by B. J. Deming

Created on: April 01, 2011

Out of the many topical facial treatments on sale throughout the world, Olay is a market leader in the United Kingdom, the United States, and the People's Republic of China, and is one of the best-known over-the-counter facial cream brands worldwide.

Consumer Reports has found that Olay’s Regenerist works better than other wrinkle creams, even those that cost hundreds of dollars (the Regenerist product retailed at $19 at the time of the CR test). Olay also has product lines that contain ingredients proven to treat

acne. How well do all these over-the-counter products compare to Retin-A, a well-known prescription medicine used for both rejuvenating facial treatments and for acne?

♦ The products:  Olay

Olay has been around since 1949, when a South African chemist invented Oil of Olay and sold it locally. This lanolin-based pink fluid in heavy glass bottle was very different from any of today’s Olay products, but it proved popular, even though the company marketed it with vaguely worded descriptions of "beauty secrets" that sounded more interesting than plain old “lanolin.” It was first sold internationally in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, and some European countries under different names that were designed to sound pleasing to local ears.

After the chemist sold the business in the 1970s to early 1980s, a night cream and a beauty cleanser product line were marketed for the first time. In 1985, Proctor & Gamble took over and greatly expanded the product lines to provide skin care products for users of all ages and skin types. In 1999, all the different names were consolidated into Olay, except in German-speaking parts of Europe, as well as the Netherlands, where it is known as Olaz today.

Olay’s Total Effects was the first formal “anti-aging” skin care line when it first appeared in 1999. It's still around today, along with the Definity, Pro-X, and Regenerist lines. Acne treatment products include Total Effects Cream Cleanser + Blemish Control, as well as Regenerist Micro-Purifying Foaming Cleanser, and Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub.

♦ The products:  Retin-A

Retin-A is one of the commercial names for the drug tretinoin.

A member of the class of substances called retinoids, that are chemically related to vitamin A, tretinoin is the most common form of acne treatment. When found naturally in the body, retinoids have several functions, including a role in the regulation of

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