When I first heard of the ZIIP Facial Toning Device, a pricey handheld microcurrent device that sends electric currents through your face in the name of tighter and dewier skin, my inner skeptic scoffed. In a beauty market saturated with miracle products that purport to clear, plump and tone your face to perfection, gimmicks are commonplace and often difficult to weed out from the truly effective. However, upon reading up on the high-tech novelty and discovering that Melanie Simon—esthetician to the stars and founder of Melanie Simon Skincare—is the mind behind it, I decided to give the device a fair shot. After all, Simon has pore-less, glassy skin that most only dream of attaining — if anything could bring me closer to a Simon-level face, I was down to try it.

Simon’s passion for skincare was spurred after she observed her sister conduct a science experiment on nectarines: over the course of a month, she moisturized six peaches using six different products. The winner? Humble and unassuming Lubriderm, Simon told The Cut. After attaining her aesthetician’s license years later, Simon was introduced to famed French spa Biologique Recherche and its Remodeling Face treatment, which uses four types of electrical currents to increase product absorption, lift and revitalize the skin. Instantly fascinated, Simon began conducting her own research on the dermatological benefits of electricity. Eventually, she learned that currents on the lower end of the electrical spectrum — specifically microcurrents and nanocurrents — mimic the body’s own bio-electricity and increase levels of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.

So what exactly is ATP and what does it have to do with the ZIIP’s promise of a younger-looking face? Read on for our review of the ZIIP GX (now replaced with the ZIIP Halo, a more comprehensive device with advanced technology),, as well as its results after three weeks of regular use.

What is ATP, and How Does it Affect Our Faces?

On a very basic level, ATP is a chemical compound responsible for converting everything we consume into usable energy. It’s also an essential driving force of cellular processes such as the production of lipids and proteins, collagen and elastin included. (In case you forgot, collagen is the main structural protein making up connective tissue, including skin and cartilage, and fellow protein elastin is responsible for the resilience and structure of skin.)

Your body cannot store unused ATP, and therefore, the effects of ZIIP are cumulative, becoming apparent after regular use. 

By kicking ATP production into overdrive on a weekly basis, the ZIIP electrical face toner encourages your body to produce all the collagen and elastin it needs.

How Does ZIIP Work? - The Science Behind The Electrical Face Treatment

Electrotherapy has been used in skincare since the ’70s, to tighten muscles, treat cellulite and flush excess fluid from cells. Most electrotherapy falls under four main treatment types: Faradic, Galvanic, high frequency and microcurrent. 

The ZIIP specifically uses microcurrents to stimulate ATP production. In fact, the ZIIP’s special cocktail of nano and microcurrents can increase ATP levels up to 500 percent.

Besides firming and wrinkle-busting effects resulting from the ZIIP’s stimulation of collagen and elastin production, the device also aids in lymphatic drainage, provides spot treatment of acne and curbs the production of pigment responsible for dark spots. 

Users can target specific worries — such as breakouts or puffiness — with a menu of 10 different treatments, which you sync to your ZIIP through an accompanying app, downloadable on both Apple and Android devices. Users can then follow along to in-app videos of Simon herself performing each treatment. Your electrical face lift experience couldn’t be simpler!

How to Use ZIIP

The ZIIP GX tested in this review is no longer available - it has since been replaced with an upgraded device, the ZIIP HALO. 

The ZIIP HALO operates exactly the same, the only difference being within the technology, bringing Dual Waveform Technology, using a range of waveforms and intensities. 

The ZIIP’s high-tech mode of operation entails a bit of a learning curve. For first-time users, a quick read of the user guide is essential to ensure both safety (please don’t place the device in water) and proper use. 

For the most part, each treatment’s demonstration video is straightforward and easy to follow along with. 

However, I found myself falling behind Simon’s demonstration during my first few uses, mainly because I hadn’t applied enough conductive gel and wasn’t checking to see if the device’s light (an indicator of whether it’s actively conducting) was on. 

If you find that the device isn’t lighting up when placed on the skin, pause the video and apply more conductive gel. The device will start back up at the stage of the treatment where it left off.

Does ZIIP Work? - The Results of My Electrical Facial

I’ve been using the ZIIP Microcurrent Device  for a little over three weeks and so far, I have no complaints. 

As promised, I’ve noticed both immediate and cumulative effects, mainly clearer and tighter skin. 

To be fair, my skin wasn’t particularly problematic to begin with. I get the occasional breakout and suffer from dry skin during the winter, but wrinkles and serious dark spots were not pre-existing problems of mine.

That being said, the ZIIP’s spot treatment mode, Total Clearing, works wonders overnight. 

The treatment programs one of the device’s two metal probes to be charged, and the other grounded. When circled across any problem areas, the charged probe zaps acne-causing bacteria. You can actually feel it tingle over broken out spots.

ZIIP Side Effects

The excellent news about the ZIIP HALO Microcurrent Device is that there are currently no reported side effects after use. 

The nano current in this device works to sync with your body’s natural electrical current, giving you long-term benefits, and enhancing your body’s natural functions. 

The ZIIP HALO is not recommended for everyone, and the full list of contraindications can be found on our website. 

It is also worth noting that we do not recommend the use of multiple ZIIP treatment routines back-to-back as this may become too harsh on the skin and irritate the skin as a result. 

ZIIP HALO should be used 3-5 times a week per week, and never more than 6 times per week.

What Are The Good Things About The Electric Shock Facial? - The Pros and Cons of ZIIP

Very simply put, the ZIIP works. Though I can’t speak definitively to its benefits for seriously problematic skin, I suspect it provides more dramatic before-and-after results on acne and wrinkles. 

All benefits aside, the ZIIP’s $495+ USD price tag, plus regular replenishment of conductive gel (ranging from $50 to $129 USD), is daunting. For context, similar electrotherapy devices such as the NuFACE are priced around the same.

Though a nearly $500 out-of-pocket expense isn’t anything to take lightly, it should be noted that the ZIIP essentially includes 10 different facials that can be performed at home, at any time. If you book a monthly facial, typically ringing up at around $200 USD per appointment, the ZIIP can entirely replace or prolong the effects of in-spa treatments. Depending on your routine, the ZIIP ends up paying for itself and saving you money in the long run.

Though the ZIIP doesn’t hurt, some users (myself included), can feel the electrical currents it delivers. It feels like a slight sting or prickle — nothing unbearable, but certainly noticeable. Additionally, some of the stronger treatments such as Instant Gratification and Lymph & Lift can cause involuntary muscle contraction, a common side effect that, while strange to experience, isn’t harmful and doesn’t last longer than the length of the treatment.

My Review of the Electrical Facial with ZIIP