Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser and Scrub

I received Olay’s Pore Minimizing Cleanser and Scrub as part of a Facebook promotion they were running earlier this summer. I was actually quite excited about this product because A) it full size sample and B) it targeted the appearance of pores, something that’s been a bit of an issue for me this hot, sweaty summer.

Now, the truth is, you can’t really shrink pores and Olay knows this. That’s why it uses language like this on the back of this product’s bottle, “…to help minimize the appearance of pores.” So nothing’s really changing, it’s just the appearance of things that are changing.


But does this product, which contains a “Deep Cleaning Ribbon” and a Exfoliating Mircobead Ribbon” even do that?

Surprisingly yes.

While I was excited to get this product, I didn’t think it would actually do anything but I was wrong. After only a couple days of use, my pores, particularly the ones on/around my inner cheek and nose, did look smaller.

Of course, looking at them super-close up revealed that no, they weren’t smaller, just cleaner, but hey, as long as they look smaller, I’m happy with this item.

Well, mostly happy. This product did have a lot of pluses, including giving me an overall brighter, healthier complexion, and being packaged in a user-friendly pump bottle, but it had one big negative: The smell.

I don’t know what Olay was thinking but this stuff smells like someone mixed a cleaning spray with an artificially sweeten children’s cough syrup. It’s really a strange smell for a face wash and it might actually keep some scent-sensitive people from using this item (thankfully it doesn’t linger).

But while the smell’s poor, the texture’s great.  It’s a nice blend of creamy and foamy with a touch of grit that results in wash that feels like it’s really doing its job (and it does).

You’re supposed to use this product twice daily and while it is a scrub, it’s certainly gentle enough that you could follow that routine. However, unless enlarged pores are your skin’s only issue, I would recommend alternating it with another wash since this one is very problem-specific.

During the 10 or so days when I did the twice-a-day thing, my pimples and dry spots appeared to be untouched by it. Both were issues I had prior to using this wash and while it didn’t seem to make them worse, I don’t think it really improved things either.

But to be fair, this product doesn’t claim to fight acne, dry skin, aging or anything than ugly pores so that’s why I say that if you have other skin issues, you’re going to want another wash to fight those issues.

Would I buy this again: Yes
Should you buy it: As long as you can handle the smell.