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Avène vs Olay

Avène and Olay are two skincare brands tailored to distinct complexions through gentle moisturizers, protective sunscreens, targeted serums, and soothing cleansers. The French brand Avène is formulated with glycerin and suits oily, acne-prone, and combination skin best, while Olay utilizes both niacinamide and glycerin to suit sensitive and mature skin best. Ultimately, they differ in their foundational formulations and ideal skin types, offering specialized solutions for concerns ranging from dark spots to aging.

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

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

People Say

AvèneOlay
  • Gentleness and Soothing Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “doesn't strip my skin — Olay Regenerating Cream Cleanser”
  • Texture and Absorption Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “sinks in quickly — Olay Super Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Olay Vitamin C Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly — Olay Super Serum Night Repair”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Instantly smoother, softer, and more hydrated — Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream”
    • “light and smooth — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
    • “hydrates the skin — Olay Advanced Eye Cream”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
  • Skin Smoothing and Anti-Aging Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels baby soft — Olay Retinol24”
    • “Skin feels like silk — Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer”
    • “hydrates the skin — Olay Advanced Eye Cream”
    • “skin instantly felt firmer — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
  • Brightening and Radiance Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “iridescent glow — Olay Super Serum”
    • “hides dark shadows — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
    • “skin looks brighter — Olay Vitamin C Serum”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Removal Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “absorbs instantly — Olay Eye Lifting Serum”
    • “acts as primer — Olay Super Serum”
    • “concealer sits better — Olay Ultimate Eye Cream”
    • “Remove a all of the makeup with ease. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
  • Strong Fragrance and Scents Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “smell is too strong — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Fragrance can be an irritant — Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream”
    • “floral scent — Olay Super Serum”
  • Packaging Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Tube cracked on the side — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Cap leaks in bag — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “Good product bad packaging. — Avène RetrinAL EYES”
    • “hard to dispense — Olay Super Serum”
  • Product Ineffectiveness Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “no difference — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”
    • “no difference after month — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
    • “didn't work for me — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
    • “no difference — Olay Vitamin C Serum”

Avène vs Olay routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Avène vs Olay routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Avène vs Olay routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Avène or Olay: which is better?

Olay is generally better than Avène across most categories on this page, offering superior results for hydration, skin smoothing, anti-aging, and brightening. While Avène performs well for gentleness and soothing, Olay provides better routine fits for dry skin, sensitive skin, and mature skin.

What is the difference between Avène and Olay?

Olay tends to do better for skin smoothing and anti-aging, hydration, and brightening, whereas Avène excels in gentleness and soothing.

Avène or Olay for dry skin?

Olay is better for dry skin because the routine fit on this page is High while Avène is Average. Olay also delivers intense hydration and features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin that help improve moisture retention in dry skin.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Avène or Olay: which cleanser is better?

Olay is better for cleansers on this page, as reviewers note it provides gentle deep cleaning with less risk of irritation.

Which is more affordable, Avène or Olay?

Reviewers note that price point is a concern for Avène, whereas Olay is not mentioned as having pricing issues.

Avène or Olay for oily skin?

Both Avène and Olay are a good choice for oily skin, as the products on this page provide equal high routine fit levels for that skin type. Reviewers note that Avène excels in gentle oil control and non-stripping sunscreens, while Olay offers intense hydration with a lightweight feel.

Avène or Olay: which moisturizer is better?

Olay does better for hydration and moisture, and reviewers often note its intense hydration. Olay offers superior routine fit levels for dry skin compared to Avène.

Avène or Olay for sensitive skin?

Olay is better for sensitive skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Avène's High fit level. Reviewers note that Olay offers intense hydration and mostly fragrance-free options across the products on this page.

Avène or Olay: which sunscreen is better?

Avène is better for sunscreens on this page, as reviewers mostly mention its sunscreens as being gentle and non-stripping.

Avène or Olay for acne-prone skin?

Both Avène and Olay are great choices, as the products on this page offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin. Avène is often noted for effective oil control and gentle deep-cleaning cleansers, while Olay is well-regarded for providing intense hydration and improving skin texture.

Avène or Olay for dry sensitive skin?

Olay is better for dry sensitive skin because the products on this page have a High routine fit compared to Avène's Average fit. Olay also does better for hydration and moisture, and almost all of its products on this page list no fragrance.

Avène or Olay for mature skin?

Olay is the better choice for mature skin, as the products on this page achieve a superior routine fit compared to Avene's average fit. Olay also does better across review themes for skin smoothing, anti-aging, and intense hydration.

Avène or Olay for skin with dark spots?

Both Avène and Olay fit skin with dark spots at a High level on this page. Reviewers report that Olay does better for brightening and radiance, while studies show that Olay's key ingredient niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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.

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.