About Olay Regenerist

Overview

The year 1959 was a memorable year: NASA introduced its first astronauts; Mattel launched the Barbie Doll; and a pink cream called Oil of Olay began surfacing on drugstore shelves. Since that time, the Olay line has been updated and expanded to better meet the demands and expectations of skin care-savvy, 21st century women. In April 2003, Olay's parent company, Proctor & Gamble, launched the Olay Regenerist product line for women who aspired to reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles without invasive cosmetic procedures.

About Olay

The Olay brand had its modest beginnings in the home laboratory of chemist Graham Wulff, who formulated the original Oil of Olay Beauty Fluid along with the help and input of his wife, Dinah, in the early 1950s. The original Olay formulation was sold as a soft pink lotion and was created to resemble the skin's oils as closely as possible. Oil of Olay hit the international market in the late 1950s and was purchased by Proctor & Gamble in 1985. In 2000, the name was shortened to "Olay" to reflect consumers' desire for light, grease-free skin care.

The Olay Regenerist Line

Olay's official website promotes the Olay Regenerist as an alternative to "drastic measures like a chemical peel." The Regenerist line purportedly renews the outer layer of the skin "one cell at a time." Key ingredients in Olay Regenerist products include pentapeptide Pal-KTTKS---or what Olay calls its "exclusive" Amino-Peptide Complex---along with vitamins B3 (niacinamide), E, and B5, green tea extract and allantoin. According to Proctor & Gamble, KTTKS's other uses include healing wounds. Olay researchers claim that the special peptide contained in Regenerist is what causes a new layer of skin to form.

The Low-Down on Peptides and Niacinamide

When it comes to the effectiveness of peptides and niacinamide, beauty reviewers and cosmetic scientist may have to agree to disagree. A September 2008 "Daily Mail" beauty report referring to the Olay Regenerist line stated that niacinadmide is a "vasodilater" that reduces constricted blood vessels, thereby reducing dull skin and giving it more elasticity, while peptides are "the building blocks of human cells and are responsible for collagen production and cell repair and renewal." Cosmetics Cop Paula Begoun, who wrote "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me," takes a more conservative approach, noting that while niacinamides are a "helpful ingredient for all skin types," they don't merit particular emphasis.

The cosmetic scientists who maintain The Beauty Brains, an online consumer site, beg to differ. Niacinamides aid body microcirculation, they assert, but won't do too much when applied to the skin, and peptides "have no function in skin care products," neither increasing collagen levels or preventing DNA damage. However, The Beauty Brains advises consumers if they want to try a skin care product with peptides, the Olay Regenerist line is the least expensive choice.

What's Available

The Olay Regenerist line is comprised of 27 different products and includes cleansers, scrubs and cleansing cloths, in addition to numerous eye and facial serums, lotions and creams, wrinkle treatments, lip treatments and peels. Many of the moisturizing products contain SPF 15, and some of the lotions and eye creams are tinted, giving them the appeal of a foundation or concealer. Begoun notes that all of Olay is one skin care line whose sunscreen products provide adequate UVA protection.

Purchasing Olay Regenerist

Purchasing Olay Regenerist doesn't require a special trip to the department store. You can buy the products at most drugstores, pharmacies and large supermarkets and you can also buy them online through the Olay website and Drugstore.com. Olay Regenerist is more expensive than many drugstore skin care lines---but less costly than Olay's Pro-X and Definity lines---and probably won't break most consumers' beauty bank. In October 2009, Drugstore.com listed the least expensive product as the Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Cleanser ($6.74) and the most expensive as the Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging DNA Superstructure UV Cream, SPF 25 ($26.99).