Sixty years old this year, Olay started life in a South African lab by an ex-Unilever employee called Graham Wulff. Oil of Olay was originally a thick pink liquid which was marketed as an anti-ageing "beauty fluid".
In the 1970s the range expanded to include all manner of skincare products, and the company was bought by Procter & Gamble in the mid-80s. In 1999 what was called Oil of Ulay in the UK, Oil of Olaz in other European countries and Oil of Ulan in Australia, became known as just Olay the world over. It is now sold in 80 countries worldwide to an estimated 60 million women.
(Source: guardian.co.uk)