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Estée Lauder vs Olay

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

Estée Lauder and Olay are established skincare brands offering comprehensive ranges of moisturizers, serums, eye products, cleansers, and more. The former is expertly formulated with hyaluronic acid and glycerin to suit acne-prone skin and mature skin best, while Olay utilizes niacinamide and glycerin to suit dry skin and acne-prone skin best. Ultimately, both brands differ through their distinct formulations and the specific skin types they target.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs Olay products

People Say

Estée LauderOlay
  • Texture smoothing and improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels baby soft — Olay Retinol24”
    • “Skin feels like silk — Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer”
    • “hydrates the skin — Olay Advanced Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep hydration and moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “light and smooth — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing feel Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “sinks in quickly — Olay Super Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Olay Vitamin C Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly — Olay Super Serum Night Repair”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Radiant glow and brightening Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “iridescent glow — Olay Super Serum”
    • “hides dark shadows — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
    • “skin looks brighter — Olay Vitamin C Serum”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Gentle and non-drying cleansing Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Lathers well — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “removes all my makeup effortlessly — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “tiny beads aren't harsh — Olay Regenerating Cream Cleanser”
  • Makeup compatibility and base Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't pill — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “layers flawlessly under foundation — Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Olay Eye Lifting Serum”
    • “acts as primer — Olay Super Serum”
  • High price and value concerns Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “expensive for drugstore — Olay Super Serum”
    • “expensive — Olay Super Serum Night Repair”
    • “small quantity (0.5 oz) — Olay Eye Lifting Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Bulky or poor packaging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Impossible to get out — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “hard to dispense — Olay Super Serum”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Fragrance can be an irritant — Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream”
    • “floral scent — Olay Super Serum”
    • “smells like plastic — Olay Retinol24”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”

Estée Lauder vs Olay routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Estée Lauder vs Olay routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Estée Lauder vs Olay routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or Olay: which is better?

Olay tends to do better overall on this page, offering a Superior fit for dry skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots. Estée Lauder also provides a High fit for acne-prone skin, mature skin, and sensitive skin, while excelling particularly in deep hydration.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and Olay?

Olay has a Superior fit for mature and sensitive skin on the products on this page, while Estée Lauder offers High fit levels for those skin types. Olay is noted more often for improving texture and smoothing, whereas Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration.

Estée Lauder or Olay for oily skin?

Olay is a better choice for oily skin, as Lovi rates its routine as High compared to Estée Lauder's Average. Olay offers lightweight hydration and oil-minimizing options that help balance oily skin.

Estée Lauder or Olay: which cleanser is better?

Estée Lauder has the edge for cleansers on this page, as reviewers note the brand provides gentle and non-drying cleansers. Lovi rates the Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée as a High fit for acne-prone, mature, combination, and oily acne-prone skin, and an Average fit for other skin types.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or Olay?

Olay is more affordable than Estée Lauder, as the products on this page for Estée Lauder face high price and value concerns. Conversely, high price is not listed among the main negative review themes for Olay.

Estée Lauder or Olay: which brand is better for reducing dark spots?

Olay is better for reducing dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to Estée Lauder's Average. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Estée Lauder or Olay: which offers more fragrance-free skincare options?

Olay offers more fragrance-free options among the products on this page, with 26 of its 27 products listing no fragrance compared to 12 of 14 for Estée Lauder.

Estée Lauder or Olay: which is better for mature skin?

Olay is better for mature skin than Estee Lauder, as Lovi rates Olay as Superior and Estee Lauder as High for this skin type. Both brands feature anti-aging key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and peptides, which help support skin quality and target signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005

Estée Lauder or Olay for sensitive skin?

Olay offers a Superior fit for sensitive skin, whereas Estée Lauder provides a High fit on this page. Reviewers report that Olay helps improve texture and provides intense hydration.

Estée Lauder or Olay: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers on this page, Olay achieves a Superior fit level for dry skin and mature skin, while Estée Lauder reaches an Average fit for those skin types. Olay includes key ingredients like niacinamide and peptides that help smooth texture and reduce signs of aging.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Estée Lauder or Olay for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Olay has a Superior routine fit while Estée Lauder has a High routine fit based on the products on this page. Both brands help address acne-prone skin well, and Olay features key ingredients like niacinamide and peptides.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Estée Lauder or Olay: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreen, Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer achieves a Superior Lovi fit across dry sensitive, dry, sensitive, and mature skin types on the page, while Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer SPF 15 and Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer SPF 25 reach an Average to High fit. The products on this page help provide sun protection with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Drug Delivery, 2017

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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