We Put The New Olay Booster Serums To The Test For Two Weeks — Here Are Our Honest Thoughts

Not sure about you, but we’ve personally never been able to silo our skin to a single type. Honestly, its state and needs change what feels like every other day. One Monday it might be tight and flaky; Wednesday, it could be dull and congested; and by the weekend, it could be breakout central. When you think about it, our skin is similar to our emotions in that it’s constantly fluctuating. And you know what? That’s completely OK. Luckily, Olay’s brand-new Booster Serums are specifically designed to deal with skin’s ups and downs. There are five options formulated with different hero ingredients that offer various benefits — brightening, exfoliating, nourishing, and moisturizing — and can be used along with your favorite moisturizer, so you don’t need to revamp your entire routine to reap their benefits.

Because Olay’s Booster Serums are designed to be customizable, you can apply just one in the AM and PM or mix and match. It all comes down to your preference and what your skin is craving. Personally, we’ve been applying one formula in the morning, another in the evening, and using one as a spot treatment as needed. Oh, and did we mention that they’re all free of parabens, phthalates, and dyes, and they don’t contain more than 13 ingredients? We love to see it.

After using these targeted serums for two straight weeks, we saw first-hand how effective they are. Thanks to the potent formulations, our skin is noticeably and consistently more luminous, clear, and soft. Ahead, learn more about the amazing benefits of each so you can start personalizing your own perfect skin routine.

For Mega Brightening: AHA Serum

Thanks to months of freezing temps and indoor heat, our skin was looking (and feeling) super lackluster and drab. Just a few drops of this formula at night reenergized our complexion and revealed an unbelievably fresh glow thanks to alpha hydroxy acids. (Side note: We hate going to bed with skin care that’s overly oily, because it just rubs off onto our pillowcase, but this product felt like water and sunk right in.) AHAs are liquid exfoliators that gently dissolve dead surface skin cells and unearth plump, dewy, even-toned skin, and this formula did just that.

For Superior Antioxidant Protection: Vitamin E Serum

Vitamin E, the hero ingredient in this serum, is a potent, multi-tasking antioxidant that nourishes, protects from damaging free radicals like pollution, and helps repair the skin barrier. We smoothed the velvety oil-like liquid on in the mornings before sunscreen, and our skin had a really gorgeous, instant glow we hadn’t experienced from any other product before. The formula was nice and soothing — and it also felt good knowing we had on a layer of protection from skin-aging environmental aggressors. Over the course of two weeks, our complexion looked less red and had an overall more balanced feel to it.

For Gentle Exfoliation: Salicylic Acid Serum

This concentrated version of holy-grail clarifier and exfoliator salicylic acid made our skin visibly clearer and smoother in texture. We also saw a significant reduction in the bumps we thought had taken up permanent residence along our chin, as well as the pesky clogged pores on our nose. We’d recommend using this one only a few days a week, or beneath one of the other Olay serums (like the hydrating Jojoba one) to counteract dryness. Additionally, if you get the occasional zit or dark spot, it’s great as a spot treatment: We dabbed a little on a pimple one morning and it pretty much flattened by dinner time. Two weeks later, there was no lingering discoloration or sign of it at all.

For Next-Level Nourishment: Coconut Oil

With a base of deeply moisturizing coconut oil, this quenched our tight, dry skin and got rid of rough patches pretty much on contact. After two weeks of morning and night use, dryness was no longer a skin concern for us. To the contrary, our complexion felt and looked hydrated, silky soft, and bouncy. One caveat: If you’re acne-prone or very oily, go with Olay’s Jojoba Oil Serum for moisturizing benefits that won’t cause breakouts.

For Featherweight Moisture: Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil, the hero of this serum, flooded our skin with lightweight hydration that was easily absorbed without contributing to acne or shine. After day and night use, our combo, our breakout-prone skin felt balanced (not oily, not dry, but just right), and we were blown away by how well it seemed to soften the look of fine lines and even out our skin tone. We also really enjoyed how well makeup wore on top of this without pilling or creasing.