P&G plans premium range skincare launch for Olay

Procter & Gamble is launching a range of premium skincare products under its Olay brand, in a departure from the brand’s mid-market positioning. The Olay Pro-X range is being billed as “professional”, but made for the mass market.

The range consists of six products, each retailing at about £30, with a sample starter kit priced at about £40. In a move away from its mid-market positioning, the range is being packaged in heavy, clinical-looking jars and bright red and white boxes. It will be displayed in store in theft-resistant units.

P&G claims the products use new technology that brings a “new potency” and has been three years in development. The company adds that the ingredients increase hydration and build collagen and elastin, guaranteeing results within one month of use.

The Olay Pro-X range consists of six fragrance-free items, three of which are central to the line – Age Repair Lotion, with SPF 30, Hydra Firming Cream and Wrinkle Smoothing Cream. The three other products are aimed at specific anti-aging needs – Deep Wrinkle Treatment,Discolouration FightingConcentrate and Eye Restoration Complex.

Olay’s most successful sub-brand is its Regenerist range. Products from that line retail at about £20, followed by the much cheaper Olay Total Effects range. Olay Pro-X is aimed at customers who are more likely to buy mid- to premium-range skincare products from department stores.

An initial launch of Olay Pro-X will begin in the US in December.