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Avène vs The INKEY List

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Avène and The INKEY List are distinct skincare lines centered on glycerin for hydration and barrier support. The French house offers rich moisturizers, sunscreens, and targeted serums for oily and acne-prone skin, while the British brand features toners, eye products, and serums suited for combination and sensitive skin. Both rely on science-backed formulations, though the former favors science-backed soothing balms and the latter utilizes specialized treatments like azelaic acid and PHA.

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Avène and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Avène vs The INKEY List products

People Say

AvèneThe INKEY List
  • Gentleness and Soothing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Value and Affordability Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “Bottle lasts for months — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Anti-Aging and Skin Repair Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin instantly felt firmer — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
    • “Healed my over-exfoliated skin in days — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “skin looks fresh and plump — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “bags are gone — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
  • Acne and Oil Control Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “My T-zone was excessively oily... observed a subtle reduction in sebum. — The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Residue, Finish, and Texture Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves a white layer — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “Leaves a greasy film — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “very runny serum — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Packaging and Quality Control Issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Tube cracked on the side — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Cap leaks in bag — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “Tube leaks liquified oil when opened — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Strong Fragrance or Unpleasant Scent Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “smell is too strong — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”

Avène vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · $106.98 · 82% fitBuy Avène routine · $207.69 · 76% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Avène vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · $261.57 · 87% fitBuy Avène routine · $377.02 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Avène vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · $254.57 · 90% fitBuy Avène routine · $358.50 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Avène or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands are great choices, but they excel in different areas based on the products on this page. Avène stands out for gentleness and soothing care, while The INKEY List offers better value and affordability. For specific skin types like sensitive and combination skin, The INKEY List achieves a Superior routine fit.

What is the difference between Avène and The INKEY List?

The INKEY List offers better value and affordability, while Avène excels in gentleness and soothing for the products on this page. Lovi shows that The INKEY List has a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, whereas Avène has a High fit.

Avène or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Avène and The INKEY List have a High routine fit for dry skin on this page. Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as High.

Avène or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both Avène and The INKEY List offer cleansers for the products on this page, with Avène noted for gentle deep clean cleansers and The INKEY List for affordable serums and moisturizers.

Which is more affordable, Avène or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List does better for value and affordability among the products on this page.

Between Avène and The INKEY List, which brand is better suited for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, The INKEY List is better suited because Lovi rates its routine fit as High, whereas Avène has an Average fit level.

How do Avène and The INKEY List compare regarding fragrance in their products?

Avène lists no fragrance in 7 of its 15 products on this page, while the remaining 8 products include fragrance. In contrast, every product on The INKEY List page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

Which brand performs better for acne and oil control according to review themes?

The INKEY List performs better for acne and oil control according to the review themes on the products on this page.

Avène or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for oily skin, with Avène featuring high-rated options like its Cleanance sunscreen and cleansing gel while The INKEY List provides popular oil-control serums.

Avène or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both Avène and The INKEY List offer moisturizers with a High routine fit for dry and mature skin on the products on this page. Lovi rates Avène as High for dry skin and The INKEY List as High for dry skin. Reviewers note that The INKEY List provides affordable, lightweight, and fast-absorbing moisturizers, while Avène moisturizers are known to soothe irritation.

Avène or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands work well, but Lovi rates The INKEY List as Superior and Avène as High. The INKEY List products on this page list no fragrance, whereas 7 of 15 Avène products contain fragrance.

Avène or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Avène and The INKEY List both offer High routine fit levels on the products on this page. Reviewers note that The INKEY List does better for acne and oil control, while Avène does better for gentleness and soothing.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated 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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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