Women all over the world know the name Olay, and most refer to it as ‘Oil of Olay’ as that is the name that it became famous with. Oil of Olay has its roots in South Africa where an ex-Unilever chemist started making it and chose the name as a substitute for lanolin which is a major ingredient in it. What exactly this oil was supposed to do was neither advertised nor described. The oil was packaged in a bottle and was pink colored and was not a cream rather it was a fluid. Chemist Wulff and his marketing partner tried this new product out on their wives and other female relatives and believed that it would be a success and started selling it. All that the ad for the product said was ‘Share the secret of looking younger’ and described the beauty secret of the product. It was neither a moisturizer nor an anti-aging cream. As sales expanded and the product started selling in other countries it acquired different names like Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulay, etc. in 1985 the famous American group proctor & Gamble acquired the company and standardized the name. Today Olay is not only known for its Oil of Olay but as an entire skin care products maker. There have been many products that have been added in the Olay line which range from cleansers, creams, soaps and body wash. A cosmetics line was also added and was dropped in 2001. Olay products cater for all ages and all skin types. The Olay range of products were grouped into what the company termed as ‘boutiques’ and there are several of them; Complete, Total Effects, Quench, Olay vitamins, etc. different boutiques target different regions of the world and some Olay products are made especially for the women of that region. In 2007 Olay also entered the India market. Olay’s Regenerist has been tested as the best anti-aging cream in a consumer survey conducted in 2006.

There are so many skin care products from Olay that they cover the entire spectrum of women’s skin care and cannot be described individually. Should one be interested in any of their products or would like to look at their range one can always visit their site and look at their range of products. As with all companies that have a large product base and a consumer base there are good, excellent and bad reviews that various consumers give about the products that they have tried. The same is the case with Olay. If one were to look at the consumer reviews one would be at a loss to rate a product, because of the mixed reviews. The company or the product cannot be blamed for this as it may not be suiting a particular person’s skin type or that the person expected an immediate improvement in their skin condition which did not happen. One must remember that there are no miracles for skin care and it is a slow process. Also it is not just one cream or moisturizer’s application that will change a skin condition there are a number of other factors that have to be taken into account. So mixed reviews are to be expected.

The best way a company backs its products is by giving free samples, so a customer can test them and only if the product suits them then they should purchase it. Olay does give free samples and if one is not sure about how any of their products is going to perform on one’s skin one is free to try them. One can also consult a dermatologist which in fact is the recommended course of action that one should take.