Olay Skincare

The Olay brand began as Oil of Olay in South Africa. Derived from lanolin, one of the main ingredients of the product, an ex-chemist by the name of Graham Wulff began the company in 1949. As the cream began being marketed to different countries, Wulff and marketing partner Jack Lowe felt it would be profitable to change its name for each country. This resulted in derivatives such as Oil of Ulay for the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Oil of Olaz for France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Olay's overall marketing scheme was unique; the company never specified uses for the cream, and they used fabricated advice columns to promote the product. Wulff and Lowe never sold the product to companies. Instead, they relied on their marketing to make customers request the product from their pharmacies.

While Olay ran under Wolff and Lowe's Adams National Industries, it was acquired by Richard Merrell Incorporated in 1970. This corporation expanded its product, as well as sale range, and Olay experienced a sharp increase in revenue. Olay was next purchased by Procter & Gamble in 1985 and soon became a billion-dollar brand.

As of 2014, Olay is known to the public as an anti-aging remedy and moisturizer with products such as Regenerist, Olay Vitaminds, Total Effects and Professional Quench grouped in boutiques. While sometimes twice the price of competing formulas, tests have found it to outperform more expensive brands.