I love a good scroll. I'm not just talking about endlessly thumbing through my Instagram feed, either. Zillow, Apartment Therapy, Bon Appétit's YouTube page — all fair game for hours of screen time. But my newfound favorite? The new arrivals section at goop. Currently a mix of collagen tea, opalite eye masks, and candles that smell like, well, a certain body part, it's also where I spotted the recently released ZIIP OX + Crystal Gel Kit. Admittedly, the sleek design wasn't the only thing that caught my eye: The elastin-stimulating nanocurrent device and conductive gel kit retails at $480 a pop. I had to know more.
This is where Melanie Simon — electrical esthetician and ZIIP’s founder — comes in. "As the aging process kicks in, the skin starts breaking down due to lack of collagen and elastin production," Simon tells TZR over email, naming a decrease in ATP (aka adenosine triphosphate) as a major factor. "ZIIP infuses the skin with specific electrical waveforms to increase ATP, which helps cells communicate with one another and increases their ability to heal, retain moisture, and build collagen and elastin."
It's not a one-and-done process, either. "Because excess ATP cannot be stored in the body, using the ZIIP two to three times a week allows the user to consistently create more collagen and elastin, heal tissue, stimulate lymphatic drainage, increase blood circulation, and diminish bacteria in the skin," the esthetician continues. "It's your own cells that create the results, ZIIP simply encourages the process."
While the ZIIP OX kit dropped Jan. 12, the skincare industry has long embraced face-sculpting microcurrent devices. Still, how does the new phone-synced device — yes, really — differ from the pack, as well as previous ZIIP launches? "The ZIIP OX device is targeted toward the consumer who practices a more conscious, holistic beauty regimen. It comes preprogrammed with the Lymph & Lift electrical treatment and is sold with a full-size bottle of Crystal Gel, a conductive gel that is made with organic ingredients and skincare actives," Simon explains. (For comparison, the $495 ZIIP GX device is preprogrammed with the brand's Energize treatment, and bundled with its conductive Golden Gel versus the organic and vegan Crystal Gel.)
Nevertheless, the ZIIP OX still has access to the nine electrical treatments — which focus on specific concerns, like acne or dark circles — courtesy of the brand's app. "I design each treatment with [a] very unique electrical waveform combo of micro and nanocurrent," says Simon. "Instead of releasing new products frequently like traditional beauty companies, we release new treatments that are available for users to upload to their ZIIP device via the ZIIP Beauty app."
Or, to put it simply: "We really are a tech beauty company, if that makes sense," she adds. Ahead, the ZIIP OX + Crystal Gel Kit — available on ZIIPbeauty.com and (surprise, surprise) goop's website.
