This Brand Was A Southern Grandmother's Secret To Flawless Skin

I bet you can see it in your mind's eye right now: a white (or maybe soft pink, depending on the era you were living in) bottle, black cap. In the famous script, "Olay" across the front.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Southern household whose matriarch didn't have some version of this moisturizer on their nightstand, vanity, or bathroom counter. If you're still and quiet enough, you might even be able to conjure that familiar scent: lightly perfumed, clean, creamy.

And it's not just a vestige of the past. Many Southern women still swear by Olay, including my own grandmother (a beauty who has aged like a well-preserved wine).

"I always have Oil of Olay in my skin care drawer, even now," says the stunning and wise Donna Yates McAnnally (my paternal grandmother and my hero in this life). "My mom swore by Pond's. I can still see her, every night as she patted that cream onto her face and neck. I always have used Dove soap, a lesson well-learned from my mom. Now, I have to say, I’ve always had easy-to-care-for skin. I try new things now and then, but always a supply of Olay."

How did this product get into all of our homes, and is it still as ubiquitous as it once was? Our expert, Dr. Wendi Harper-Lonabaugh, shares her thoughts about the evolution of skincare and why this product (and its sisters in the marketplace) felt like they rounded out all of our grandmothers' skincare regimens.

What Made Oil Of Olay So Special?

One of the big reasons Oil of Olay (or these days, simply "Olay") was so popular was that it was truly a "one size fits all" product. In the heyday of its popularity, the market wasn't flooded with hundreds of brands promising dozens of results for different afflictions. Now, there are products for dryness, dullness, wrinkles, elasticity, laxity, acne...If you can name it, there's nearly guaranteed to be a product that alleges that it can fix it.

"Olay really became a household name because it was one of the first brands to focus on antiaging—and it was made specifically with women in mind," says Harper-Lonabaugh. "At the time, there just weren’t many options out there that addressed things like fine lines or loss of firmness, especially ones that felt elegant, but were still affordable. Olay filled that gap in a way no one else really had, and that’s a big part of why so many women trusted it—and still do. It was ahead of its time, and for a lot of us, it was our first introduction to skincare that went beyond just cleansing and moisturizing."

Oil of Olay has long been a staple in many U.S. households. "When it launched in the 1950s," says Harper-Lonabaugh, "Oil of Olay was unique because it was a lightweight, pink fluid, in contrast to the thick, waxy creams that were common. It offered deep hydration without the greasy feeling, which was a significant improvement for many women." Up to that point, moisturizers left your skin feeling slick like an oil spill as opposed to the residue-free nourishment and hydration that most of us are used to today.

On top of delivering results, Oil of Olay's marketing in the 1950s was particularly ingenious.

"The marketing campaign didn't explicitly state what the product did, but rather used intriguing taglines like 'Share the secret of a younger looking you,' and referred to itself as a 'beauty secret.' This mysterious approach piqued curiosity and offered a sense of exclusivity, even though it was a mass-market product. There really wasn’t anything like it on the market. The other staple was Pond’s cold cream, which acted as both a cleanser and a moisturizer," says Harper-Lonabaugh.

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What About Today? Is Olay Still A Good Option?

"Skincare has changed a lot since the days of just grabbing a jar of Olay or Pond’s," says Harper-Lonabaugh. "Those products still have their place, but now we have more advanced options that can really make a difference in skin health and aging. If someone wants to stay in the over-the-counter category, I usually recommend CeraVe or Cetaphil. They’re affordable, easy to find, and both lines now include options with ingredients like retinol and peptides that are gentle but effective."

"No matter what brand someone chooses, the basics matter: a good cleanser, sunscreen everyday, and some form of retinol or active nighttime product once they hit their 30s," says Harper-Lonabaugh. "From there, it’s about adjusting based on skin changes—things like antioxidants, peptides, exfoliants, or stem cell-based products can be added in as needed. The most important thing is finding a routine that’s effective, but also realistic to stick with. Consistency is where people see real results."

You heard it here, folks. Whether you're continuing the long (and, in my experience, lovely) line of women who swear by Dove, Ponds, and Oil of Olay, or are a certified skincare girly with a mini-fridge cooling your arsenal of lotions and potions, consistency is the most important ingredient to achieve a healthy, moisturized glow. And even if the road took us on diverging paths, it's comforting to know that so many of us had the same first stop: Oil of Olay.