It’s a serum showdown! We’re looking at two of ZO Skin Health’s most popular products — Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense — and when it comes to ZO skin care, you can’t beat the results of these two superstar serums. But which is the one for you?
From their unique ingredients, to the customer reviews, to the results you’ll get, this is your side-by-side guide to Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense.
Want to try one of these products? Skip straight to speaking with one of our Skin Experts in a free consultation:
Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:
- What is ZO Skin Health?
- What is Illuminating AOX Serum?
- What is Daily Power Defense?
- How are they different?
- What ingredients feature in Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense?
- Who would benefit from choosing Illuminating AOX Serum?
- Who would benefit from choosing Daily Power Defense?
- Can they work together?
- What do the reviews say?
- How much does Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense cost?
- Summary: Should I try Illuminating AOX Serum or Daily Power Defense?
What is ZO Skin Health?
As one of our most recommended ranges, we love to share the benefits of ZO Skin Health, known for using a high-percentage of active ingredients in their products to tackle skincare concerns. Our clients have seen fantastic results so it’s a great range to speak to your Skin Expert about if you think you could benefit from products that help with correcting sun damage, protecting against future environmental damage, addressing ageing skin, or many more skin concerns.
If you’re interested in their Daily Skincare Program (which includes Daily Power Defense) you can learn more on our YouTube channel.
Are you a returning client looking to re-purchase ZO Skin Health products? Easily place an order by completing our ZO order form to request a prescription.
What is Illuminating AOX Serum?
Illuminating AOX Serum is the newer serum in the ZO range. This concentrated antioxidant facial serum works to target the early signs of skin ageing such as fine lines and wrinkles, and it does this by promoting overall skin health while offering powerful protection against daily pollution and other environmental stressors that lead to skin ageing.
Results include:
- Noticeably fewer signs of ageing (such as fine lines and wrinkles)
- More hydrated skin
- A brighter complexion
- More luminous, youthful looking skin
- A smoother finish with fewer imperfections
- Long-term protection to keep skin looking healthy
Environmental stressors can damage our skin barrier, with oxidative stress accumulating over time, so this is a must-have product if you’re worried about skin damage.
What is Daily Power Defense?
This is consistently our best-selling skincare product! Daily Power Defense is a lightweight, antioxidant-rich serum formulated to support your skin’s health and function.
Results include:
- More hydrated, brighter skin
- Boosted collagen and cell renewal
- Protection against free-radical damage, oxidative stress and pollutants
- Improved skin texture by smoothing and softening fine lines and wrinkles
- A stronger skin barrier for long-term healthier skin
- A faster natural recovery system for your skin
This serum is unique in that it helps build skin tolerance to other products, so you can apply further active ingredients and reap the full benefits — a fantastic product to use in order to provide brilliant skin benefits while also boosting the effectiveness of the other products in your regime.
You can learn more about Daily Power Defense on our YouTube channel.
How are they different?
Great question. Both serums. Both incredibly popular. And both provide excellent yet similar results. The difference is Daily Power Defense is your go-to for repairing skin’s barrier function, restoring it to full health, and strengthening it, while Illuminating AOX Serum is more about protecting the skin’s barrier from future free-radical damage.
One is for rebuilding what’s currently missing from your skin, and the other is about protecting your skin going forward, so you can benefit from both rather than choosing one over the other.
Illuminating AOX Serum leaves a glowy, almost pearlescent finish that our clients absolutely love as it brightens their skin and provides a natural-looking glow. Since both serums contain antioxidants and provide barrier restoration, our Skin Experts tend to recommend that clients use AOX in the morning (for that glowy finish throughout the day!) and Daily Power Defense in the evening before bed.
What ingredients feature in Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense?
The ingredients in both these serums are what make them so powerful and effective.
This product contains a number of key ingredients, such as:
- ZOX12® complex — vitamins A, C and E to deliver 12 hours of antioxidant protection against free radicals
- ZO-RRS2® complex — plant stem cell complex to neutralise free radicals and soothe skin redness
- ZPOLY™ complex — plant stem cell complex providing antioxidant protection to neutralise inflammation
- Micrococcus lysate and arabidopsis thaliana extracts — specialised enzymes that encourage optimum cellular repair
- Micro minerals — offering a soft and subtle pearlescent sheen for skin glow
This product also contains a number of effective ingredients, such as:
- Ceramide 6 — supports the skin and protects the skin’s barrier function from damage
- Retinol — boosts collagen, helps with cell renewal, and evens out skin tone
- Ultrasomes and roxisomes — enzymes that activate and speed up repair of DNA damage
- Matrixyl 3000 — an anti-ageing ingredient targeting the dermal layer to stimulate collagen production and reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Vitamins A and E — antioxidant protection to fight against free radicals and protect against pollutants
Who would benefit from choosing Illuminating AOX Serum?
Illuminating AOX Serum is a great product for all skin types and will provide glowing skin with continued use, but particularly lacklustre or dry skin, or skin showing early signs of ageing will see the most benefit. Some clients have even mentioned they don’t need to apply makeup after using AOX Serum as it provides perfectly glowy skin without.
As with all products, if you have particularly sensitive skin you should speak to your Skin Expert before trying any new product.
Who would benefit from choosing Daily Power Defense?
Daily Power Defense is also suitable for all skin types, and is beneficial for different skin tones and textures too. Those looking for a product to help repair their skin barrier will find this to be particularly effective, and if you’re unsure whether this is something you need, your Skin Expert can discuss your specific skin goals.
Please note: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, your Skin Expert may recommend an alternative product as some ingredients have not been tested for safety during pregnancy/breastfeeding.
Do Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense work together?
Yes, in fact they are perfect together! Illuminating AOX Serum is designed to work in harmony with Daily Power Defense, so not only can you use them both together, this is often encouraged.
Your Skin Expert will recommend how to use both products, but in most cases you will use Daily Power Defense first, then Illuminating AOX Serum.
How do I incorporate both into my skincare routine?
Our Skin Experts often recommend using Illuminating AOX Serum in the morning for an all-day glow, and Daily Power Defense in the evening before bed. Your Skin Expert will advise the best order to use your products in to get the maximum benefits and best results.
As a general rule, for both serums you should cleanse your skin first, pat dry, then apply a small amount of your Illuminating AOX Serum to your fingertips, massaging it into your skin in circular motions avoiding the eye area. Remember to let the serum fully absorb into the skin for a few minutes before applying any makeup or other products, such as your SPF sun protection.
What do the reviews say?
We always strive to be honest and unbiased when sharing the information about our products, however in the case of these two products the reviews are overwhelmingly positive!
Illuminating AOX Serum has great reviews on our website, such as:
“This gives you that beautiful glow like no other product I’ve used. Glides onto the skin and does not leave any residue like products I’ve used in the past! I’m converted!” Yasemin E, Face Dr client
Daily Power Defense has more positive reviews, and we have had client feedback such as:
"This is by far my favourite skincare product. I have sensitive + dry skin and this cream is literally the only product I've ever tried that actually hydrates my skin without leaving it feeling sticky or oily (and I've tried allloooot of products). I highly recommend ordering yourself a bottle of this goodness!" Charlotte S, Face Dr client
How much does Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense cost?
While all of the ZO Skin Health products we stock are sold following RRP pricing, the UK distributor for all ZO Skin Health products prohibits any official ZO stockists (that’s us) from showing prices online, and this includes Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense.
To give you an idea of cost, our ZO serums are priced between £100 and £125.
If you come across ZO Skin Health products for sale with the price displayed online, these are most likely counterfeit or out of date products, or they may be being sold without authorisation from ZO Skin Health.
Summary: Should I try Illuminating AOX Serum and Daily Power Defense?
These serums provide fantastic results for our clients, and our Skin Experts love to recommend them as they’re effective on most skin types. However, it’s always best to chat with us on a video consultation so we can fully understand your skin needs and goals, and recommend the product that will offer you the best results. This could be Illuminating AOX Serum or Daily Power Defense, or it could be something else.
If you’re looking for amazing results that minimise signs of ageing, hydrate and brighten skin, boost collagen, protect against environmental damage, and strengthen your skin barrier, there are certainly benefits to be had with these products, either separately or individually — book a free consultation with one of our Skin Experts to see which one is for you.
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