For patients who use ZO Skin Health and the professionals who recommend it, there is news about the company’s future ownership. Galderma has signed an agreement to acquire the brand from its current shareholders, including Blackstone and the Obagi family. It marks a potential new chapter for a skincare business built around professional guidance and structured daily routines.
The brand behind the blue bottles
ZO Skin Health was founded in 2007 by dermatologist Dr Zein Obagi, with a focus on developing skincare programmes for use through physicians and skincare professionals.
Its approach connects the care patients receive in a practice with the products they use at home. Rather than treating each product as a separate purchase, the brand builds routines in which products are used together as part of a broader skincare plan.
Blackstone acquired a majority stake in the business in 2020, supporting its plans for international growth. The proposed sale to Galderma would be the next change in ownership for the California-based company.
Where ZO fits into Galderma’s skincare offering
Galderma’s skincare portfolio already includes Cetaphil and Alastin. It sees a particular connection between ZO’s daily routines, centred on retinol and acid-based products, and Alastin’s peptide-based skincare for use before and after aesthetic procedures.
Put simply, the two ranges focus on different parts of a patient’s skincare journey: an ongoing home routine and care around an in-practice treatment. Galderma’s view is that they would complement one another within its wider business.
A new owner, with plans to invest
The agreement values ZO Skin Health at US$1.5 billion. It is Galderma’s largest acquisition since its stock market listing in 2024, according to Reuters.
Galderma says it intends to increase commercial investment in ZO during its first year of ownership. Its plans include drawing on its research capabilities, professional education and international reach to support the brand’s growth.
Dr Obagi, who remains ZO Skin Health’s founder and medical director, welcomed the proposed move. In the announcement, he expressed confidence that the brand’s philosophy would continue within Galderma.
What does this mean for patients and practices?
For anyone already using or recommending ZO, the distinction is that this is an agreement to buy the company. The acquisition has not yet been completed.
Galderma expects the transaction to close towards the end of 2026 or early in 2027, provided regulatory approvals and the other required conditions are met.
The announcement does not reveal South African pricing, distribution or product availability. Those practical details would need to come from further communication from local representatives. For now, the news concerns the brand’s proposed ownership and Galderma’s plans for its future growth.
Source: Galderma’s official announcement, published on 14 October 2026
