Quality

Olay is one of the most recognizable brands in the skin and beauty industry, familiar even to those with little skincare experience. Olay has built this reputation in part by receiving a number of awards and recognition from various health and beauty publications, as well as more generalized media outlets. You can view these awards and accolades by navigating to the Awards and Press area of the Olay website. To date, Olay has earned "Best New Product," "Most Valuable Product" and "Product of the Year" awards from such institutions as Redbook, Women's Health, Good Housekeeping, Life and Style, the Consumer Survey of Product Innovation, Shape, Allure, Better Homes and Gardens, Glamour, Natural Health, Self and more. Very few other skincare product manufacturers can claim such a prolific resume of recognition and success.

Olay excels in the way in which it helps customers find ideal products. By clicking the Skincare Consultation link found on the Olay homepage, you'll open a new browser window containing a survey. As you progress through the survey, you'll answer a variety of questions regarding your skincare goals, age, factors affecting your skin, skin type, skin color, skin concerns, current skincare regimen and more. The survey is extensive and highly detailed, allowing for high levels of customization. Following the completion of the survey, Olay will provide you with product recommendations, including both cleansers, moisturizers and other items designed for your body and face. You can even watch a video demonstration with more information about each recommended product. Although many skin and beauty product manufacturers offer product recommendations customized to your needs, few do it in such a streamlined and intuitive fashion.

Ingredients

Each individual product page on the Olay website includes a complete list of ingredients. The ingredient lists are available in an abridged "key ingredients" form as well as a full ingredients overview. Many of the listed ingredients double as links that you can click through for additional information about how and why the ingredient is used. Clicking on an ingredient will also bring up a list of other Olay products in which it's found. Virtually all skincare product users will appreciate this transparency, especially those who suffer from allergies or insist on avoiding certain ingredients when selecting a skincare regimen. If you find yourself shopping for Olay products on Drugstore.com instead of the main Olay website, ingredient lists will similarly be available on each individual product page.

Olay also maintains a comprehensive ingredients glossary with a listing of each ingredient used across the company's product line. This is an excellent resource for those who wish to learn basic definitions of common, yet poorly-understood skin and beauty product ingredients.

It's important to note that Olay does not claim to be an all-natural skincare product manufacturer. Some of the products may include artificial fragrances, emulsifiers, preservatives, colorings and other additives. Although many skin and beauty product seekers find this acceptable, others will want to thoroughly read the ingredient lists or choose an all-natural organic skincare product retailer instead. The fact that Olay sometimes relies on artificial ingredients should not be read as a warning regarding the company's safety, as Olay's parent company (in addition to third-party labs) continually test the products to ensure the neutrality of their long-term health effects.

Clinical Studies and Research

Olay ensures the safety, efficacy and quality of its entire product line by constantly performing both first-party and third-party clinical trials. Although the company does not publish all of these studies, doing so would be impossible due to sheer volume, as over 400,000 quality and safety tests are conducted by Olay every single year. All of the ingredients used in Olay's products are independently tested to verify their safety over the entire expected lifetime of the product. The company always rigorously tests new products before they're brought to market, as proven by the fact that over 250 different safety evaluations are conducted on Olay products every single year. Olay's parent company, Procter and Gamble, employs over 1,000 individuals around the world solely to test the regulatory compliance of Olay's product line. Approximately 500 of these individuals are strictly devoted to product safety.

Olay does offer some information regarding their research and clinical testing under the Skin Care Science and Innovations area of their website. This area includes extensive overviews of some of the most important Olay product ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and peptides. Other topics of interest include the science behind maintaining a "youthful glow," an overview of how genetics relate to skin aging, the importance of sun protection, and explanations of the connections between stress, pregnancy, menopause and skincare.

Effectiveness/Testimonials

Olay offers a relatively massive product line, making it all but certain that some of the company's products will be more effective for some individuals than others. However, Olay has gone to great lengths to allow customers to determine the effectiveness of each product before making a purchase by posting user testimonials on each individual product page. Each review includes a rating between 1 and 5 and a text summary describing the user's experiences with the product. The reviews also include the user's age range, skin type, whether they have sensitive skin, and how long they've been using Olay products. Although a few of the products have received little to no reviews, the most popular products have received dozens. To get the benefits associated with adverse calorie foods they should be enjoyed simply because large amounts of your daily diet plan although not by simply fully replacing the meats and sugars your system requirements.

In general, the user testimonials regarding Olay's line of skin and beauty products are overwhelmingly positive, with most products scoring between 4 and 5 stars based on average user reviews. Even the most highly-rated Olay products do receive negative reviews from a few customers, and thankfully, the company has chosen to include those reviews on its website as well. This level of transparency is something that you'll rarely find with lesser skin and beauty product manufacturers, who often only post brief excerpts of positive reviews while editing or removing the negative ones.

If you're seeking additional testimonials regarding Olay's product line, you'll find them on the Olay product pages contained within Drugstore.com. The Drugstore.com reviews follow a similar format to the ones on the Olay website, making it easy to compare and contrast the testimonials.

Customer Support

Drugstore.com is known for offering exceptional customer support in the form of email, live chat and phone, all of which are available free of charge during regular business hours. Customers who prefer direct phone support may dial 1-800-378-4786, while email inquiries can be sent to the company through an embedded web form located within the Help section of Drugstore.com. Live chat is an ideal method for those seeking interactive, real-time support without the hassle of a phone call. All questions are answered thoroughly and promptly by Drugstore.com's skilled team of trained skin and beauty support professionals.

Before contacting Drugstore.com's support team directly with a question about an Olay product or a product order, it's advisable to view the company's extensive FAQ area. The FAQ is neatly divided into several categories including Shipping, Accounts, Order Issues, Order Tracking, Billing and Returns. The FAQ is frequently updated to reflect the company's current policies, ensuring accurate and timely answers to your questions.

Drugstore.com offers an automatic delivery service as another convenience to regular customers. The Auto Delivery program allows you to receive the same products on an ongoing basis at a locked-in price. Available shipping periods include 30, 45, 60, 90 and 180 days. If your Auto Delivery order does not qualify for free shipping (i.e. if it costs less than $25 per shipment), you'll receive a 66% off shipping discount on every order.

Product Return Policy

All Olay products purchased through Drugstore.com are eligible for a 30 day return policy in which you may send a sealed product back to the company for a full refund of the purchase price, minus shipping and handling. Unfortunately, Drugstore.com does not accept opened containers, preventing you from trying a new Olay skin and beauty product before determining if you'd like to keep it. However, the company does offer full refunds including the cost of shipping on items that are determined to be damaged or defective. Neither Drugstore.com nor Olay state the exact criteria for making these determinations, and as such, it's advisable to contact Drugstore.com's customer support team directly if you feel that you're entitled to a refund.

If you'd like to return an Olay product to Drugstore.com for a refund, it's advisable to pack the item in a sturdy box instead of an envelope, as the company is not responsible for any product damage incurred during return transit. It's also advisable to send the return via UPS, FedEx or another reliable shipping service that offers tracking and shipping insurance. Drugstore.com will not accept any return packages that are missing the proper return shipping label.

Cost

One of the main ways in which Olay has become a customer favorite is by offering high quality skincare products for prices well below that of the competition. Although the Olay name doesn't necessarily carry the same level of prestige as some ultra-premium skincare brands, it delivers an exceptional value to consumers with impeccable consistency.

While Olay's product prices are low to begin with, a number of additional discounts and savings opportunities are available when you purchase the company's products from Drugstore.com, a major online skin and beauty product retailer. Drugstore.com offers a membership service entitled the Dollars Program in which customers receive 5% in-store credit for every purchase made within a given three month period. After three months of accumulating store credit, you'll have one full month to spend it. For example, you could spend $500 over the course of three months and receive a $25 gift card to spend however you like the next month.

One of the best reasons to purchase Olay skin and beauty products from Drugstore.com is the company's free shipping policy. All orders that weigh under 20 pounds and cost more than $25 are shipped free of charge, regardless of your location within the contiguous United States. Although plenty of online skin and beauty retailers offer some form of free shipping, most ask you to place an order worth at least $50 in order to qualify.

A number of other discounts can be found within the Sales and Coupons area of the Drugstore.com website. Volume discounts, clearance items and instant coupons that apply to Olay and other skincare products are offered on a rotating basis. To keep abreast of the sales, it's advisable to subscribe to the Drugstore.com free email newsletter.