Here at Face Dr, our team of skincare experts has decades of experience working with clients to clear up everything from acne to rosacea, wrinkles to hyperpigmentation. During our time in the skincare world, we’ve worked with plenty of brands and have learned a thing or two about which ones are the best out there. Looking for a free video skincare consultation with one of our experts? Tap the button below, or read on to find out more.
To help you make the right choice for you, we’re going to do a deep dive into some of the most popular skincare brands. In this article, we’ll look at two popular brands: ZO Skin Health and Medik8 and cover:
- What skincare problems they tackle
- What skin types they’re for
- What kind of products they have
- Where you can buy them
- The price
What is ZO Skin Health?
ZO Skin Health was founded by dermatologist Dr Zein Obagi. It uses cutting-edge science and a high-percentage of active ingredients to tackle skincare concerns. The brand’s “Get Skin Ready” philosophy promotes a simple three-step routine—cleanse, exfoliate, tone—that will treat concerns and keep skin clear and healthy. Beyond this, the brand has plenty of targeted treatments to tackle specific problems, which we’ll talk about soon.
What is Medik8?
Medik8 describes itself as an anti-ageing brand and experts in vitamin A, but they cover plenty of other skincare concerns, too. The brand was founded by Elliot Isaacs, who studied philosophy, pharmacology and biochemistry. He started Medik8 in the back of his dad’s pharmacy, and now it’s a world-renowned brand. The brand has its “CSA philosophy” — vitamin C, Sunscreen and vitamin A — three products which can help fight signs of ageing.
What skincare problems do they tackle?
ZO Skin Health
ZO’s medical-grade products tackle skincare concerns like:- Acne
- Lines, wrinkles and advanced signs of skin ageing
- Hyperpigmentation
- Inflammation
- Rosacea
- Sun damage
Medik8
Medik8 has products targeting a range of concerns like:- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Blemishes
- Hyperpigmentation
- Visible pores
- Redness
- Dry and dehydrated skin
What skin types are they for?
ZO Skin Health
ZO Skin Health has products for every skin type, even sensitive. There are dedicated products designed to boost hydration in dry skin, control oil and shininess in oily skin and balance combination skin.
Medik8
Medik8 also has products for all skin types, including dry, combination, oily and sensitive.
What kind of products do they have?
ZO Skin Health
ZO Skin Health stocks everyday essentials, like different types of cleansers and sunscreens. The brand also has a range of serums, exfoliating products, masks, night creams and eye creams. There are even some dedicated products for the body.Customer favourites include:
Medik8
Medik8 also has a range of everyday essentials, like cleansers and toners, plus plenty of products for mature skin, like retinol creams, vitamin C serums and—of course—sunscreen. There are also masks, exfoliators and treatments that target breakouts and blemishes. There are also dedicated products for the body.Customer favourites include:
Ready-made routines
ZO Skin Health
With ZO Skin Health, you can buy a ready-made collection of products to tackle concerns like ageing, acne and hyperpigmentation. There’s also a program with everyday essentials for those looking to simply look after their skin, rather than target a specific concern. A Skin Expert or professional can also advice a bespoke, tailored skincare regime that is perfect for your skin.
Medik8
Medik8 has a regime-builder on their website for those who want a ready-to-go collection of products and information on how to use them together. Choose from collections targeting concerns like wrinkles, oily skin and dehydration. You’ll get a list of products recommended to use in the morning and evening, and some specific products for eye area, too. This option is highly convenient, but may not be the best option if you would prefer professional advice and products with medical-grade ingredient concentrations.
Where can I buy them?
ZO Skin Health
As the products have a high percentage of active ingredients, you can't buy them online without a consultation or find them in general shops. So any you find online are likely counterfeit products! To get real ZO Skin Health products, you’ll need to speak with an approved stockist. These are usually medispas, dermatologists, doctors, aesthetic practitioners or online skincare clinics, like us at Face Dr.
Medik8
On the Medik8 website and other skincare websites such as Look Fantastic, Cult Beauty and Skin City.
What’s the price?
ZO Skin Health
ZO Skin Health products start from around £30, for the toner, and range to around £160 for their miracle anti-ageing serums.
Medik8
Medik8 products start from around £20, for daily cleansers, and range to around £200, for their most powerful anti-ageing serum.
Should I choose ZO Skin Health or Medik8?
That’s the million dollar question. If you have specific concerns, it can be easier as you can search both brands for a targeted product. For example, for those suffering from rosacea, ZO Skin Health has several products designed especially to cool, calm and heal redness that comes with this condition. If on the other hand, you’re concerned about visible pores, Medik8 has a specific section on their website for this, though ZO also has pore-refining products to reduce pore size and appearance.
Beyond this, it can be hard to decide on a brand if you’re simply looking for the best way to take care of your skin, or for a concern that they both cover, like ageing and hyperpigmentation. This is when speaking with an unbiased skincare professional can help.
While our experts agree that Medik8 is a trustworthy brand with some useful products, we recommend ZO Skin Health to our clients. This is because we’ve seen the great results first-hand that products from this brand can offer. We also know ZO has higher concentrations of powerful skincare ingredients that really do work.
Here at Face Dr, we offer free online skincare consultations. In a 30-minute video call, you can speak with one of our experts. They’ll analyse your skin, ask questions about your exact concerns and make recommendations for the best brands and products for you. Plus, we can help you put together the perfect skincare routine and answer any questions about when and how to use certain products. We only ever recommend products we know provide real results, so you can trust you’ll be investing in a worthwhile skincare routine. Plus, there’s never any obligation to buy anything, we’ll simply provide you with the best advice to take care of your skin.
