | Adult skin that is blemish-prone and congestion-prone |
The Daily Skincare Program card sets out the core sequence: in the morning, cleanse, swipe with the renewal pads, apply Daily Power Defense and finish with SPF; in the evening, cleanse, use the polish two to three times a week, then swipe with the renewal pads, adding a moisturizer as needed. The more intensive programs build on that sequence, and the Aggressive Anti-Aging Program asks you to build up gradually over the first four weeks before using all of its active products nightly.
Where to start
- New to ZO: the Daily Skincare Program, which sets up the core daily sequence that ZO's more advanced programs build on.
- Building your own routine: Gentle Cleanser, Complexion Renewal Pads and Hydrating Creme, plus a daily SPF.
- Combination or oily skin: Exfoliating Cleanser with the renewal pads and, two to three evenings a week, Dual Action Scrub.
- Dry or mature skin: add Renewal Creme at night.
- An established retinol user: add Wrinkle + Texture Repair in the evening.
Shop all ZO Skin Health, ZO serums, exfoliants and masks or kits and programs. For the general order of any routine, see how to layer skincare.
Related guides: retinol strengths explained, growth factor vs peptide serums and Colorescience sunscreens compared.