Avène Milk Cleanser for combination skin
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua
Glycerin
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Glycine Soja Oil Soybean Oil
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other cleansers 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 glycerin provides humectant action, but it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas.
- The formula provides general skincare benefits like hydration and cleansing, which are supportive but not directly targeted at your main goal of reducing oily shine.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your combination skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM as part of your daily routine. Start 3×/week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your skin using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- For the best results , apply the cleanser directly onto slightly damp skin to help lift away excess oil.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 500+ reviewsMany users report that it leaves their skin feeling soft and supple. Some users express dissatisfaction with a recent formula change and find the fragrance to be strong. Its effectiveness for removing heavy makeup is also a point of concern for some.
Highlights
Gentle on skin Mostly Mentioned
- “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin.”
- “So gentle and non-drying on my senior skin.”
- “Works great on my sensitive skin.”
Hydrating and soothing Often Mentioned
- “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated.”
- “So hydrating and soothing.”
- “Leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and supple.”
Strong fragrance Often Mentioned
- “The fragrance is very present.”
- “Fragrance is so very strong.”
- “Fragrance is too overpowering and ends up burning my cheeks.”
Effective makeup removal Sometimes Noted
- “Remove a all of the makeup with ease.”
- “Cleans eyes and skin well.”
- “Removes dirt and make-up, and rinses off.”
Formula change Sometimes Noted
- “They have changed the formula recently, and it... is not as good.”
- “New formula is not good.”
- “Not the same formula.”
Poor makeup removal Sometimes Noted
- “It absolutely couldn't remove anything on its own.”
- “You need to cleanse two or three times.”
- “Unsuitable for makeup removal.”
Sources: lovi.care, aveneusa.com, lovelyskin.com, walmart.com, dermstore.com, hwahae.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Avène Milk Cleanser work for combination skin?
This cleanser offers moderate suitability for your combination skin, helping to clean and hydrate while carrying a very low risk of irritation, but it lacks enough ingredients to properly control oil on your shiny areas. A cleanser for this skin needs to effectively clean without stripping moisture, manage oily shine, and support the skin barrier with soothing extracts and hydrating agents.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep your combination skin hydrated, while Avene Thermal Spring Water helps soothe it and keeps it comfortable. To be a better fit for your skin type, this type of cleanser also needs ingredients that control oil in your shiny areas.
What does Avene Thermal Spring Water do for combination skin?
Avène Thermal Spring Water helps calm combination skin, keeping it feeling comfortable while reducing redness and dryness. It is well tolerated by sensitive skin and can be used throughout the day whenever your skin needs a refreshing boost.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2009
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 cleanser go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser goes in the morning routine before a hydrating toner, moisturizer, and spf, and as the second step in the evening routine after a makeup remover. It has an excellent safety profile with no risk of irritation for combination skin, though a product for this skin also needs ingredients for oil control on oily areas.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can safely use this cleanser in your routine before applying retinol, as its very gentle formula is unlikely to cause irritation. This type of skin needs a cleanser that also helps control oil on shiny areas while keeping dry spots comfortable.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily as part of your morning and evening routine. It has a very safe formula with no harsh ingredients, though combination skin also needs specific ingredients to help control oily shine.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on combination skin, as it has a very safe formula with no harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation. However, because it lacks strong oil-controlling ingredients, combination skin still needs a cleanser with targeted oil-balancing components to properly manage shine in oily areas.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body and around the eyes, as it is very safe and unlikely to cause irritation. However, because the skin on the body and around the eyes varies greatly in thickness, a cleanser of this type needs gentle cleansing agents and soothing ingredients like glycerin to maintain comfort without causing dryness.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Behenyl 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, 2017Malaysian 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, 2024Balneotherapy 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, 2023A 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, 2025A formulation containing vitamin C, biopeptides, hyaluronic acid, and mineralizing water accelerated cell turnover to 17.1 days versus 19.2 days for untreated skin, and reduced crow's-feet, forehead, and nasolabial folds by 9%, 11%, and 5% respectively after 28 days in female subjects.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2021The 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, 2012
Why other cleansers fit combination skin better
A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Combined ascorbyl palmitate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate treatment significantly reduced facial sebum secretions in healthy female volunteers compared to a placebo control over 90 days.
Drug Research, 2017
Ingredients
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, C14-22 Alcohols, Behenyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Oil, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Parfum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycine Soja Oil Soybean Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, 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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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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.