Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Review

When I heard that Olay was coming out with a new line of vitamin C and peptide skincare products, I immediately pre-ordered the entire line because vitamin C is one of my favorite skincare ingredients, and Olay is one of my favorite skincare brands.

Today we’ll take a look at Olay’s new Vitamin C + Peptide 24 serum, eye cream, moisturizer, and facial cleanser in this Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 review.

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Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Review

PROS	CONS
✅  Complete Skincare Line: Includes a serum, eye cream, moisturizer, cleanser, and daily brightening peel, offering a full range of skincare products.	❌ Fragrance in Most Products: Except for the eye cream, products contain fragrance, which may not be suitable for all, especially those with sensitive skin.
✅  Effective Key Ingredients: Formulated with beneficial ingredients like a vitamin C derivative 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid, Olay’s Amino Peptide, niacinamide, lactic acid, and salicylic acid, targeting various skin concerns.	❌ Concentration of Actives Not Disclosed: The exact concentrations of key ingredients like vitamin C derivative 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid are not disclosed, making it difficult to gauge their potency.
✅  Low Irritation: Designed to offer the benefits of pure vitamin C but with less potential for skin irritation.	❌ Lower Potency: The vitamin C derivative 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid in the products is not as potent as pure vitamin C.
✅  Vitamin C Benefits: Products are formulated to brighten, hydrate, protect, and smooth the skin, with some targeting fine lines and wrinkles with their stable formulas.	❌ Price Point: Olay products can be more expensive than other drugstore brands, which might be a consideration for some users.
✅  Texture and Absorption: Products have a lightweight, non-greasy texture that absorbs quickly, making them suitable under makeup.	❌ MAX Version Ingredients: MAX versions of the products contain 2x the peptides, not 2X the vitamin C.

I love incorporating a vitamin C product into my daytime skincare routine, so I’ve been using these products every morning.

Here are my experiences with Olay’s Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products:

This Olay vitamin C serum absorbs quickly and leaves my skin soft and smooth. No stickiness or greasiness. It has a citrus scent that reminds me of a citrus/orange hard candy.

The scent doesn’t bother me since it quickly dissipates, but I’d prefer a fragrance-free version.

Like Olay’s other serums, Olay does a great job with this serum’s texture and feel. It works well under makeup and leaves no residue on my skin.

My skin feels moisturized, plump, and glowy after using this serum.

This eye cream contains a vitamin C derivative, Olay’s Amino Peptide, and niacinamide to brighten, firm, and smooth the under-eye area. Glycerin moisturizes, and panthenol soothes the skin.

The eye cream provides cooling hydration and has a lightweight gel-cream texture that absorbs easily and quickly.

It leaves no greasiness or stickiness, which is helpful when applying it under makeup. My concealer applies evenly and smoothly on top of this eye cream, too.

This eye cream is fragrance-free, so it won’t irritate the delicate skin around your eyes.

This Olay vitamin C moisturizer is formulated with a vitamin C derivative, niacinamide, exfoliating lactic acid, and Olay’s Amino Peptide.

Vitamin C, niacinamide, and lactic acid brighten the skin and help even out skin tone. Amino Peptide firms and smooths the look of wrinkles and fine lines.

We’ll see about the long-term brightening benefits, but for now, it’s a hydrating, lightweight moisturizer that works well during the day under my makeup.

It feels very light on the skin but leaves your skin with a bit of a glow.

If you have combination or oily skin and are looking for a matte finish, I think Olay Regenerist Whip Moisturizer is a better choice.

It contains exfoliators made from hydrated silica to gently smooth the skin and remove dead skin cells.

These exfoliating beads act as a mild scrub and break down as you use them, so they are not abrasive and won’t over-exfoliate your skin.

This cleanser reminds me of Olay Collagen Peptide 24 Cleanser due to the exfoliating beads in the formula, although the Collage Peptide 24 cleanser does not contain fragrance.

The cleanser has a sweet and citrusy fragrance. It doesn’t foam but works well in the evening as a second cleanse after using my favorite cleansing balm.

The unique formula contains a vitamin C derivative, salicylic acid, niacinamide, and Olay’s Amino Peptide to target the signs of aging.

The vitamin C derivative in the formula is 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid. According to the manufacturer, this active is a stable and non-irritating version of ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C) that is metabolized as pure vitamin C in the body.

It works to improve collagen production, provides antioxidant protection, and brightens the skin while improving uneven skin tone.

• Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) that helps to exfoliate the skin, unclog pores and reduce inflammation.
• Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that brightens the skin, reduces inflammation, and helps repair the skin barrier.
• Olay’s Amino Peptide (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by supporting collagen production, which in turn smooths out the skin’s surface and improves skin texture.

This leave-on peel has a lightweight lotion-like texture. It comes in a convenient tube that twists open to dispense the product.

The lotion absorbs into my skin without any stickiness or tackiness. It works well with other skincare products and under makeup.

While the name may make you think of a strong acid peel, this leave-on peel is very gentle on my skin and causes no irritation. It feels more like a serum on my skin.

If you have a sensitive skin type but avoid pure vitamin C due to irritation, this product could be an effective alternative.

Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 vs Olay Collagen Peptide 24 Products

	Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24	Olay Collagen Peptide 24
Targets:	Brightening, hydration, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles	Firming, smoothing wrinkles and fine lines
Key Ingredients:	Vitamin C derivative, Olay’s Amino Peptide, niacinamide, lactic acid (in some products)	Olay’s Amino Peptide, niacinamide
Product Range:	Serums, eye cream, moisturizers, cleanser, peel	Serums, eye creams, moisturizers, cleanser
Texture:	Lightweight, non-greasy, quick absorption	Lightweight, non-greasy, but richer than Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products
Benefits:	Reduces puffiness and dark circles; offers potent antioxidant protection.	Targets not just dark circles and puffiness but also signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.
Best Suited For:	Best for those with dullness, uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and visible pores.	Best for aging skin with loss of firmness and elasticity, wrinkles and fine lines.

Olay Collagen Peptide 24 products contain Olay’s Amino Peptide and niacinamide.

Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products contain a vitamin C derivative, Olay’s Amino Peptide, niacinamide, and some of the products in the line (the serum and moisturizer) contain lactic acid.

We don’t know the concentration of actives in any of these products, so I assume that Olay Amino Peptide is in higher concentrations in Olay Collage Peptide 24 products.

For more on the Collagen Peptide 24 products, please see my review here.

NOTE: Whether you choose Olay’s Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products or Collagen Peptide 24 products, don’t forget to apply sunscreen in your morning skincare routine to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays.

Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 MAX Serum and Moisturizer

Since I first wrote this post, Olay has introduced MAX versions of their vitamin C serum and moisturizer. I recently purchased them to see how they compare to the original versions.

This Olay MAX vitamin C serum contains 2x the peptides as the original Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Serum.

In addition to palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 (Olay’s Amino Peptide), which is found in the original vitamin C serum, this serum also contains palmitoyl dipeptide-7 (patented by Olay), which helps palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 penetrate into the skin’s surface.

The serum also contains panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and trelahose, which are humectants to help your skin retain moisture.

Per Olay, after using Vitamin C + Peptide 24 MAX Serum, your skin will be instantly moisturized with hydration that will last 24 hours. In just a week, you’ll see visibly even skin tone, and within a month, you’ll see 2X brighter skin.

Olay doesn’t disclose the concentration of peptides in the serum, so you don’t know how much “2x the peptides” is.

This vitamin C MAX serum feels very similar to the original. It’s lightweight, non-sticky, and leaves my skin moisturized.

Please note that there is an added citrus fragrance in this Olay vitamin C serum.

The Olay MAX vitamin C moisturizer contains 2x the peptides as the original Vitamin C + Peptide 24 moisturizer.

The original moisturizer contains Olay’s Amino Peptide, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4.

This vitamin C moisturizer contains Olay’s Amino Peptide PLUS Olay’s patented palmitoyl dipeptide-7, which helps the Amino Peptide penetrate into the skin’s surface for better effectiveness.

Niacinamide boosts the moisturizer’s brightening power, while lactic acid gently exfoliates and removes dead skin cells.

Glycerin, panthenol, and trelahose moisturize your skin to keep your skin feeling soft and supple for up to 24 hours.

This moisturizer has a light gel-cream consistency and a bright refreshing citrus fragrance, just like the original version.

This vitamin C MAX moisturizer feels extremely lightweight and doesn’t weigh your skin down.

Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Key Ingredients

Vitamin C

If you are looking for a potent anti-aging active, Vitamin C is well known for its multiple benefits for the skin:

• Vitamin C contains antioxidants that protect the skin from free radical damage from UV exposure and other environmental stressors.
• Vitamin C stimulates collagen production, which gives the skin a more youthful-looking and firmer complexion. It also helps to reduce the look of wrinkles and fine lines.
• Vitamin C targets dullness by brightening the skin and helps to reduce the look of hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and uneven skin tone.

Unfortunately, pure vitamin C is unstable and has a short shelf life. Pure vitamin C may also irritate the skin (especially sensitive skin) when used at higher concentrations.

Olay formulated its Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products with a vitamin C derivative, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid. It’s a stable alternative to pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

This derivative absorbs well and is converted into ascorbic acid in the skin.

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is supposed to offer many of the same benefits as pure vitamin C, especially the brightening benefits, but with less irritation and works well in both water and oil-based formulas.

Amino Peptide

Olay’s Amino Peptide (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) is also known as the collagen pentapeptide. It’s a subfragment of Type I collagen.

This is the type of collagen found in our skin that gives it its structure and strength. Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 helps smooth wrinkles and fine lines and improve skin texture.

A few studies have found that this peptide produces comparable results to retinol, the gold standard in over-the-counter anti-aging products, but does not cause the typical side effects like irritation and redness that usually come along with retinol.

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)

Niacinamide is one of the hardest working actives in skincare. It provides multiple benefits for the skin. I love the fact that Olay uses it in most of its products.

The benefits of niacinamide:

• Niacinamide interrupts melanin production (the pigment in our skin), which helps brighten the skin and reduce the look of dark spots, uneven skin tone, and hyperpigmentation.
• For a stronger skin barrier, niacinamide increases ceramide and free fatty acid levels in the skin. This helps to reduce transepidermal water loss, making it an excellent ingredient for dry skin.
• Niacinamide stimulates collagen synthesis, which improves skin elasticity and firmness and smoothes wrinkles and fine lines.
• Niacinamide helps regulate sebum production in the skin, has anti-inflammatory benefits, and helps reduce acne.
• Niacinamide increases cell turnover and also offers photoprotection from sun damage.

Lactic Acid (Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Serum and Moisturizer)

Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that removes dead skin cells to reveal brighter, fresher skin. This chemical exfoliant has a larger molecule size than the other well-known AHA, glycolic acid.

This means that it is less irritating than glycolic acid, although it does not penetrate the skin as well.

Lactic acid has moisturizing properties that help nourish dry skin. It also helps to reduce the look of wrinkles, fine lines, and skin dullness and improves skin texture and firmness.

The effectiveness of lactic acid products varies based on concentration. Olay does not disclose how much lactic acid is in their products, but I experienced no irritation when using any of these Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products.

I usually get some tingling when using lactic acid products, so I’m guessing the concentration isn’t too high in these products.

Still, it’s great to see Olay using this effective exfoliating acid in their new Vitamin C + Peptide 24 line.

Olay Vitamin C Review: The Bottom Line

Although these products are formulated for normal, oily, and dry/combination skin types, I think those with normal to dry skin or aging and mature skin will get the most benefits from these products since they are all about hydration, brightening, and glow.

If you have dull skin, these may just be the products for you.

I don’t love that all the Vitamin C + Peptide 24 products except the eye cream have fragrance. But I’m glad that I don’t notice the fragrance after a few minutes, as it dissipates pretty quickly.

I really like this line because Olay incorporates an effective antioxidant (a vitamin C derivative) that makes the products ideal for use during the day when your skin is exposed to the sun.

These products pair really well with Olay’s Retinol 24 collection, which is ideal for use at night.

I love the use of niacinamide, an anti-aging peptide, and lactic acid in the serum and moisturizer. Lactic acid is my favorite AHA, although I don’t think the concentration is very high in these formulas.

Overall, I really like these products. My favorites so far? The eye cream, which is gentle, hydrating, and lightweight, and the MAX vitamin C serum, which sinks into my skin quickly without any stickiness.

All of the products work well with makeup. I haven’t noticed significant brightening, but I love the active ingredients and will keep these products in my daytime skincare routine.

Thanks for reading!

Read Next: Olay Collagen Peptide 24 vs Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream

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