Treat Yourself to Zia Ultimate Moisture
Written: Jul 25 '01 (Updated May 28 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Penetrates really well; smooths the skin and smells wonderful.
Cons: Can't be used as a sunscreen.
The Bottom Line: I haven't used this for long but can tell it is wonderful. In two weeks my skin has improved. (I sound like a commercial!)
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| jo.com's Full Review: Zia Natural Skincare Ultimate Moisture |
My mom has been visiting for 2 weeks now. She has extremely thin skin. The second day she was here, determined to get her a vitamin or other product to help her, I went to my local health food store. This is a small store where the owner personally helps customers and never tries to sell me anything. In fact I asked about vitamins for her and although I did end up buying her Vitamin E with Selenium she could have sold me a lot more products! When I told her about my mom’s thin skin she immediately suggested Zia Ultimate Body Moisture – body smoothing cream. She told me it is excellent for the skin because it contains Vitamin C.
Note: This product comes in a "cream" formula apparently, according to the picture and the name on my bottle is body smoothing cream. However, I would consider it a lotion and it is listed as lotion/cream.
Of course, she and I both started using it although my skin isn’t thin I may as well start preventing that from happening. Not all 71-year old women and men have paper thin skin but in case this is genetic, I’m taking precautions! I paid $15.95 for 8 ounces which is a good price for what it appears you are getting. I would normally balk at paying this kind of money for a body lotion, but since it was originally a “gift” for her, I didn’t hesitate. I used it also and when she leaves buy my own.
I am a bit apprehensive about the claims the creams on the market make which say they reverse the aging process, but I do believe that antioxidants, and alphahydroxy (A substance thought to exfoliate or get rid of dead skin.) are two ingredients that may, in fact, make a difference rather than just give you the “appearance” of making a difference.
What is an antioxidant?
"In the body, nutrients such as beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor), vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium have been found to act as antioxidants. They act by scavenging free radicals, molecules with one or more unpaired electrons, which rapidly react with other molecules, starting chain reactions in a process called oxidation. Free radicals are a normal product of metabolism; the body produces its own antioxidants (e.g., the enzyme superoxide dismutase) to keep them in balance. However, stress, aging, and environmental sources such as polluted air and cigarette smoke can add to the number of free radicals in the body, creating an imbalance. The highly reactive free radicals can damage healthy DNA and have been linked to changes that accompany aging (such as age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people) and with disease processes that lead to cancer, heart disease, and stroke."
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/00598.html
Although it is sold as “all-over deep moisture for dry, flaky skin” and my skin isn’t flaky, just getting older will make it dryer than when I was 20 years ago. I don’t think we can moisturize too much! (Well anything in excess may not be a good idea.)
The vitamins in Zia Ultimate should repair damaged skin and the alphahydroxy should smooth and renew skin. It should leave skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturized. It is non-greasy and penetrates completely. So does it do all that?
Obviously in 2 weeks I don’t know if my mom’s skin is repaired. I am not sure any product can thicken her skin but if it can prevent it from becoming thinner that is good. My skin is smoother than it ever has been, truthfully. I don’t sit in the sun and I do moisturize but I don’t think my skin has been smoother. My arms which when I looked at them had some wrinkles (It is hard to explain – you have to be almost 50 to understand.) and those wrinkles are gone. Is my skin repaired and that of a 30-year old? I don’t think so. No product will do that, but this is really nice.
•It is definitely non greasy and definitely penetrates completely.
•You only need a little bit in spite of the fact that it is a lightweight lotion. You don’t need a whole handful to apply to your arm, for example. A squirt will do it.
•It comes in a bottle with a pump type top. The pump locks by turning it so my mom doesn’t have to worry about it pumping out while she is traveling home. Still I would put it in a plastic bag in the event it unlocks. That can happen with any of these pump bottles because just as turning it locks it, unturning it unlocks it and in a suitcase it could get turned.
•It has a slight yellow tint to it and a pleasant fragrance. The fragrance is due to the many oils that are in this product. Speaking of oils in this product, what is in it?
Deionized water, rosemary water, glycerin, oat protein, mango butter, palm kernal oil, aloe vera gel, lecithin, cetyl stearate monoi oil, green tea extract, orange extract, algae extract, panthenol, lactic acid, essential oils of grapefruit, rosewood and lavender, tocopherol, xanthan gum, methylparaben, proplyparaben, retinol, cholecalciferol and diazolinyl urea.
As a personal trainer I have made note of the lactic acid in this product. I have never noticed it before in others. I could just be missing it. In the weight training world, lactic acid is what makes muscles get tired.
There is a 1-800 number on the bottle, so I called and a very nice woman told me that in my Ultimate product it acts as an alpha hydroxy acid which exfoliates dead skin cells and softens skin. She told me that there wasn’t much lactic acid in this particular product. I was satisfied with her answer and found her very pleasant.
•This is a cruelty free product and is not tested on animals.
In summary, I love this product and have a feeling I will be buying more of Zia’s line. It feels great on my skin, my skin feels softer and smoother than I can remember it feeling and at $15.75 it isn’t super expensive. A little goes a long way with this moisturizer. I recommend it after taking a bath or shower or at bedtime. There is no sunscreen in this product so don't use it as one. I will be trying their sunscreen for daytime use.
If I can answer any questions, please feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment.
Other reviews in which you may be interested:
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
Suave Skin Therapy Lotion Vitamin E and Lanolin
Suave AromaBenefits Moisturizing Body Lotion - Uplifting Ginger & Lily
Jergen’s Skin Cooling Moisturizer
Avon Moisture Body Therapy
Zia Natural Skin Care
Clinique Deep Comfort Body Moisture
Recommended:
Yes
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