L'Oreal vs Olay (The Definitive Guide)

We're positive you've seen L'Oreal and Olay on the shelves at your local beauty store before. But which is best? And which brand should you choose?

Come with us as we compare these best-sellers side-by-side to help you decide which are the best for you and your skincare routine!

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L'Oreal Revitalift vs Olay Regenerist

Though both brands offer loads of different skincare products, let's be honest, most of us are here for their best-selling anti-aging ranges, and what better place to start than L'Oreal Revitalift vs Olay Regenerist. So let's dive straight in!

L'Oreal Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer vs Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream

A good moisturizer is one that deeply moisturizes & hydrates while offering long-lasting protection from daily environmental-aggressors. An even better moisturizer includes a complex of potent ingredients that actively reduce wrinkles, firm skin, and even out your skin tone.

Two such moisturizers that fall neatly into the category of even better are: the L'Oreal Revitalift Triple Power Anti-Aging Moisturizer and Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Moisturizer, but which is the best?

Though both moisturizers arrive similarly in their signature red jars, and both promise youthful, radiant results in a matter of weeks, the similarities more or less end there. The key differences between the two lie with their formulas, and more specifically: the potent actives each brand entrusts with the task of delivering age-defying results.

Both the L'Oreal Revitalift Moisturizer and the Olay Regenerist Moisturizer active ingredients can be broken down into the three main anti-aging steps:

1. Exfoliation: removes dull skin, encourages blood circulation, and yields a healthy, bright, and silky smooth skin surface.
   • Vitamin B3 in Olay's moisturizer
   • Vitamin C & Pro-retinol in L'Oreal's moisturizer
2. Antioxidation: protects the skin from environmental stressors, allowing the skin to repair itself and correct visible damage/aging.
   • Vitamin B3 in Olay's moisturizer
   • Vitamin C & Pro-retinol in L'Oreal's moisturizer
3. Collagen stimulation: helps stimulate natural collagen production, meaning the skin starts to regain its youthful structure and volume.
   • Amino Peptides in Olay's moisturizer
   • Pro-retinol in L'Oreal's moisturizer

Note how some ingredients float between categories, serving multiple purposes in one - this is evidence of good formulation practices by both brands.

"I thought we were meant to be finding differences?" I hear you ask. Well, in a roundabout way, we have... While Olay uses Vitamin B3 as their "unicorn" ingredient (their words, not ours!), L'Oreal uses Pro-retinol as theirs.

Strictly speaking, Pro-retinol is far better suited to the task of anti-aging than Vitamin B3 on its own. That said, when combined with collagen-stimulating peptides, Vitamin B3 can really give Pro-retinol a run for its money in terms of efficacy.

As a bit of a double uno-reverse, though, L'Oreal's Revitalift Moisturizer also contains Vitamin B3, labelled instead by its more commonly-known name: Niacinamide. Combined with Retinol, Niacinamide also lessens the common side-effects of Retinol such as irritation and dryness.

With Olay's Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Moisturizer clocking in at around the same price per fluid ounce of its L'Oreal counterpart, we are definitely erring on the side of L'Oreal's Revitalift Moisturizer. However, there is a matter of preference to attend to before making a final decision.

If you've had success with retinol in the past (or want to give it a go for the first time in a milder form), we'd encourage you to give the cult-favorite L'Oreal Revitalift Moisturizer a try. If you have sensitive skin, or a particular aversion to retinol, then Olay's Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Moisturizer would be the way to go!

L'Oreal Revitalift Triple Power Concentrated Serum vs Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum

A serum is a lightweight moisturizer that penetrates deeper to deliver high concentrations of active ingredients to the skin. The L'Oreal Revitalift and Olay Regenerist lines both include concentrated serums designed to complement the moisturizers and improve the effectiveness of the anti-aging treatments.

For this match-up, we’ll be comparing L'Oreal Revitalift Triple Power Concentrated Serum to Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum.

The L'Oreal Revitalift Triple Power Face Serum helps transform the look of aging skin by delivering highly-concentrated anti-aging super ingredients deep below the skin's surface. The formula can be simply described in three steps:

1. Repairs Wrinkles: Hyaluronic Acid rapidly penetrates skin to help fight each wrinkle.
2. Redensifies Skin: Pro-Xylane re-volumizes to strengthen skin.
3. Resurfaces Skin Texture: LHA smoothes skin and evens skin tone.

Note that there's quite a bit of difference ​between the L'Oreal Revitalift serum's ingredients compared to its sister moisturizer. Rather contrastingly, the Olay Regenerist serum is an almost perfect mirror-match of its sister moisturizer, containing: Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), Vitamin B5, and Amino Peptides.

Ideally, you should pick the serum that will best complement your full skincare routine. So if you're already committed to the L'Oreal Revitalift range, then the L'Oreal Revitalift Concentrated Serum is the one for you (and vice versa for the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum). However, if you're looking for a standalone anti-aging treatment serum, you'll be better off choosing the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, as it contains a more potent blend of actives.

L'Oreal Revitalift vs Olay Retinol 24

Next up is an extension of the Revitalift vs Regenerist comparison, except more specifically with Olay's "Retinol 24" part of the Regenerist range.

L'Oreal Revitalift Pressed Night Moisturizer vs Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer

While the main point of contention between the previous pair of moisturizers was their ingredients, in this side-by-side we actually have two moisturizers with precisely the same key anti-aging actives—Niacinamide and Retinol. So we're going to have to dig a little deeper to discover their differences this time around.

First and foremost, it's worth understanding that neither the L'Oreal Revitalift Pressed Night Moisturizer or the Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer contains very much retinol (though the exact concentrations are never revealed).

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this must mean they're no good, but actually they're *perfect* starter retinols for those with retinoid-virgin skin. While the potency of higher retinoid doses may yield more significant benefits, they're also very unforgiving and will happily slap your face with chemical burns if you're not totally sure how much your skin can handle.

As far as the rest of their formulas are concerned, there's not all that much left to highlight similarities-wise. They both contain Niacinamide, they're both fragrance and dye-free, and they're both night creams with a relatively lightweight texture.

Here come the differences! While the L'Oreal Revitalift Night Moisturizer is also fortified with a nourishing combo of Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, and Tocopherol (which presumably constitutes what they call their "12% soothing complex"), Olay's Moisturizer instead goes one step further in the anti-aging department, containing collagen-stimulating Peptides.

We don't normally care too much about packaging, but in this case it's worth bringing up since L'Oreal's applicator is quite unique. The jar has a press-pump on the top which ensures application is hygienic and easy to dose (although some customers have noted that it's quite messy). Olay's jar has no applicator, and you'll have to scoop out the cream yourself, which is fairly typical.

When it comes to choosing between the two, you have to decide whether L'Oreal's pump and "soothing complex" is worth the extra $10 relative to Olay's moisturizer.

Assuming they have similar retinol concentrations, we're of the opinion that the Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer is the better anti-aging cream (if that's what you're looking for), whereas the L'Oreal Revitalift Night Moisturizer is the better night cream thanks to its additional hydrating qualities.

L'Oreal Revitalift Night Serum vs Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Serum

For more oomph from your retinol usage, you'll want to include a retinol serum in your routine. Two of the best are the L'Oreal Revitalift Night Serum with Pure Retinol and the Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Serum.

While we know that L'Oreal's Revitalift Night Serum contains 0.3% pure retinol, the Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Serum contains an undisclosed amount. For the luxury of knowing exactly how much retinol you're getting with L'Oreal, you'll be expected to pay somewhere in the region of ~$10 extra than with Olay.

In an isolated comparison like this, we're fairly happy to side with L'Oreal on this one (since retinol's efficacy scales with its dosage, so you're paying for the concentration).

That said, if you're no beginner to retinoids and you're looking to maximize your topical retinol intake, we'd strongly suggest you look for cheaper alternatives (such as The Ordinary).

If you *are* a beginner to retinoids, both L'Oreal and Olay are fantastic starter serums offering some of the glorious benefits of retinol without the nasty irritation.

It's worth noting that the Revitalift Night Serum additionally contains hydrating Hyaluronic Acid, and antioxidant Vitamin E, whereas the Regenerist Retinol 24 Serum contains a slightly more convincing anti-aging lineup of complexion-refining Niacinamide and collagen-stimulating Peptides.

If you're not too fussed about knowing the exact retinol concentration, and you're just seeking a popular, effective, beginner anti-aging serum, then opting for Olay and saving a few bucks doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.

L'Oreal Revitalift vs Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24

In a comparison of L'Oreal vs Olay anti-aging products, we'd be remiss not to mention their ever popular Vitamin C serums: L'Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum and the Olay Regenerist Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Brightening Serum.

While Vitamin C is widely known for its brightening properties, it also possesses more than a few anti-aging benefits including—but not limited to—promoting collagen production, reducing the appearance of under-eye circles, and helping to prevent skin sagging.

This is interesting to note, because despite both serums containing the exact same concentration of pure Vitamin C (10% Ascorbic Acid), Olay's Vitamin C Serum is marketed as a brightening solution, whereas the L'Oreal Vitamin C serum is marketed as an anti-aging serum.

This makes slightly more sense on inspection of L'Oreal's ingredients list, with it additionally containing skin-plumping Hyaluronic Acid (which'll help to reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles).

That said, Olay's just ends up seeming just as much like an anti-aging serum once you realize it also contains complexion-refining Niacinamide and collagen-stimulating Peptides (which makes sense given that it's still part of Olay's anti-aging "Regenerist" range).

Where the 'brightening' terminology really comes into play is with Olay's inclusion of Lactic Acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) which gently exfoliates the surface of the skin. In combination with Vitamin C, it helps to unveil brighter skin and fade stubborn dark spots.

With both products hovering around a similar price point and containing the same 10% concentration of Vitamin C, it's hard to pass up on all the additional goodies that Olay's serum offers.

The only reason we'd opt for the L'Oreal Revitalift Vitamin C Serum instead is if you've got sensitive skin and would rather not expose your skin to the potent combo of an AHA + Vitamin C, or if you just prefer the idea of additional hydration instead of bonus anti-aging perks.

This article was originally published on May 4th 2022, but it has been reviewed and updated with the latest available information on February 5th 2024 by Sara Mckay, MA.