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Clarins vs Olay

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Clarins and Olay are skincare brands offering targeted moisturizers, serums, and eye products for various complexions. Clarins is a French brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C, known for luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, soothing eye products, and gentle toners enriched with shea and squalane, making it best for sensitive and dry sensitive skin. Meanwhile, Olay is warmly loved for moisturizers, eye products, serums, and cleansers pairing niacinamide and glycerin, which suit acne-prone and mature skin best. While both brands feature standout treatments addressing dark spots, acne-prone skin, and mature skin, they differ in their specific formulations and heritage.

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

This page compares some of the most popular Clarins and Olay products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Clarins vs Olay products

People Say

ClarinsOlay
  • Luxurious and lightweight texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
    • “absorbs quickly — Olay Vitamin C Serum”
    • “Absorbs so quickly! — Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum”
  • Hydration and moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “Instantly smoother, softer, and more hydrated — Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream”
    • “light and smooth — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
  • Smooth and soft skin texture Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels baby soft — Olay Retinol24”
    • “Skin feels like silk — Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer”
    • “hydrates the skin — Olay Advanced Eye Cream”
    • “makes skin silky smooth — Clarins Hydrating Toning Lotion”
  • Radiance and glow Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “iridescent glow — Olay Super Serum”
    • “hides dark shadows — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
  • Good makeup base and primer Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “concealer sits better — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “absorbs instantly — Olay Eye Lifting Serum”
  • Anti-aging and firming results Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
    • “plumped my fine lines — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “Helps my skin and eye wrinkles — Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream”
  • High price point Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “expensive for drugstore — Olay Super Serum”
    • “expensive — Olay Super Serum Night Repair”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
  • Strong fragrance and scent sensitivity Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Fragrance can be an irritant — Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream”
    • “floral scent — Olay Super Serum”
    • “too perfumey — Olay Vitamin C Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and design issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “dispenses too much — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “hard to dispense — Olay Super Serum”
    • “dropper is frustrating — Olay Super Serum Night Repair”

Clarins vs Olay routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Clarins vs Olay routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Clarins vs Olay routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Clarins or Olay: which is better?

Olay has a High routine fit for oily and combination skin, whereas Clarins has an Average fit for those skin types. For dry, sensitive, mature, and acne-prone skin, both brands share equal High routine fit levels.

What is the difference between Clarins and Olay?

Olay has a High fit level for oily and combination skin while Clarins has an Average fit level for those skin types. Both brands offer a High fit level for dry, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin.

Clarins or Olay for dry skin?

Both Clarins and Olay have a High routine fit for dry skin. The products on this page for both brands feature hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

Clarins or Olay: which cleanser is better?

Both Clarins and Olay offer cleansers with similar average fits for most skin types on this page. However, Olay features a wider variety of specialized options including the Regenerating Cream Cleanser, which achieves a high fit for acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Clarins or Olay?

Olay is more affordable, as the products on this page show high price point as a negative review theme for Clarins and Olay is noted by reviewers for having a lower price point.

Clarins or Olay: which brand offers more fragrance-free product options?

Olay offers far more fragrance-free product options, with 26 out of 27 products on this page listing no fragrance compared to only 1 out of 24 for Clarins.

Clarins or Olay: which has better options for oily and acne-prone skin routines?

Olay has better options for oily and acne-prone skin routines because Lovi rates Olay as High for oily skin and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Clarins is rated Average for both. Additionally, Olay features ingredients like niacinamide which helps control skin aging and pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Clarins or Olay: which brand features more anti-aging products rated as superior for mature skin?

Olay features more anti-aging products rated as superior for mature skin on this page than Clarins does.

Clarins or Olay for oily skin?

Olay is a better fit for oily skin, where Lovi rates its routine as High compared to Clarins at Average. Olay also features a higher count of products well-suited for oily skin on this page.

Clarins or Olay: which moisturizer is better?

Both Clarins and Olay offer superior moisturizers that help deliver intense hydration and smooth skin texture. Reviewers note that Clarins specializes in luxurious textures and anti-aging results, while Olay provides affordable, fragrance-free options with a high routine fit for oily skin.

Clarins or Olay for sensitive skin?

Both Clarins and Olay fit sensitive skin at a High level. Olay features fragrance-free options, while Clarins is more likely to include fragrance.

Clarins or Olay for acne-prone skin?

Both Clarins and Olay fit acne-prone skin well, offering a High routine fit level. Olay features acne-prone skin as one of its best-fit skin types.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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