Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm for dry skin
Avène Thermal Spring Water
Glycerin
Caprylic Capric Triglyceride
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Superior
- SuperiorDry Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best moisturizers for dry skin.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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
- Excellent suitability for your dry skin as Squalane and Shea Butter provide deep hydration and barrier support, while glycerin and caprylic capric triglyceride offer superior moisturizing and enhance barrier resilience.
- The inclusion of Avene Thermal Spring Water ensures a soothing experience, making it ideal for your dry or flaky skin concerns.
- The product is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring soothing components that prevent irritation.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and 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.”
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Questions and answers
What makes Avène Tolerance Control Balm one of the best fits for dry skin?
Avene Tolerance Control Balm is one of the best fits for dry skin because ingredients like squalane and shea butter provide deep hydration and barrier support. Glycerin and caprylic capric triglyceride help moisturize the skin while strengthening its barrier, and Avène Thermal Spring Water calms dry or flaky areas.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry skin?
Squalane and shea butter provide deep hydration and barrier support, while glycerin and caprylic capric triglyceride offer superior moisturizing and enhance barrier resilience. Avène thermal spring water also ensures a soothing experience that helps calm dry or flaky skin concerns.
What does Avène Thermal Spring Water do for dry skin?
Avene Thermal Spring Water helps calm dry skin by reducing redness and soothing irritation. Regular use may also improve skin comfort and reduce the feeling of tightness.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020
What does Glycerin do for dry skin?
Glycerin helps dry skin by drawing in moisture and keeping it locked in, which makes the skin feel much softer and smoother. It also supports your natural skin barrier to stop water from escaping easily. A product for dry skin needs extra ingredients like hyaluronic acid and soothing plant extracts to truly calm and hydrate dry patches.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This cream goes in the morning after a hydrating toner and before sunscreen, and in the evening as the last step after treatments. Using a daily moisturizer helps improve clinical dryness and boosts overall skin comfort.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the cream before or after retinol to keep your dry skin soft and calm while reducing irritation. Using a barrier-enhancing moisturizer along with retinol is well supported by clinical studies to improve skin comfort and help your skin adjust to the treatment.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to keep dry skin comfortable and well hydrated. Daily application helps improve skin moisture and supports the natural skin barrier.
Health Science Reports, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on dry skin, as it features a safe formula with a low complaint rate for causing blemishes. Its nourishing ingredients help keep your skin calm and moisturized without heaviness.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this moisturizer around the eyes and on your body because its gentle, soothing formula suits delicate areas. Squalane and shea butter provide deep hydration and barrier support while glycerin helps keep skin soft without irritation.
Is this cream 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.
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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
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