Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm for combination skin
Avène Thermal Spring Water
Glycerin
Caprylic Capric Triglyceride
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for your combination skin, as squalane and glycerin provide beneficial hydration and barrier support without exacerbating oiliness.
- While these ingredients offer general skincare benefits supportive for oily shine, they are not specialized for controlling excess oil.
- The product is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizer in your AM and PM routine every day to control shine. Always pair with SPF in the morning.
- Apply this moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your morning SPF.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin and avoid harsh rubbing. Let it ⏳absorb for a minute.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help it lock in moisture better. This keeps your combination skin balanced.
- Avoid the eye area when applying the moisturizer. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 4.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly effective at calming and hydrating hypersensitive, reactive, and allergy-prone skin, with users frequently reporting relief from redness, tightness, and irritation. It is also often praised for its ability to restore the skin barrier and for being fragrance-free and gentle. A moderate number of users note that it absorbs quickly without greasiness, while some find the price to be high. A low number of reviews mention breakouts or insufficient hydration.
Highlights
Soothes irritated skin Mostly Mentioned
- “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before.”
- “My skin immediately feels soothed and settled.”
- “This balm is very soothing to irritated red skin.”
Fragrance-free and gentle Often Mentioned
- “Love that there is no scent at all!”
- “I have no irritation from this product.”
- “Fragrance-free and contains minimal, gentle ingredients.”
- “No burning, itching, or tight feeling!”
Restores skin barrier Often Mentioned
- “This repairs my skin barrier without fail.”
- “The only moisturiser that my skin tolerates when my skin barrier is compromised or absolutely destroyed.”
- “Great for post peel or winter time also.”
- “It makes a good barrier for the skin and protects the skin.”
Absorbs quickly Sometimes Noted
- “Absorbs into skin without residue.”
- “Provides a non-greasy texture that absorbs well into skin.”
- “Lightweight yet nourishing texture that absorbs well.”
- “Hydrates with a mess free application bonus.”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!!”
- “But it's soooo expensive for an ounce of product.”
- “It's a bit pricey for the amount of product.”
- “This Tolerance Skin Recovery Cream is pricey, but it's a life saver.”
Causes breakouts Rarely Noted
- “When I first tried it, I woke up to two pimples on my 58-year-old dry skin.”
- “After using it twice... the next day i had 5 new BIG pimples, small bumps around my jaw.”
- “Leaves bumps and redness.”
- “It stings my face upon application... and leaves bumps and redness.”
Not hydrating enough Rarely Noted
- “Not hydrating enough and my skin feels so dry even right after applying the cream.”
- “This lotion dried out my skin.”
- “I think the consistency is not very rich... not enough to hydrate dry skin in my opinion.”
- “It will not fix the fundamental problems that dry skin has.”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, target.com, aveneusa.com, dermstore.com, boots.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Avène Tolerance Control Balm work for combination skin?
This moisturizer works reasonably well for combination skin because glycerin and squalane hydrate dry areas without adding extra oil. It is safe and unlikely to cause irritation, but a moisturizer for this skin type needs specialized ingredients to control excess shine.
Which ingredients make this moisturizer a good fit for combination skin?
Squalane and glycerin make this moisturizer a good fit because they provide helpful hydration and barrier support without making your skin too oily. However, this skin type needs a moisturizer with ingredients that actively control excess oil and brighten the skin while keeping it hydrated.
What does Avène Thermal Spring Water do for combination skin?
Avène Thermal Spring Water helps calm redness and keeps combination skin comfortable by soothing sensitive areas. It is unlikely to cause irritation and supports overall skin balance.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2011
What does Glycerin do for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this moisturizer go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This moisturizer goes as the third step in the morning after a cleanser and hydrating toner, and as the last step in the evening after your treatment. It helps keep your skin soft and hydrated without feeling heavy, though combination skin also needs specialized ingredients to actively control excess oil.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this moisturizer with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizer with retinol by applying the retinol first and following with the moisturizer. This helps keep your skin soft and smooth while lowering the likelihood of dryness or irritation. A product of this type for combination skin needs lightweight hydrators and ingredients that manage excess oil.
How often should I use this moisturizer?
You can use this moisturizer twice a day, morning and evening, as part of your regular routine. Regular daily application helps keep your skin hydrated and supports its moisture barrier without causing irritation.
Health Science Reports, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
Can this moisturizer clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This moisturizer is unlikely to cause breakouts for your combination skin since it is free of harsh ingredients, and reviewers rarely report clogged pores or pimples with it. Squalane and glycerin help keep skin soft and balanced without adding heavy oils.
Can I use this moisturizer around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizer around the eyes and on the body because it is safe and gentle for those areas. Since the skin around the eyes is much thinner than on the body, it needs lightweight hydrators like glycerin and squalane to keep it soft without feeling heavy.
Is this moisturizer fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.
Life, 2023Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Topical application of an emollient emulsion containing 15.0% caprylic/capric triglyceride doubled the amount of urocanic acid isomers and increased skin hydration with reduced transepidermal water loss in healthy subjects, though it did not prevent ultraviolet-induced urocanic acid isomerization.
Life, 2023Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025
Ingredients
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Squalane, Beeswax Cera Alba Cera, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Esters, Aquaphilus Dolomiae Extract Filtrate, Arginine, Citric Acid, Tromethamine, Water, Xanthan Gum
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.