Olay Regenerist 14-Day Skin Intervention: Does It Really Do That…Or Anything?

Review of Olay Regenerist 14-Day Skin Intervention
Okay, so I have to admit that I am a sucker for challenges. Especially those of the two-week variety. Activia yogurt! Crest Whitestrips! Change your life in 14 days!
It is perhaps more a sign of laziness than anything else, since I am not drawn to challenges that last MORE than two weeks. That’s just way too much commitment.

ANYWAY, that’s why Olay’s Regenerist 14-Day Skin Intervention kit caught my eye. 14 little tubes of night cream that completely lift and re-polish your skin’s surface, according to the commercial where they haggard up a gorgeous model and then Photoshop another 10 years off of her for the heck of it. There’s a Phase One and a Phase Two! That’s just good science! And all for under $30! Sold!
So I have completed the 14-Day Skin Intervention and have graduated with honors, so let me tell you what I liked and didn’t like about this product. First, what I liked:
1) I really, really liked the Phase Two cream. It left my skin extra-silky and matte, similar to how it feels after an application of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. It was a really nice and rich night cream that I could actually feel long after I applied it, although it never felt heavy or greasy.
2) I did not break out once during the 14 days, which is a near miracle for me, since night creams and I do not historically get along. I did notice some extra clogged pores and blackheads during Phase One, but swapping my Hope in a Jar for Hope in a Bottle (with salicylic acid) as my morning moisturizer seemed to resolve the problem fairly quickly. Considering I am in First Trimester Skin Hell, I thought this was pretty impressive.
3) The tubes are definitely sized just right. While I do think the individual tubes are a tad precious, they did provide you with generous coverage for your entire face and next. During the first couple days of Phase One, I didn’t have a ton of cream left over for my neck once I focused on my eyes and problem wrinkle areas, but after about three days the deep moisturizing meant I didn’t need so much on my face and could treat my neck and jaw to some cream.
And now, what I didn’t like:
1) The word “Regenerist.” Why must EVERY cosmetics company make stupid science-y words up?
2) The overly fussy packaging. This was the one of the worst cosmetic offenders of Pointless Packaging I’ve seen in awhile. 14 plastic tubes AND a plastic holder that was like…how to describe it…it was STADIUM SEATING FOR THE TUBES. Two tiers of fancy little slots on a giant base. The holder was, at least, clearly marked as recyclable, so hopefully users will pay attention to that. But I could easily think of a dozen other package designs for this that would involve a lot less plastic.
3) The fragrance in Phase One. I think this is why I noticed the problem with my pores for a few days there — the Phase One cream is purple and ultra-flowerly. Phase Two is fragrance free and is a better formula because of it. Come on, Olay, you should know better by now.
So…the verdict. As night creams go, these are very nice options. Gentle, deep moisturizing without grease or residue. They’d probably be great for dry skin, but also don’t spell disaster for oily or combination skin.
HOWEVER, simple moisturizing wasn’t really the point, was it? If I wanted a nightly moisturizer, I sure as hell would have bought one that would last me more than two lousy weeks. What about all that anti-wrinkle resurfacing talk?
Uh, not so much. I obviously wasn’t expecting my fine lines to disappear, but they are every bit as visible as they were 15 days ago or so. My skin was extremely soft during the treatment, but now, just a couple days later, it’s completely back to usual. So not so much on the lasting results.
As for the resurfacing (a kind of vague way of describing a “glow”), well…these creams don’t exfoliate, and while you know how I feel about harsh scrubs and peels, you DO need to exfoliate and get rid of dead skin cells if you want that glow. One application of Philosophy’s Microdelivery Peel packs about 10 times the punch of the Olay product, and you can use the same kit once or twice a week for almost a year without running out. Olay recommends repeating the Regenerist Intervention every three months or so for “maximum benefits.” That would cost…about $103, quite a bit more than the $65 Microdelivery Peel.
If that upfront cost is what wigs you out, you can also buy Philosophy’s Microdelivery Wash for the EXACT same price ($25) as the Olay product, and use it three times a week for a good six months of comparable resurfacing results.
(Thus ends our impromptu Price Tag Cage Match.)
I’ve been poking around Olay’s website and ingredient lists to see if the Phase Two cream is packaged and sold on its own, in a decent-sized bottle, and haven’t had any luck yet. THAT I would buy in a second, plastic-surgery-in-a-bottle promises aside. It was great, and deserves more than the 14-day packaging gimmick.