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What if you could literally zip and zap your pimples and blemishes away in the comfort of your own bathroom? ZIIP Beauty’s Nano Current Device hopes to deliver just that.
Developed by celebrity esthetician Melanie Simon, the ZIIP Nano Current Device looks like something from The Jetsons. It is a sleek, hand-held device with a single button on top and two small discs on the bottom.
Through those discs, nano-currents are pumped to the skin. Micro-currency has been popular in the beauty industry for years, but the ZIIP uses a nano-currency, which vibrates at a lower frequency that is more potent. The nano-currents zap acne-causing bacteria underneath the skin. ZIIP Beauty says that its unique product’s low levels of electrical nano-currents can decrease the onset of acne, increase circulation, and stimulate the production of collagen and elasticity in the skin.
Before gliding the ZIIP Nano Current Device over your face, you’ll need to apply the Golden Conductive Gel, which is included. The gel is made with 24 carat gold — hence the name — and human growth factor, a naturally occurring substance that can stimulate cellular growth. The gel acts as a conduit for the nano-currents to deeply penetrate the skin.
The device comes with a preset 12-minute “Energize” setting, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it. By downloading the ZIIP Beauty app, you can create specialized “cocktails” that target specific skin issues. The app also comes with tutorials and tips for anyone who may be a bit intimidated by this sleek device.
The ZIIP Beauty Nano Current Device is available for the price of $495. That price begs the question — is it even worth spending the money? Many beauty bloggers and writers weighed in.
“It’s a pricey 12-minute indulgence,” said Lexi Novak for Allure. “And I can’t promise that I’ll remember to do it every week. But for a novel at-home face treatment that feels outrageously indulgent, in the words of Ferris Bueller: If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”
Dawn Davis from Totally Beauty also weighed in on the ZIIP Beauty device.
“Since the only thing better than zapping (or popping — not going to lie) a zit is zapping a zit even before it’s visible, the ZIIP has claimed a spot in my regular beauty routine,” she said. “Once a week, I do the acne protocol just to ensure that nothing’s brewing. And before an event — or on a day when I feel like looking prettier — I use the ZIIP to lift and sculpt. And I do it all with the help of my iPhone. Welcome to the future.”
However, Valis Vicenty from Refinery29 says that holding the gadget up to her face for “12 minutes straight made for one hell of an arm workout.”
Danielle Tarasiuk is a multimedia journalist based in Los Angeles. Her work has been published on AllDay.com, Yahoo! Sports, KCET, and NPR-affiliate stations KPCC and KCRW. She’s a proud Sarah Lawrence College and USC Annenberg alumn.