[Review] NIOD S0 Survival 0, an Innovative Antioxidant

A quick review Survival 0 is in order because it’s one of the must-haves at NIOD. Note: it’s 0 (zero), not O.
If you’re not familiar with the NIOD brand, I’ve already done a general overview here. The brand was founded by Brandon Truaxe, who claims that if he had to take 2 products to a desert island, they would be NIOD CAIS 2 , and S0

What is it?

S0 is part of the protection line consisting of 4 products: S0, S10, S20, S30.
The other three have sun protection. Only S0 doesn’t, because it’s meant to be used in the evening.

S0 is an antioxidant, designed to protect the skin against environmental aggressors and also those related to our lifestyle (pollution, stress, blue light, free radicals, infrared). It also reduces the appearance of sun damage and increases elasticity without drying out the skin.

It’s recommended to mix S0 with another active or a moisturizer. Personally, I use it mixed with my moisturizer.

If you don’t like S10, S20, S30.. you can use S0 under a sunscreen during the day, for double protection.

The 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.

The actives

• Purified Lutein : antioxidant carotenoid to fight the effects of blue light & increase elasticity
• Yeast-Derived Superoxide Dismutase: This enzyme is naturally present in our body and plays a role in the oxidative burst, and is also an essential component of the free radical elimination mechanism. Topical application of superoxide dismutases helps reduce inflammation caused by UVB.
• Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol: effective in fighting free radicals formed due to stress, pollution, or UV exposure
• Fractionated Melanin: Melanin forms naturally in our skin to protect us. By providing synthetic fractionated melanin, capable of absorbing wavelengths between 400-500nm, our skin doesn’t need to produce its own melanin => the skin remains protected, but it doesn’t produce spots.
• Pycnogenol® & Tomato Carotenoid Complex & Purified Knotgrass: improve areas damaged by blue light, infrared, and UV
• Prebiotic Complex of Gluco-Oligosaccharides and Inulin, Purified Mediterranean Brown Algae (Padina Pavonica): create a healthy environment so that good bacteria continue to thrive on our skin, without increasing the number of “bad bacteria”

Packaging

Like all NIOD products, the packaging is luxurious.

The bottle is dark glass to protect the product from light. The box opens from the side, so be careful not to pull too hard and drop the bottle.

We have a pump format instead of a dropper. You can close the pump by turning it to the left.

Texture & Scent

The texture is reminiscent of carrot soup. The smell resembles it too. I love it!

The brand advises to be careful because the carotenoid, which gives the product its color, can stain light-colored clothing. In reality, the skin absorbs it so quickly that it doesn’t have time to stain anything.

Note: I don’t find that it stains my sheets or pillows, but I also use very little product: 4 drops for the whole face. My skin doesn’t change color either, as you can see in the photo. Between the blue of the CAIS 2, and the carrot color of S0, luckily my skin isn’t affected by the colors of the products haha.

Review

Like all NIOD products, everything is very concentrated, liquid, and the skin absorbs everything, without leaving any greasy residue or anything else. I’m delighted to think that “something” protects me from environmental aggressions. The effect will show in the long run, I think. I’ll update this article in a few months.

Anyway, if a product doesn’t give me pimples, in general, it can only be beneficial for me because my skin is very sensitive and reacts very quickly. And S0 doesn’t give me any pimples. Fingers crossed.

Update 2 weeks later: since I’ve been using S0, my skin no longer breaks out whenever I wear a barrier mask. I think the “good bacteria” brought by S0 help me a lot to maintain an effective protective barrier.

Routine

Here’s how I incorporate it into my routine. The goal is to repair my skin barrier while fading acne spots.
For the description of the other NIOD products, check out my article here. I also wrote two detailed reviews on CAIS 2, MMHC 2, the other two must-haves from NIOD.

Morning: CAIS 2 – RP – MMHC 2 – S0 – moisturizer with SPF
Evening: makeup remover cloth – Japanese cleanser or SS – CAIS 2 – RP – MMHC 2 – NAAP – S0 mixed with my moisturizer

Since there are a lot of products (and they all look alike), I organize them in order of application, so I don’t have to think each time whether to apply NAAP before S0 or vice versa.

Where to buy NIOD S0?

This is a premium skincare product, €23 for 30ml (Deciem link), €18.36 or -20% with the code OCTOBER20 on Lookfantastic (link)

It’s actually one of the cheapest products at NIOD.

You can buy it directly from the official NIOD website here. It’s a site I recommend without hesitation; I’ve placed several orders with them, they have more stock than retailers, plus shipping is free and fast (from the UK), with no customs fees. Also, if you’re not satisfied with the product (especially at this price), you can return it within 365 days of purchase and get a refund (the product must be at least 50% full, more info). Pay for all your purchases on the official site with PayPal, so PayPal also reimburses you for return shipping to England. Here, I’ll show you how to place an order on the site.

You can find it on the lookfantastic website, which also ships from the UK with no customs fees. There are often promo codes on this site, allowing you to save an additional 20-25% regularly. Shipping is from the UK, and free for any order > €40. More info here I’d recommend opting for this solution only if you’ve already tried the product, because returns are not accepted.