Julie B Campbell

ZENMED Skin Care Product Reviews (Used on Rosacea-Prone Skin)

Zenmed Skin Care Products for Rosacea - Rosy JulieBCHi Rosy Friends! Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of trying a huuuuge number of ZENMED products.  In fact, I’ve tried so many that I started this blog post in March 2018 and now it’s already halfway through June, and I’m just getting it finished (including rewriting this introduction, of course, because the original was completely out of date).

I’m going to do my best to keep this concise because the products are fascinating, so I’ll be tempted to go on and on.  I’ve already done quite a few YouTube videos on my channel, but I thought it might be nice to have all the info here in one place. Here goes!

What is ZENMED?

I could do an entire blog post just on what this company stands for, but here are the points I found the most fascinating about them.  These are the reasons I find the brand appealing and that explain why I was happy to give so many ZENMED products a try.

  • Since getting started in 1999, all ZENMED products have been 100% doctor-formulated.
  • Each product is based on meticulously selected, pharmaceutical-grade natural ingredients combined with essential oils, vitamins and minerals.
  • This company focuses on gentle, realistic, and practical skin care for troubled skin (rosacea, acne, scarring, spider veins, stretch marks, delicate, sensitive and even sensitive baby skin).
  • They have a keep-it-simple attitude that recommends the use of fewer products, not more, when possible.
  • All products are 100% sulfate-free, paraben-free, synthetic fragrance-free, irritant-free, dye-free,  and steroid-free.
  • They produce their products in the smallest possible batches to ensure the maximum freshness and shelf-life.
  • They have a rewards program when you shop directly from their website but they do not auto-ship, which is awesome because some of those programs are notoriously difficult to stop.
  • All products are cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, and vegetarian-friendly. Packaging is minimal (no outer box with a tube inside, it’s just the tube) and 100% recyclable. The company is on both PETA’s and Leaping Bunny’s Approved Sellers list.
  • They don’t just sell products but also provide useful information about certain skin conditions, including helpful care tips.

On to the products I tried!

ZENMED Gentle Cleansing Cream Review

The first thing I’d like to say about the Gentle Cleansing Cream is that it lasts a shockingly long time.  I used my bottle of it for at least 3 months, if not more, and I am a regular face-washer. I am not a slacker when it comes to my facial skin care routine.

I love the pump bottle.  One pump dispensed the perfect amount. It made the cleanser easy to use both next to my sink and in my shower. The cream cleanser itself was very gentle and non-irritating.  I felt like my skin was getting clean without being stripped of its healthy natural oil base. It didn’t do much to remove makeup, but most cleansers aren’t so that isn’t a failing in my opinion.  I enjoyed this gentle cleanser.

ZENMED Nutrient Boost Spray Review

I wasn’t sure what to think of this product.  It was a nice cooling mist for my skin, but I didn’t notice any difference after using it. I’m not sure what results I was supposed to experience.  It was meant to cool things down during flushes, flare-ups, hot flashes and after sun exposure.  Initially, I didn’t notice much from it.  I completed the product without really experiencing any difference from it.  It was nice and cooling when my skin was hot, but I didn’t notice much of a difference between misting with this product or just misting with water.

Oil Free Moisturizer with SPF 30 Review

This is the ZENMED sun protection moisturizer meant for people who have oily or acne-prone skin.  My skin is desert-dry and rosacea-prone, so it wasn’t exactly meant for my skin type.  Still, I was happy to try it out.  I noticed that my cheeks were more pink while I used this product.  Don’t think this was  because this moisturizer irritated my skin.  Instead, think it just wasn’t moisturizing enough for me.

That said, after giving it a try, I handed it over to my best friend, who has adult acne and oily skin.  She absolutely loves it.  It’s her go-to sunscreen for her face and since a little bit goes a long way, she’s still using it (and the expiry date hasn’t passed yet).  It works perfectly for her, doesn’t cause break-outs, and doesn’t make her skin any oilier than it would naturally be.  It may not have been right for my skin type, but it looks like a fantastic product for the people it was designed for!

Skin Protecting Lotion with SPF 30 Review

This moisturizer was far more appropriate for my skin type.  I love that it is mineral-based and not chemical-based.  It works fantastically for sensitive and reactive skin.  It was ideal for my skin, and it even sat well under makeup.  I used it every day for about two months.  Unfortunately, the expiry date for the product was only about two months after I received it so, despite the fact that only a little bit is needed, and a bottle lasts a long time, it passed its expiry before I’d used it up.
Still, during the whole time I used it, I was a huge fan of it.  I love the way it looked and felt.  It didn’t smell bad.  It left my skin hydrated and protected.  I didn’t get any sunburns, and it didn’t cause any rosacea flare-ups or adverse reactions. Great sunscreen!

ZENMED Organic Cream Exfoliator Review

I am very picky about the type of exfoliators I will use.  People with rosacea are typically discouraged from using exfoliating products because, by their very nature, exfoliators irritate the skin.  Even the gentle ones work as a type of abrasive to essentially scratch off dead skin cells and other unwanted surface-level nonsense.

That said, I love exfoliating. I don’t do it much anymore because of the aforementioned reasons.  However, I do like to have an exfoliating product so that I can use it once a month (it used to be once per week, so I’ve improved), suuuper gently. So far, I’ve come across 2 exfoliating products that have passed all my tests for use, including everything from the right ingredients, to being plastic micro-bead-free (this one contains jojoba micro-spheres) and just reacting well with my skin.  ZENMED’s Organic Cream Exfoliator is one of those products.  I love it.  I still use this product.

There are just enough little natural beads to do the trick, and the more gently I use it, the better the job it does without irritating at the same time.  Really, no pressure is needed.  It leaves my skin feeling fully hydrated.  While I don’t recommend exfoliating if you have rosacea, if you’re like me and you go against that good advice, this is a nice product to use.

ZENMED Anti-Redness Mask Review

This is a FANTASTIC mask. I absolutely love it.  I save it for days when I really want to treat myself.  It feels wonderful when it’s on, and my skin feels terrific once I wash it off.
When this gel mask is on the skin, it is cooling, calming, and perfect.  It’s ideal for summer days when the heat is far too much for my skin. It’s lovely for winters when my face has been whipped by cold and wind . I think of this as a perfect step in my home spa sessions.  I even find that it helps to keep my face cooler if I take a bath (especially if I combine it with one of those cooling eye mask thingies that you put in the freezer first).
If you ever do try it, I will caution you that it is quite fluid.  I thought it would be much thicker because it is in a tube package.  All the other ZENMED products I’d received in tubes were pretty thick, like creams.  This one will come rushing out the dispensing hole if you hold it upside down, and a whole lot of it will spill down the sink if you don’t have your hand ready…not that this happened to me…nooooo.  Please be aware that it is a liquid product even though it’s sold in a tube.  That will save you the heartbreak of wasting this gorgeous, fantastic, lovely face mask!

ZENMED B5 Hyaluronic Plumping Serum Review

Anti-aging products and my rosacea-prone skin don’t usually get along.  That said, this serum didn’t seem to cause any adverse effects.  I used this hyaluronic serum without any struggles at all.  No redness or irritation .
That said, even after patting it into my skin and neck for several days and nights, I didn’t really notice an observable difference.  I’m not sure what I was supposed to be able to see.  Maybe it’s that I don’t really pay that much attention to things like wrinkles on my skin (yet!!!).  I’m so focused on my rosacea symptoms that I’m not obsessing over fine lines quite yet. As a result, it could have been having a beautiful effect that I didn’t even notice.
Still, I liked using this product. It seemed to be very gentle and hydrating.  It certainly didn’t cause any unpleasantness and, since hyaluronic acid is such a hyped ingredient right now, it felt really cool to test it out.

ZENMED Support Serum Review

The Support Serum came in a neat little pump bottle. I really like the way this design dispenses the perfect amount. I also like that it locks easily so that it won’t make a mess if I bring it with me when I travel.  I don’t like that a little touch of it gets dried up during the day between uses so it makes one of those little hard bits at the start of each use.  However, that was far from a deal- breaker, particularly when considering how much I absolutely loved this product and its effects.
I used this overnight every night for quite some time (in fact, I still have a lot left even after regular use, and I’m still using it at the time I’m writing this blog).  The ingredients are fantastic. It is refreshing smelling. It is cooling and soothing and, by the next morning, it takes down the look of the redness on my face. It didn’t erase it, but I noticed a difference.  I didn’t have a flare-up while using this product, so I couldn’t test it that way. However, it has reduced the look of my permanent redness that never goes away (due to 15 years of damage and skin mistreatment).
This worked well with my light therapy and with the rest of my usual skin care.  I will definitely buy this once it runs out.  It makes a difference for me, and I want to keep using it.

ZENMED AVT Cream Review

This is a gorgeous thick cream.  I loved using the AVT Cream and feel that it thoroughly hydrated my skin. It is meant for daytime and nighttime use.  For me, it was absolutely perfect for nighttime.  It’s summer right now, so I found it too heavy for the daytime.  If I wasn’t going out but was just working from home, it was just fine to use in the daytime.  However, in the summer, it was too heavy to use in combination with other products such as sunscreen and/or makeup.
I’m considering purchasing this product again during the winter to give it another shot. I’m under the impression that I will love it during the winter because I need an exceptionally heavy face cream during the colder months.  For the summer, though, it left too much of a layer behind.

ZENMED Essential Eye Serum Review

The Essential Eye Serum feels very nice when applied.  I loved using it in the evening the most, even though I also used it in the morning (as per the instructions).  It was cooling and refreshing and didn’t irritate any of the rosacea-prone skin in the surrounding area.

Overall, I enjoyed using this product. I liked the feeling of it.  However, I did find its texture a bit on the strange side.  It was thick.  Very thick.  Thick enough that when I withdrew the dropper from the bottle, it left a hole behind that took so long to refill that it didn’t move while I waited.  Though this didn’t make it any less pleasant to apply to my face (in fact, it made it easier to dispense the perfect amount from the dropper onto my finger), once I’d used about half the bottle, it made it quite difficult to fill the dropper.  It’s a glass bottle with a small opening, so there isn’t a huge amount of maneuverability and, since there’s an empty hole where the dropper naturally enters the bottle, it took a lot of crafty dropper use to try to get enough of the product to use it. I’ll likely use a tiny spatula or toothpick to access the last quarter of the bottle.

I’m not entirely sure if it worked to reduce under-eye circles on me.  I have chronic insomnia, so I’m likely not an ideal person to test that sort of product, particularly because I’m obsessed with my facial redness far more than shadows and fine lines.  Perhaps it was working wonderfully and I didn’t notice.  What I do know is that it felt very refreshing and cooling, and I felt like I was doing something good for my skin to avoid future unwanted sagging and bagging.

Having tried all these amazing products, I can easily say that ZENMED is among my favorite skin care brands.  I love how responsible they are to customer, ethical and environmental needs. Some of their products have easily joined my all-time favourites.
Big thanks once again to the team at ZENMED for sending me these products to try.  I’m definitely hooked and consider myself a loyal customer.

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