Oil of Olay Heritage: From Pink Beauty Fluid to Olay

Oil of Olay started as a gift. Olay's own heritage page says the original pink Beauty Fluid was created in 1952 by Graham Wulff, a South African chemist, who made it for his wife, Dinah, because she did not like the thick, waxy creams of the time. It was a pink liquid in a heavy glass bottle, at a time when face creams were heavy and some came in tins.

The name changed as it traveled. Wikipedia notes it was sold as Oil of Ulay in the UK and Ireland, Oil of Ulan in Australia and Oil of Olaz in much of Europe. Richardson-Merrell bought the business in 1970, and Procter & Gamble took it over with Richardson-Vicks in 1985, as Marketing Week reports. Around 2000, P&G dropped the Oil and shortened the name to Olay.

Plenty of people still search for Oil of Olay, and the brand leans into it. The first product in the grid below is a limited edition Heritage Beauty Fluid inspired by the 1952 original.

The first grid is Olay moisturizers, from that Beauty Fluid to the Regenerist red jar, the retinol night creams and the vitamin C cream. The second grid is Olay serums, eye creams and two washes.

My tip for any moisturizer: warm it between your fingertips for a few seconds, then press it into your face instead of rubbing. It spreads more evenly and you use less.

Start with the Heritage Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid. It is a light lotion made for all-day hydration and inspired by the 1952 formula, and if you have never tried a fluid moisturizer, it is a nice reminder of why people loved the original.

Then the red jar. Olay calls the Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream the Red Jar, and the fragrance-free version is the one I would pick. The Regenerist Whip SPF 25 is the lighter option, a cream that turns to liquid on contact, with broad spectrum sun protection, so it is the morning pick.

For night, there are three levels. The Retinol 24 Starter Night Repairing Lotion has a starter level of pro-retinol and is the one to begin with. The Retinol 24 Max Night Cream is the stronger version, now with triple collagen peptide. The Regenerist Night Recovery Cream is a rich night moisturizer for dry skin.

The Vitamin C + Peptide 24 MAX Moisturizer is the brightening cream, and the Regenerist Lifting & Sculpting treatment has a roller applicator for the face, neck and décolleté.

What I would skip: going straight to Retinol 24 Max if you have never used retinol. Start with the Starter lotion two or three nights a week, and move up once your skin is used to it.

The second grid is the rest of the routine, and it is where Olay has been busiest.

Super Serum is the five-in-one, with vitamin C, and Olay says it is clinically tested for texture and other everyday concerns. The Vitamin C + Peptide 24 MAX Brightening Serum pairs with the cream in the first grid. The Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum is a very light moisturizer with amino-peptides, and the Regenerist Night Serum is a fragrance-free treatment made for wrinkles.

For eyes, there are two. Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream has niacinamide and peptides and is aimed at dark circles, fine lines and puffiness. The Regenerist Eye Wrinkle Treatment is fragrance-free and made for expression lines.

Then two washes. The Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub is a face wash that exfoliates, for smoother skin and less visible pores. The Premium Body Wash in Vanilla Reverie is a limited edition heritage scent, with vanilla, soft florals and sandalwood.

A pairing that works: Super Serum in the morning under the Whip SPF, and the Night Serum under a night cream. That covers most of what people want from a routine without piling on steps.

What I would skip: the Pore Scrub on the same night as retinol. A scrub and retinol together can leave skin raw, so keep them to different nights.

I think Oil of Olay is a good example of a brand that grew up with its customers. It began as one pink fluid for one person and now covers everything from a first retinol to an eye cream. The simplest way in is still the oldest: a light fluid in the morning, a richer cream at night, and sunscreen every day. Add one serum when you know what you want it to do, and give it a month before you judge it.