NIOD Survival 0

Review: NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum

A
5 '
Intro

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At a glance

Let me introduce you to the NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum, and give you my thoughts on this hidden gem from the “nerdy” brand from the Deciem group!

This is the story of a serum I tried a few years ago and wasn’t blown away with at the time. It could have ended there. But my skin having changed quite a bit in the last few years, I decided to give it another try… And I’m so glad I did! The NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum is an excellent surprise on my end-of-summer dehydrated and sensitized skin. Let me tell you all about it!

3-4 years ago, Deciem, the cosmetic group that owns the brand NIOD, announced the launch of their mineral sunscreens, the Survival range. It includes 4 products: 3 sunscreens with SPF ranging from 10 to 30, and a curious product named Survival 0, which doesn’t contain any sun filters.

If I wasn’t particularly interested in the sunscreens (I prefer a SPF50, and frankly, I have plenty to do with my favorite Asian and European sunscreens), I was very intrigued by the filter-free protective serum on the other hand!

Just the name alone, Survival 0… Both confusing and appealing!

Of course, I know that this kind of marketing strategy is very specific to the brand NIOD! Why do simple when you can do complicated, that’s the brand’s motto 😉

But despite the obscure names and explanations on the brand’s website, almost every product I tried from them has convinced me. This NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum is no exception to the rule!

Let me tell you more about it and also my experience using it, and the results I got from it!

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NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum, product presentation:

The NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum is a protective product that does not use sun filters, but rather antioxidant ingredients, for an alternative anti-aging prevention.

Please note that antioxidant ingredients are definitely not sunscreens and therefore do not protect against UV rays! However, they do help the skin to prevent the appearance of accelerated skin ageing that sun exposure can cause.

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Do I really need to give you another recap on antioxidants and why they’re always in my routine? 😉

OK then, very briefly, antioxidant ingredients help the skin to prevent the signs of aging.

So these are ingredients you can introduce in your routine very early, from your 20s, and that you can continue to use all your life, because your skin can always benefit from them 🙂

A few examples of antioxidant ingredients: vitamin C, of course, which is one of the most well known and most effective, but also vitamin E, green tea, polyphenols, resveratrol, ferulic acid… there are tons more!

And if you really want to protect your skin, it’s best to combine them with a daily sun protection aka a sunscreen. Antioxidant ingredients are great to enhance the protective effect of sun filters. It’s definitely a winning combination for the skin! 🙂

Another important thing to know about antioxidants is that you can totally combine them in your routine! With antioxidants, more is more, and you can’t really overdo it.

In fact, by combining several antioxidants in your routine, you even multiply the chances of having a more effective anti-free radicals shield! So it’s definitely worthwhile to introduce a serum that contains several of them into your routine.

And they packed the NIOD Survival 0 serum formula with different antioxidant ingredients!

Such as:
– purified lutein: this antioxidant derived from the marigold flower helps to counteract the harmful effects of blue light and increase skin elasticity,
Superoxide Dismutase (derived from yeast): a powerful antioxidant that is also very soothing,
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol: according to the brand, this antioxidant ingredient is more effective than resveratrol and ferulic acid and has exceptional protective properties against free radicals,
– a fractionated form of melanin, specifically designed to absorb visible light that can ultimately cause skin damage,
pycnogenol, derived from maritime pine, a very powerful and well-known antioxidant,
– a complex of antioxidant and soothing/anti-redness tomato carotenoids, that gives the formula a brown-orange color (it doesn’t tint my skin),
– a complex of prebiotic ingredients of gluco-oligosaccharides and amino acids for a healthy microbiome,
– various types of anti-oxidant algae,
knotgrass, a plant that helps to combat the visible side effects of infrared light while helping to prevent and reduce the appearance of visible light damage.

But also moisturizing and nourishing ingredients like glycerin, Sodium PCA and squalane oil!

In short, a very complete and interesting formula for all skin types and one that I love to use in the morning in addition to my vitamin C serum (right now I’m using the Paula’s Choice’s C15 one a lot 😉 ).

NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum, my experience:

As I said above, I almost always have an antioxidant serum in my skincare routine, and this has been the case for several years.

These types of serums do not give the most visible results, since it is more about anti-ageing prevention, which is based on maintaining the skin’s good condition.

But this Survival 0 serum also has a very effective soothing effect that I wasn’t really expecting, and that was a delightful surprise!

It’s true that when you look at the formula, it makes sense! Many of the ingredients have a double soothing and antioxidant effect, including the complex of prebiotic ingredients of gluco-oligosaccharides and amino acids that my skin seems to love!

We are at the end of August and here in Dubai; it means that my skin has been under the aggression of the heat and air conditioning for almost 4 months non-stop. This means that my skin is very dehydrated and rather sensitized too.

And since I’ve been using this serum (it’s been about 6 weeks), I feel it makes my skin super happy! Its texture is comforting without being greasy at all, and I also love its slightly spicy/aromatic scent, which is very warming and relaxing to use!

The brand recommends using it at night, but you can also use it in the morning, no worries. That’s what I do. I use it in the morning, usually after a moisturizing serum and before my daily moisturizer.

I really enjoy using it, and my skin seems to love it!

And for a NIOD product, the price is very decent ($25 to $30), which is always a plus. If we add to that the practical packaging with a pump, I’d say Survival 0 is flawless! 😉

In conclusion:

I know NIOD is intimidating at first, with their complicated names and complex product descriptions. But in my experience, it’s definitely worth looking into because many of their products are fantastic!

And this Survival 0 antioxidant serum is no exception, with its always interesting preventive antioxidant effect and its very nice soothing properties!

It also has a sensorial aspect that makes it a very pleasant product to use!

In short, I’m glad I tried it again after a first inconclusive experience that I can’t really explain (I guess my skin needs were different a few years ago, or maybe the brand has reformulated it since then? IDK) The current version of this Survival 0 serum certainly works great for me 😉

The NIOD Survival 0 antioxidant serum retails between $25 to $30 depending on the retailers, for 30ml.

Product Review in detail

Summary

NIOD Survival 0

"An advanced way to protect skin from environmental damage, NIOD’s Survival 0 is a protective formula specially designed for evening use (the ‘0’ refers to the fact that it offers no SPF protection – but does offer a host of other benefits). With a lightweight texture that belies its efficacy, this formulation features next-generation technologies to offer broad protection from oxygen radicals, pollution, smog, stress, infrared and blue light."

product image

Recommendation

A

A nice and effective serum!

Price

$25 - $30

Details

Packaging
Texture
Scent
Feeling on the skin
Formula/ Ingredients
Efficiency/ Result
Value For Money
Availability

+ Pros

- I love the formula, which is packed with antioxidant ingredients that are a bit "technical" (very on brand from NIOD ;)) for a protective and preventive anti-ageing effect,
- the soothing and repairing effect that I was not expecting at all and that turned out to be an excellent surprise,
- the feeling of skin comfort it provides, with no greasy effect,
- I love its smell, a bit spicy/ aromatic, and comforting,
- the value for money is very good.

- Cons

None IMO

product name

Survival 0

brand name

NIOD

size

30ml

made in

Canada

packaging

A brown tinted glass bottle with a black pump, very simple and "technical/pharmaceutical".

fragrance

There is no added fragrance but the formula is scented; it has a slightly spicy/aromatic scent that I find very pleasant.

texture

A fine emulsion-type texture, with a brown-orange color because of the carotenoids, and which absorbs very quickly, leaving the skin comfortable (and non tinted).

For Who

– mature skin or people concerned about anti-ageing,
– dehydrated skin,
– sensitive skin,
– dull skin.

Concerns

– wrinkles, fine lines,
– lack of hydration,
– loss of firmness,
– sensitivity,
– lack of comfort,
– weakened skin barrier,
– lack of radiance.

Method

I use the NIOD Survival 0 serum in the morning on my face and neck, after cleansing (but you can use it in the morning and/or evening). I apply it after my essences, and my other serums with a more watery texture but before my oil/moisturizer.
I apply about 2 pumps of product and massage it into my face and neck and once it’s absorbed; I then move on to the next step of my routine.

Key Ingredients

This serum mainly focuses on a powerful preventive anti-ageing action and therefore, it contains a number of antioxidants in its formula.
Such as:
– purified lutein: this antioxidant derived from the marigold flower helps to counteract the harmful effects of blue light and increase skin elasticity,
Superoxide Dismutase (derived from yeast): a powerful antioxidant that is also very soothing,
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol: according to the brand, this antioxidant ingredient is more effective than resveratrol and ferulic acid and has exceptional protective properties against free radicals,
– a fractionated form of melanin, specifically designed to absorb visible light that can ultimately cause skin damage,
pycnogenol, derived from maritime pine, a very powerful and well-known antioxidant,
– a complex of antioxidant and soothing/anti-redness tomato carotenoids,
– a complex of prebiotic ingredients of gluco-oligosaccharides and amino acids for a healthy microbiome,
– various types of anti-oxidant algae,
knotgrass, a plant that helps to combat the visible side effects of infrared light while helping to prevent and reduce the appearance of visible light damage.

But also moisturizing and nourishing ingredients like glycerin, Sodium PCA and squalane oil!

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Inulin, Alpha-glucan oligosaccharide, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Superoxide Dismutase, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Xanthophyll, Astaxanthin, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Polygonum Aviculare Extract, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Piper cubeba (Cubeb) fruit extract, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Squalane, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Melanin, Sucrose, Lysolecithin, Tapioca Starch, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tromethamine, Triethanolamine, Ethoxydiglycol, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol.

Ingredients not included

– mineral oil,
– silicones,
– fragrance,
– essential oils,
– dyes.

Shop for this product

NIOD Survival 0 $25 - $30

NIOD Survival 0

Comments (4)

  1. Why can’t Survival 0 be used in same routine as CAIS 2 ( according to Deciem).
    Even if one shouldn’t use with CAIS 2, can it be used in the Sam routine as Tretinoin and if so would you apply it after the tret has soaked in or before the tret is applied?
    Pat

    • Hi!
      I have no idea, and I couldn’t find anything about it on their website.
      I think they’re being extra careful, but I personally just avoid using CAIS2 with very acidic formulas like acids or vitamin C serum with ascorbic acid. I use it with all the rest (even tret) without any issue 🙂

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