Most wrinkles are caused by damage to skin cells. Skin cells are damaged by too much sun exposure, which results in UV ray damage, and by oxidation, which comes from sun exposure as well as other environmental factors. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, the UVA and UVB rays penetrate the skin and cause sunburns, break down skin collagen, create free radicals, and cause the skin's natural repair systems to work less efficiently. Oxidation happens when the free radicals (also known as toxins) that are created on skin cells by sun damage and by other environmental factors (chemicals, pollution) as well as by pesticide-treated food, stress, cigarette smoke, and alcohol. All of those factors are common in our society; you can't always get away from them, so your skin is going to have a certain amount of free radicals. Those free radicals are unstable (usually an unstable oxygen molecule), and they "steal" electrons from skin cells (oxidizing), which results in skin cells bonding with other skin cells in an effort to restabilize themselves. Picture a whole row of skin cells grabbing, pinching, and pulling closer together than the "normal" skin cells around them. This tightening creates a fissure in the skin along the row of skin cells seeking stabilization. We see it as a wrinkle.

The main ingredients of olive oil soap are olive oil (sometimes in combination with other oils) and a cleansing agent, either lye (harsher) or glycerin (gentler, but with less "bubbling" action). The olive oil is the component of the soap that provides the most benefits for treating and preventing wrinkles. It does this via three main factors: it is an antioxidant, it is high in Vitamin E, and it is similar in fat composition to human skin.

As an antioxidant, olive oil helps to prevent the free radicals that accumulate on the skin from bonding with and stealing the electrons which belong to skin cells. This prevents additional wrinkles from forming on the skin.

Vitamin E is a superfood for the skin. It also works as an antioxidant, so it helps to prevent the formation of new wrinkles on the skin. Additionally, it helps with wrinkles that have already formed by smoothing the damaged surface of the skin so that wrinkles and fine lines become less noticeable.

Because the fat composition of olive oil is so similar to that of human skin, it is absorbed quickly by the skin. It does not leave a greasy residue, and it helps the skin to absorb and hold the moisture it needs to prevent it from drying out.