A little over a month ago, I went South to Singapore with Olay to preview a new product, that is now available in stores. When I clapped my eyes on the Olay Miracle Boost Youth Pre-Essence, I couldn’t help stifling a grin. Truly, there’s now no escaping the pre-essence or treatment essences phenomenon. Especially not when you have affordable options now!
What the Olay Miracle Boost is, is a product that you put on your skin after cleansing (and acid/exfoliating toner if you use it) and BEFORE other serums, essences or moisturiser. Hence the name – pre-essence. If you don’t use an acid toner, you’d apply this immediately after cleansing.
What it is supposed to do, is to boost (hence the name) surface cell renewal, and this increased cell metabolism helps your anti-aging serums and moisturisers work more efficiently. Aside from the boosting activity, it also boosts skin hydration, and that is something I hold dear to my heart. It does what many pre-serums, treatment essences or pre-essences promise to do… for a wallet friendly price! 😉
The Olay Miracle Boost comes in a 40ml bottle, with a silver cap that incorporates the dropper system. It is quite important that you ensure the cap is properly closed, because the mechanism in the cap will help dispense the proper amount of product for use.
So, when you twist it shut, the pump will retreat into the cap. When you open the cap, the pump pops up, drawing the product into the dropper.
This is what you get every single time. So, you can be sure that you’re getting the optimum amount to use each time! The instructions call for 2 full pumps with each use. I found it too much, personally. It took too long to absorb, and it made my skin feel tacky. So, I use just 1 pump day and night.
The Olay Miracle Boost has a very light, watery liquid texture that pretty much absorbs immediately into the skin. It is in fact a water-oil formula that really, feels more like water than oil. It doesn’t leave a residue on my skin, and I like to press it into my skin with my palms, which soaks it up like a sponge.
The almost immediate result that I can feel is that of moisture-plumped skin. It seems to give skin that little boost in hydration. Well hydrated skin absorbs product better – just like a damp sponge. I quite like it, as I’m no stranger to pre-serums and this seems to work about as well as others I’ve tried before. Over time, it’s also supposed to help soften fine lines and slow down skin aging, but that’s something I haven’t quite noticed after about a month’s use.
Does it boost the efficacy of my serums and moisturisers? Maybe it does. It’s hard to measure these things, and I use things like acid toners and vitamin C serums and all sorts of facial oils and moisturisers, that I cannot truthfully, hand on heart, say that this one is a game-changer. I like how it gives my skin a shot of hydration just before I layer on my other products, and for a start, that’s about as good as it gets. If you’ve never used a pre-serum before, then you may notice a more noticeable difference. Remember that we’re all different, with different skincare routines and expectations.
What I’m not crazy about however, is the scent. I find that there is a rather strong chemical scent that reminds me of hair perm lotion LOL! I’m sorry, it does! It reminds me of the hours I’ve spent at the hairdressers having my hair curled. It is a sharp, rather acrid smell that makes me wrinkle my nose every time I use this essence. No one seems to have mentioned this, so I do wonder if it’s just my nose being sensitive, or if there’s something off about my bottle? It dissipates (thankfully!) but that initial punch to the olfactory glands always throws me 😛
IN A NUTSHELL
The Olay Miracle Boost Youth Pre-Essence is a pre-serum that you apply on skin after cleansing (and acid toner but before a hydrating toner) and before other lotions, serums and moisturisers. The function is to boost cell-renewal, the efficacy of the skincare that goes on over this, while also boosting hydration and offering anti-aging properties. The texture is very light and it absorbs very easily into the skin. The directions call for 2 pumps each use but I use just 1 pump as I find 2 pumps too much for me personally. I can’t say I’ve noticed drastic improvements to my skin but it has not given me any negative results. The only thing I’m not crazy about is the scent that I find too sharp and acrid for my nose but that’s a personal thing.
PROS: Affordable, Lightweight serum absorbs easily and quickly into the skin, Noticeable boost in hydration, Long term use may help to slow down the appearance of skin aging and fine lines
CONS: Sharp acrid scent does not sit well with my nose
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who wants to try a pre-serum or pre-essence that is all the rage now, but is on a budget
PRICE: RM79.90 | AU$23.99 for 40ml (often on sale)
WHERE TO BUY: Most major pharmacies where Olay is sold
Here is the ingredient list for anyone interested as to what’s in the Olay Miracle Boost
Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-32, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Inositol, Isopropyl Isostearate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-100 Stearate, Fragrance, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Morus Alba Root Extract, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, PVM/MA Copolymer, Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Lilium Candidum Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract
The power of two in the Olay Miracle Duo
To further boost its anti-aging properties, Olay recommends that the Miracle Boost be used together with their Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream (RM99.90 for 50ml) for better results. They call this the MIRACLE DUO combo. First, apply the Miracle Boost Pre-Essence and then follow up with the Micro-Sculpting Cream. The Miracle Boost helps boost the efficacy and anti-aging properties of the cream by up to 2 times better active penetration into the skin.
My Mom used to be a huge fan of the Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting cream and till today, happily endorses it LOL! While I am now comfortable with thicker creams for my skin, I’m not as sold on this cream because I find the texture a little too slicone-y for my liking, having too much of a slip that I’m not comfortable with. I’ve been using moisturisers that are silicone free or contain little silicone for a while now, and I have noticed that I prefer that sort of texture. While the Micro-Sculpting Cream is great in a hotel room with dry air, or even on a plane, I find that its occlusive properties don’t sit as well for me on a day to day basis. Looks like Mom will be quite happy to take this cream off my hands! 😉
Have you tried the Olay Miracle Boost? Do you use a pre-essence or pre-serum?
Yep, it does mean you have one extra step in your skincare routine. But really, it takes all of 2 seconds. Have you tried this one?
Paris B
If I m not mistaken, currently there is a promo for this duo in Watson for RM100.80 right? Is pre essence actually necessary?
I’m not Paris and I don’t know if we can say it’s necessary, however if your skin needs a boost the pre-essence can work a lot.
If the duo is cheap and you’re interested in the cream, I’d say buy the duo instead to try both.
Thanks for chipping in! 😉
I’m not sure about the promo Gerrine, haven’t gone to Watson’s in a while LOL! But if so, that’s a great deal! In fact, they probably will have promos since it’s new and it’s the year end. As to whether pre-essence is necessary, that’s a hard question to answer. I’d say it’s optional. If you are comfortable with long routines, then you may appreciate that a pre-essence may make a slight difference to the absorption of your skincare. I do find that my serums seem to absorp more quickly, as the pre-serum usually softens the top layer of the skin, prepping it for absorption of other products. But we have done without it for years, and to be honest, we could continue going without, if we wanted. It’s a nice to have, and for some, may prove to be a game changer for their skin. For others, they may not notice anything 🙂
It’s a shame we don’t get all the cool stuff from Olay, we didn’t even got the Night elixir!
That’s so strange Efrain. But you know, I don’t see this product on the US site either, which I can understand why since the concept is very much in line with current Asian skincare trends! Maybe you’ll see it pop up when it starts spreading to the rest of the world 😀
Now it seems that the pre-essence hype died down a bit. Oh yes! The scent does smells like hair perm lotion 😀
Until the next hype pops up! LOL I think it’s a good concept, but not all brands got it right 😛 Oh and thanks for confirming the scent of perm lotion! I swear, I thought I was smelling things. Brought back the memories of my falling asleep in the hairdresser’s chair while my hair was curled. I looked like a doll for about 2 weeks and then I look like a sor-por LOL! Never again! 😛
I find the smell really bad, but I have noticed a great difference in my skin so I just with this smelled better. A little goes a long way. I only use one pump. Great product for the price if you can handle the smell.