Product Review: Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System

When I got pregnant I knew that I had to stop using a lot of my current skincare products as they simply contained ingredients known to cause birth defects. Shock horror!! Obviously I couldn’t not continue to use these products, yet having always struggled with breakouts as long as I can remember, these products containing among others salicylic acid where what I believed kept my skin relatively clean and free from breakouts. And so I forked out the big money for a Clairsonic in the hope that it would help keep my skin clear now that I had to use more ‘basic’ skincare. And from day one of using it, I really noticed a difference in my skin, I can’t remember it ever being that clear. Now it could be a combination of pregnancy hormones and the Clairsonic, but I definitely believe that the more thorough in-depth cleanse has made a significant difference. But a Clairsonic is expensive, and not everyone can afford the high price tag, but the good news is that Olay has now brought out a cheaper alternative – so here’s my thoughts on the *Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System;

 

 

 

What They Say:

"Olay Regenerist unveils a new skincare revolution from its newly-upgraded, advanced anti-ageing line-up. The Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System is Olay’s first-ever state-of-the-art, electronic cleansing device designed to effectively loosen, lift and swirl dirt away to to cleanse, exfoliate and reveal brighter, smoother skin with each use."

 

RRP: Cleansing System: $32.99, Replacement brush heads: RRP $9.99 (2pc per pack) – Available from Woolworths, Coles, Priceline, Target, K-mart, BIG W, National Pharmacies and Chemist Warehouse

 

What I Say:

Olay claims that there was one Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System sold every three minutes in the United States from August 2011 to June 2012, which is pretty impressive numbers, so I was naturally excited to be trialing this Olay device.

 

 

The Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System comes in a box which includes the Cleansing device, a brush head, a 20ml tube of Skin Renewal Cleanser, and two AA batteries.

 

 

 

The batteries are inserted into the bottom of handle, which you rock side to side to remove the battery cover. I assumed this would be easy to do, but I have to say that I was struggling a little with this.

The brush head on the other hand is easy to lock into position.

 

The handle of the device has two buttons; the larger one top turns the device on and off and is also the slower and therefore gentler speed, while the smaller button is the quicker speed, and hence less gentle setting.

 

I normally always remove my makeup before using my Clairsonic, so that is also what I’ve done when using the Olay Cleansing System, which of course also means that the brush head lasts longer, although Olay does recommend replacing it every three months. But at $9.95 for two brush heads, that is also doesn’t cost a lot to do, while in comparison Clairsonic brush head cost around $30 for just one head!!

 

 

As recommended I dampened both the brush head and my face, and massaged some of the Skin Renewal Cleanser over my face, before turning on the brush and moving it around the face to activate the cleanser.

 

The actual Olay Skin Renewal Cleanser is a fine cleanser with extremely fine scrubbing grains in it, in fact, using it with the brush, you barely notice that it is an exfoliator, it is only when you massage it into your face that you realise.

 

Not having particularly sensitive skin, I used the fast setting, although I have been trying the slow setting on my cheeks as well, and after rinsing my face, it feels soft and glowing, and in no way is it irritated or red. Following with my serum and day cream, they absorb into the skin instantly.

 

So how does it compare to the more expensive Clairsonic. For one, the device doesn’t have a timer, but it is recommended to use it for approx. 60 seconds. I have to admit that I do like my Clairsonic Classic which has different timer settings, and like a tooth brush, gives me a little buzz when it is time to move on to the next area of my face, and the fact that it is also timed so that the area needing more attention such as the T-Zone gets more time while more sensitive areas such as the cheeks gets less time. However, in saying that, at a fraction of the price, it is certainly something that I can live without.

 

The actual handle and the brush head are also smaller than the Clairsonic, and keep in mind that I have the Classic version, which is a fair bit bigger than the Clairsonic Mia version.

 

I do like, actually I prefer the smaller size of the Olay handle, finding it a lot easier to hold in the hand, and move around the face. As for the brush head, I guess that I have gotten used to the larger Clairsonic brush head, so it will take a little getting used to the smaller brush head. But all in all I actually prefer the smaller size, and it is certainly also a lot easier (and lighter) take it with you when you are travelling – when I was recently in hospital giving birth to our little boy, (missed my pictures of our little boy, you can see them here!), the Clairsonic took up most of the space in my toilet bag!!

 

But I guess the main thing really is how the Olay Cleansing System cleanses in comparison to the Clairsonic…

 

Olay claims that the device which revolves at 350 times per minute, reaches skin contours where the fingers cannot and is tested and proven to remove layers of the toughest makeup faster and more efficiently than a standard cleansing routine - even without the use of a makeup remover. The device cleanses four times better than basic cleansing, resulting in better active anti-ageing ingredient penetration. The on the other hand Clairsonic claims to cleanse six times better than with your hands alone in just 60 seconds.

 

And to be quite honest, I am not sure that you can tell the difference, although, of course with the larger Clairsonic brush head you could argue that it cleanses a larger part of the face, and hence used for the same amount of time, it would cleanse the face slightly better. But on the other hand, I’ve found that I have been using the Olay for slightly longer than the 60 seconds (which would make up for that).

 

Having already used my Clairsonic for the past year, it is difficult to say if there has been any difference to the feel and look of my skin. On the other hand, I have now been using the Olay Cleansing System for two weeks, and just the fact that my skin hasn’t started to feel more oily or congested or has started to break out, only indicates one thing, that it is doing a very good a keeping my pores clean!!

 

All in all, I think that this is an amazing cleansing device which comes at a fantastic price too (and you can even be lucky to find it on special too, Priceline for instance just had 40% off for a few days!), so if you do not already have a cleaning system, I would not hesitate recommending it to you, you would not be disappointed. I wish the Olay Cleansing System had been available a year ago when I purchased my Clairsonic, then I would at least have had the option of saving some money!

*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

 What do you think of the Olay Cleansing System? Will you be getting one?