History of Olay

Born of science. Refined into beauty.

Olay began in the home laboratory of chemist Graham Wulff in the early 1950s. He dreamt of creating a new beauty product for women that not only made them look and feel beautiful but that also embodied the essence of beauty itself. This would be a far cry from the thick, greasy facial creams packaged in shoe polish-style tins of the day.

Using his wife Dinah as his muse and research respondent, he began to truly seek an understanding of what women really wanted. His research revealed that women wanted the same thing then as they do today: younger-looking, beautiful skin. It was with this understanding that he was able to perfect his formula. He knew that his new facial moisturiser needed to closely resemble the fluids found in young skin. Something that would penetrate rapidly, be compatible with the skin, remain stable, restore and hold moisture, while protecting the skin and leaving the surface with a supple, matte finish.

Together, he and his wife fine-tuned everything from absorption and texture, to the instantly recognizable fragrance. By listening to Dinah and understanding her input, he was able to perfect his new "beauty fluid", later to be known as "Olay".