ZO® Skin Health

ZO Skin Health is a line of skincare products sold through licensed skincare professionals and physicians' offices rather than through typical retail stores. It was founded in 2007 by dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi, who was born in Aleppo, Syria, earned his medical degree from the University of Damascus in 1972, and later moved to the United States to continue his training. Dr. Obagi had earlier developed the Obagi Nu-Derm skincare system in 1985 and built the company that became Obagi Medical Products, a separate company he left in 2006 before founding ZO Skin Health the following year in Beverly Hills, California. The ZO line is organized around a routine of cleansing and exfoliating, treating specific skin concerns, and sun protection, using ingredient combinations the company describes as its own proprietary formulations. ZO Skin Health products are marketed as cosmetics; this research did not confirm whether any current ZO product contains an ingredient that would classify it as an over-the-counter or prescription drug in the United States, which appears to be a distinction from the separate Obagi Medical Products brand Dr. Obagi no longer owns.