The Olay company recommends an “intensive wrinkle protocol” for maximum results in treating wrinkles. Olay’s website guarantees that using Olay products in a specific regimen is “as effective as the leading prescription wrinkle brand regimen at half the price.” A wrinkle cream’s effectiveness is dependent on its active ingredients. Since most nonprescription creams contain less concentrated ingredients than a prescription product, their use will likely produce only a modest improvement in the appearance of wrinkles, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Olay’s recommended treatment for wrinkles involves a morning and evening application of Olay Deep Wrinkle Treatment to areas of concern, as well as a morning application of Olay Age Repair Lotion SPF 30 to the face and neck, and an evening application of Olay Wrinkle Smoothing Cream to the face and neck.

Although products containing topical retinoids can help reduce fine wrinkles, they must be used with care since they can cause redness, dryness, burning and sun sensitivity. Olay uses a less-irritating vitamin A derivative called "retinyl proprionate" in its wrinkle products for similar wrinkle-reducing results without side effects.

Olay’s website claims that one of its ingredients, niacinamide, helps promote the skin’s natural production of collagen by improving moisture retention. Collagen is the protein that gives skin its elasticity, strength and youthful appearance. According to the website Smart Skin Care, application of certain topical products can stimulate collagen synthesis and have far fewer side effects than collagen injections.

Olay wrinkle-treatment products contain peptides, which are protein molecule fragments. By applying peptides topically, you are tricking your skin into making new collagen, according to the Dermatology Blog website. Using a peptide in cream form enhances your skin’s production of collagen, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Another ingredient in Olay moisturizing products, hyaluronic acid, contributes to skin moistness. Although hyaluronic acid naturally occurs in your skin’s connective tissues, its production decreases as you age. Keeping skin well-moisturized helps decrease the appearance of wrinkles.

Olay’s ProX Eye Restoration Complex is especially formulated for the eye area, which becomes prone to wrinkles referred to as “crow’s feet.” Its key ingredients, caffeine and niacinamide, serve to smooth these wrinkles by providing adequate hydration to the skin.