Zelens Hydro-Shiso Balancing Moisturizer: Review

I have been in love with Zelens skincare for some time. Zelens and Omorovicza make most of my favorite moisturizers. I’ve been using multiple items from the Zelens line, so I’ll start with the new Hydro-Shiso Balancing Moisturizer. This just came out earlier this year. Per Zelens website: “A superior light-weight moisturising cream developed by Dr. Marko Lens. Fortified with a unique bioavailable lipid complex (phospholipids, sphingolipids, omega-3 and omega-6) to replenish lost moisture, boost hydration levels and help maintain the skin’s moisture balance. Powered with polyphenols from green Shiso leaves to help shield against environmental assaults.” If you’re not familiar with Zelens, it’s a UK based skincare brand started by Dr. Lens a Plastic Surgeon, skin cancer expert, if you want to read more go here.

This comes in a 50 ml tube and retails for $95 on SpaceNK and $98 on Zelens. I got mine from BeautyBay for around $75 as it tends to be cheaper here in the US if you order from a UK website. Cultbeauty also has it and ships to the US. I like the tube design as it keeps the air, contamination, and degradation of the ingredients to a minimum. A pump would be the nicest packaging possible and a step above the tube. That would be my only suggestion to this product.

This is a lightweight cream that has a ton of moisture. It reminds me of OSKIA’s Nutri-Active Day Cream. It’s non-greasy, lightweight, absorbs fast, has a thicker than lotion texture and is more moisturizing than a typical lotion. If you have dry skin, this will not replace a full on cream for you. This is inbetween a cream and lotion for moisture. It packs a better moisture punch than most lotions, but there are creams that are more moisturizing. So if this is for you will depend on your climate and skin type. I use this more in the day, it’s perfect right now for that inbetween season where I don’t need a cream, but I need more than a lotion. I also wear this over Zelens Z Matrix for an extra boost. Even in hot and humid Houston right now this combo works out well, no greasy feeling or breakouts on my normal to combo skin. The scent is the typical Zelens scent, light, clean, fresh, not floral, powdery or overpowering, it’s very subtle.

Overall, it’s a great moisturizer, I love it, and it’s the only Zelens moisturizer under $100 so if you want to try something from Zelens this might be a start. I will be talking about other Zelens moisturizers in the future as I have them all except the Z Firm.

The Active Ingredients per Zelens website:

Shiso leaf (Perilla, Japanese mint): Rich in polyphenols (particularly Rosmarinic acid) and triterpenoids (particularly Ursolic acid), natural molecules that demonstrate antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-allergic bioactivities. Shiso leaf acts as a powerful antioxidant defending skin from free radical damage. It helps to prevent skin reactivity and soothes sensitive skin. Shiso leaf is well-known in Kampo medicine for its strong detox properties.

Cocoa butter: Obtained from the Cocoa seeds (Theobroma Cacao). Demonstrates excellent moisturising properties. Increases the skin’s softness and suppleness.

Cupuacu butter:
Obtained from the fruit seed of the Cupuacu tree (Theobroma Grandiflorum) native to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Rich in essential fatty acids and phytosterols, cupuacu butter provides superior moisture, promotes skin elasticity and improves the appearance of prematurely aging and thinning skin.

Phospholipids: Major building components in the structure of any cellular membrane essential for all vital physiological processes. These natural skin-identical ingredients demonstrate moisturising, restructuring and protective properties.

Hyaluronic acid: An important natural component of skin. Zelens uses a low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid with unique moisturising properties. Hyaluronic acid boosts skin moisture, promotes skin elasticity and fills in wrinkles to help reduce their appearance.

Omega-6 fatty acids: Completely natural omega acids obtained from safflower oil. Reinforce skin’s natural lipid barrier and strengthen its function. Help reduce transepidermal water loss and increase skin softness and smoothness.

Sphingolipids: Help to protect and reinforce skin’s natural hydro-lipidic barrier.

Phosphonic Acid Derivate: Developed on the latest advances in cosmetogenomics, this novel active ingredient helps recreate the skin’s natural moisture balance. Simulates enzymes involved in the production of the Natural Moisturising Factor (NMF) and reinforces barrier function.

Vitamin E: An antioxidant with a key role in the protection of cellular membranes from free radicals. It is the major antioxidant in the human epidermis with strong protective effects against UV-induced skin damage.

Full list of ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride(coconut fatty acids), Ethylhexyl Palmitate(palm oil derivative), Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Cocoa Seed Butter, Cupuacu Seed Butter, Perilla Frutescens Leaf Extract(Shiso), Phospholipids, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sphingolipids, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Myristyl Malate Phosphonic Acid, Tocopherol(vitamin E), Polyacrylamide, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Parfum (Fragrance), Sorbitan Oleate, Laureth-7, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Levulinate, Potassium Sorbate, Linalool, Tromethamine.

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