Olay Niacinamide + AHA Serum

I was looking forward to trying this product as I use Olay moisturizer and have combination skin. This product appealed to everything I was looking for! Both the moisturizer and the serum look great, far more modern than my old Olay moisturizer and smells very good. I don’t typically use fragranced products, and while I can’t tell exactly what the smell is it certainly is very pleasant. The serum absorbs easily and isn’t too oily on the skin. You only need to use a little bit. I have been using this product for 6 weeks to really give it a chance to see if there’s some improvements but I couldn’t really see anything discernable in terms of improvement. After using it for over a week I did notice that I had a breakout that was more than anything I would usually get and I can only attribute it to this new product, so it didn’t really do what I was hoping it would. My skin was hydrated but not any better than regular Olay moisturizer. It’s a lot to put on one’s skin, twice daily, particularly with the adding an SPF product during the day. The one thing to be careful of is that because of the AHA it can increase your skin’s sensitivity to sun and increase the risk of sunburn. I personally prefer to use just a moisturizer with built in SPF and find this to be enough for me.

The bottle’s certainly the prettiest of the Olay serum range, all pearly white, and has the clever lid that fills the pipette automatically as you twist it off. Aesthetically pleasing as well as practical and hygienic.

The serum itself smells lovely – faintly fruity but with a warm base – but isn’t overpowering and doesn’t linger long. The texture is a very light, slightly gel-water consistency that spreads easily and absorbs quickly but doesn’t disappear into nothing – which I like, because it leaves my skin feeling moisturised and comfortable but without any stickiness. And it acts as a perfect primer, with following layers going on silky smooth. Also, my skin can be sensitive, and I was interested to see how I did with using AHAs for the first time, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of stinging or reactivity. Just pure comfort.

In terms of longer-term benefits... I used the serum (along with the matching cream) morning and night religiously for six weeks, and it didn’t seem to lighten my hyperpigmentation (I actually took photos before and after to be as ‘scientific’ as possible!), which is why I've had to give it 4/5 for 'doing what it said it would'. And I don't have acne marks, so can't speak to that. But it has definitely impacted the look and feel of my skin for the better. My skin's dry and ageing, but this has left it hydrated, super-soft and fresh-looking, and I’ve loved it.

I use three good drops to cover my face and neck, which is nowhere near a full pipette, so it seems pretty economical.

The first thing you notice about this product is the packaging, and it’s really nice. The serum has a dropped, and the lid pushes in to make the serum come out. The push top lid locks in place when you shut it which is great for travel.

This made it easy and mess free to put on. It was not runny, and would stay in place on my hand rather than running all over the place.

The serum is quite glossy, and when you put it on your skin definitely glows.

I have always had an uneven skin tone, and I genuinely think this has improved how my skin looks. I think my skin looks much brighter, and almost clearer without make up. After three or four weeks of consistently wearing this serum and moisturizer, I began to get comments from good friends asking if I had changed my make up, or done something differently. This skincare was the only new thing in my routine. I started to see a change myself, and noticed the brighter look to my skin.

I liked the smell - it reminds me of something but I cannot work out what. It is not super overpowering which is nice as I don’t like my face to smell like a rose.

The price interested me. I saw the same line at a local chemist for $59.99. At first I was quite shocked because I have never known this brand to be expensive, but then I haven’t used this brand since I used to borrow my grandmas when I was a kid. Given the quality of this product, I would have no issues buying it in future and would be happy with the price point. I have paid significantly more than this for skincare in the past and it is definitely comparable.

I have normal skin, occasionally a bit dry but usually I haven’t had enough water! I think it was definitely moisturizing enough when used with a moisturizer, but you couldn’t use just the serum like you can with some products.

After using it for six straight weeks, I have plenty left and will continue using it until I reach the end. I’d definitely consider buying this and the moisturizer when I run out.

I was super excited to try this serum but I must say I think there are definitely better Olay products on the market. I did find it made my skin feel lovely and it has a nice scent but I really didn't notice much of a difference after 4 weeks of use. Possibly with a few more weeks of use I may notice a difference.

A few pumps of the serum and onto the face, it is easy to apply and a nice scent, great coverage over the face. It seems to be doing a great job as my face feels great. Any surplus and I rub it on my hands.

I used this product in conjunction with the moisturizer, and found it to be a nice follow up to leave my skin feeling silkier. It has an interesting bottle, that I am not sure is the more practical but a nice novelty nonetheless - the lid screws off and there's a dropper on the other side, you press on the lid to push the serum out.

The serum is a thin consistently, and blends beautifully, while leaving my skin also feeling more refreshed. The smell isn't too strong and is a mix between clean and a very light floral scent. I have noticed my redness on my cheeks left over from blemishes has improved noticeable, and my skin tone seems generally more even. I did not experience any breakouts while using the product which was great, and actually reduced my use of salicylic acid. I also didn't experience any sensitivity or redness, which sometimes happens with vitamin C; so it seemed easy on my skin. I like that you can pair this product with any other moisturizer's to give them a boost. I will continue to use the product, as I imagine over time I will see even more results; and even silker skin hopefully.

I have tried a lot of serums looking for one that ticks all boxes. I like that it’s not too oily and it’s lightweight and absorbs nicely. I like using in the day or night but find it’s more of a day time serum. Made my face but tingly but after 4 days my skin settled down. Will repurchase this one again to give it more of a go.

I've had great results with this serum, definitely improved breakouts and any small spots resolved almost overnight! It's a nice light serum that sinks into the skin quickly. I love the dropper bottle, it makes it easy to use and control the quantity. Also a small amount goes a long way. It has a yummy scent that isn't too strong and hasn't irritated my skin. Overall, I would repurchase this serum!

I had a total blonde moment with this product that I’m not proud of but will share anyway. The box for the product is very shiny and a darkish green colour on the sides, making it hard to read the very small instructions written in black on the box. I worked out how to twist the top of the bottle so the pump applicator pops up – was doing well so far! – I pumped it twice which was recommended on the box but couldn’t for the life of me work out how to get the product out of the bottle. Ashamed to say it took me a good 10 minutes to work out that after you’ve pumped the applicator that you have to screw the top off the bottle to dispense the serum. Heavy sigh, yes I’m a natural blonde. Now that I was fully aware of how to use the applicator correctly, I dispensed the serum onto my palm. I had a bit of an “is this it?” moment with the quantity that was dispensed, but that very small amount easily covered my whole face. The serum has a slight fragrance which is pleasant, and the fact that a tiny amount goes such a long way is a huge bonus. The serum goes on smoothly and instantly absorbs with no greasiness or residue, and it feels like there’s nothing on your face. Used in conjunction with the AHA Moisturiser twice a day, within a week I had noticed a marked improvement in my skin condition, appearance and texture. You also definitely use a lot less moisturiser with having the serum on your skin first, another great bonus of this product. After four weeks of using this product twice a day my skin is almost glowing, my rosacea has markedly reduced and my skin feels AMAZING. This product now on my Must Have list and I will be definitely purchasing it once my trial bottle runs out. The only downside of this product is the glass bottle is white and the serum is an opaque white, so I can’t actually tell how much of the product I have left in the bottle.