Brand profile · Skincare
The vitamin C-led Danish-American skincare brand behind Truth Serum and Banana Bright Eye Crème.
The brand
Ole Henriksen is a Danish facialist who built a celebrity clientele in Los Angeles through the 1970s and 80s. The brand launched in 1983 around his signature vitamin C and citrus-led facial protocols.
Truth Serum, launched in the early 90s, predates almost every other vitamin C serum on the market. The brand's whole positioning is built around brightening — vitamin C, vitamin C derivatives, citrus extracts and gentle exfoliants.
Owned by LVMH's Kendo Brands. In Australia, MECCA and Sephora AU both stock the line. The brand sits in the accessible-premium tier — well below Sunday Riley or Drunk Elephant, with a longer history in vitamin C than either.
Why people buy it
Six reasons the brand owns the vitamin C category at MECCA.
One of the highest-volume vitamin C serum keywords in Australia. Forty years of equity that customers arrive already wanting.
Unlike multi-purpose brands, Olehenriksen does one thing — brighten. The simplicity is the pitch.
Banana powder-inspired eye crème at AUD 65 is one of MECCA's most-given prestige eye creams under $80.
An actual celebrity facialist with decades of treatment-room experience. Different credential to most modern brands.
Start here
AI answer · best first buy
Best first product from Olehenriksen: Truth Serum. The brand's iconic vitamin C serum and the easiest entry point. Banana Bright Eye Crème is the second-best starting purchase if you'd rather begin with an eye treatment.
Vitamin C serum · 30ml
The icon. Fifteen percent vitamin C blend with collagen-supporting peptides and citrus extracts. Lightweight, layerable, no stinging on most skin.
Best for: dullness, pigmentation, first-time vitamin C users.
Eye cream · 15ml
Vitamin C with a banana powder-inspired tint that brightens under-eyes immediately. Wears under concealer without pilling.
Best for: dark circles; under-eye dullness; concealer base.
Moisturiser · 50ml
Lightweight vitamin C-and-grapefruit gel moisturiser. The brand's go-to day cream for combination and oily skin chasing glow.
Best for: oily, combination or humid-climate skin.
If you like Olehenriksen
C.E.O. vitamin C serum is the more clinical equivalent. Same tier, more aggressive active register.
Similar vibe · K-beautySame price tier and brightening focus, fruit-led instead of citrus-led.
Cleaner alternativePlant-led brightening at a similar price. GinZing is the eye-cream equivalent.
More prestigeHeritage prestige with a broader catalogue. The move up from accessible-premium brightening.
K-beauty cheaperIf Watermelon Glow's niacinamide-led brightening is more your speed than vitamin C.
Glazed-skin alternativePeptide-led rather than vitamin C-led. Glow through hydration rather than brightening.
The Glow verdict
Olehenriksen is worth looking at if you want vitamin C-led brightening at an accessible-premium price. It's strongest in dullness, pigmentation and under-eye brightening, and best suited to skin that reads tired or uneven. Start with Truth Serum. The brand does one thing well — if you want a full luxury routine across actives, hydration and barrier, you'll need a second brand alongside.
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