P&G to launch Olay facial cleansing wipes

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is to enter the facial cleansing wet wipes market for the first time with the launch of a range under its global Olay toiletries brand.

The company will support the launch with an advertising spend close to &£3m, a considerable amount for a skincare launch. Advertising will be created by Saatchi & Saatchi and media will be handled by Starcom Motive. Last year, P&G spent about &£12m on advertising the Olay skincare brand in the UK.

The company will directly target Nivea’s leading facial wipes range. The Olay range will carry variants for both normal and sensitive skin. The launch follows the success of P&G’s Olay Daily Facials range of dry cloths, which need to be soaked in water before use.

One insider says: “This is an area that P&G has not yet attempted to enter. The company sees it as an opportunity to dominate, given the strength of its Olay brand name.”

Industry sources add that the move is the next step in P&G’s repositioning of the brand away from its traditional anti-ageing positioning in the older woman market. In the US, the company has extended the range with vitamins products, although the company denies that it plans to bring the nutritional supplements to the UK.