🇫🇷France

Avène vs Olay

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

Avène and Olay are skincare brands offering gentle care suited to complex needs. The French brand, founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre, is known for gentle moisturizers, protective sunscreens, targeted serums, and soothing cleansers formulated with glycerin, suiting oily acne-prone skin and combination skin best. Conversely, the other brand is warmly loved for its targeted moisturizers, eye products, serums, cleansers, and more, which thoughtfully pair niacinamide and glycerin to suit acne-prone skin and mature skin best. While both brands share glycerin to improve skin hydration and restore barrier function, they differ because the latter also pairs niacinamide to improve wrinkles, pigmentation, and skin 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.

Popular Avène vs Olay products

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 · 98% fit

Avène vs Olay routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Avène vs Olay routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Avène or Olay: which is better?

Olay tends to do better for skin smoothing and anti-aging, hydration, and brightening, while Avène is preferred for its gentleness and soothing properties. Both brands offer solid routines for dry, oily, and combination skin types.

What is the difference between Avène and Olay?

Avène focuses on gentle thermal water and calming formulas that fit acne-prone skin best, while Olay relies on ingredients like niacinamide and peptides to deliver superior results for mature and sensitive skin.

Avène or Olay for dry skin?

Both Avène and Olay are great for dry skin, giving you a High routine fit across the products on this page. Olay helps provide intense hydration and improved texture with ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, while Avène often soothes irritation with thermal water.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Avène or Olay: which cleanser is better?

Avene does better than Olay for gentleness and soothing, making its cleansers a good pick if you want to calm irritation. Reviewers often mention that the products on this page offer gentle deep cleanses.

Which is more affordable, Avène or Olay?

Neither brand is shown to be more affordable on this page, as reviewers mention the price point for Avène while Olay has no price information listed.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Avène or Olay?

Olay has more fragrance-free products on this page than Avène, with twenty-six out of twenty-seven Olay products listing no fragrance compared to seven out of fifteen Avène products.

Avène or Olay for oily skin?

Both Avène and Olay fit oily skin well, as the products on this page achieve a High routine fit for both brands. Olay is noted for its lightweight feel and fast absorption, while Avène often features effective oil control.

Avène or Olay: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer moisturizers that work well, with Olay providing superior fit levels for mature skin and sensitive skin compared to Avene. Olay moisturizers often feature key ingredients like niacinamide and peptides that help with anti-aging and skin smoothing.

Antioxidants, 2021International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005

Avène or Olay for sensitive skin?

Olay is the better choice for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its overall routine fit as Superior compared to Avène's High fit. Reviewers also note that Olay offers more fragrance-free options across the products on this page.

Avène or Olay: which sunscreen is better?

When it comes to sunscreens, Avène is the better choice for the products on this page because reviewers mention they are gentle and non-stripping. Olay offers fewer sunscreen options, with their Complete All Day Moisturizer SPF 15 and Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer SPF 25.

Avène or Olay for acne-prone skin?

Olay is the better choice for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its overall routine fit as Superior compared to Avène's High level. Reviewers also note that Olay delivers better skin-smoothing benefits.

Avène or Olay for mature skin?

Olay is the better choice for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Avène's High fit on this page. Olay products on this page often help improve texture, smoothness, and anti-aging signs.

Avène or Olay for dry sensitive skin?

Olay is a better choice for dry sensitive skin because the products on this page have a High routine fit compared to the Average fit of Avène. Olay also offers more fragrance-free options, which helps prevent irritation.

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?

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

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play