🇫🇷France

La Roche-Posay vs Avène

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

La Roche-Posay and Avène are respected French skincare brands rooted in soothing thermal water traditions. The former is loved for its nourishing serums, rich moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and targeted eye products formulated with glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide, while the latter is known for its gentle moisturizers, protective sunscreens, targeted serums, and soothing cleansers formulated with glycerin. La Roche-Posay suits mature skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the second brand suits oily acne-prone skin and combination skin best. They differ primarily in their ownership and core formulations, with both utilizing glycerin to improve skin hydration and restore barrier function.

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

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 La Roche-Posay and Avène products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular La Roche-Posay vs Avène products

People Say

La Roche-PosayAvène
  • Improves Skin Texture and Radiance Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “absorbs in seconds — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Fragrance-Free and Gentle Formulas Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “legs stopped flaking — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
  • Soothes Skin, Redness, and Irritation Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my skin after a chemical peel — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “no stinging — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “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”
  • Texture and Pilling Issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Leaves a greasy film — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “too thick — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
  • Strong Fragrance and Scents Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “scent is awful — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “overwhelming floral smell — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “smell is too strong — Avène Cleanance”
  • Packaging and Nozzle Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
  • Price and Size Value Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”

La Roche-Posay vs Avène routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Avène routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Avène routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or Avène: which is better?

Both brands are a strong choice, as Lovi rates their routines as an equal High fit for most skin types. La Roche-Posay may edge out Avène slightly for dry sensitive skin with a High fit compared to Avène's Average fit, whereas Avène rates a Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin where La Roche-Posay is High.

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and Avène?

La Roche-Posay and Avène both offer high routine fit levels across major skin types, but La Roche-Posay is rated High for dry sensitive skin while Avène is rated Average. Reviewers note that the products on this page for Avène better handle price and packaging concerns, whereas La Roche-Posay provides better hydration and moisture. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

La Roche-Posay or Avène for dry skin?

La Roche-Posay and Avène both offer a High routine fit for dry skin based on the products on this page. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay performs better for hydration and moisture.

La Roche-Posay or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Both La Roche-Posay and Avène offer cleansers that perform well, with La Roche-Posay leaning toward options like Toleriane Hydrating Foaming Gel that Lovi rates as Superior for sensitive skin.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or Avène?

Avène tends to be more affordable than La Roche-Posay, as price and size value concerns are more frequently noted for La Roche-Posay on this page.

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of La Roche-Posay and Avène compare?

La Roche-Posay was founded in France in 1975 and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989. In comparison, Avène was founded in France in 1990 and is owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, La Roche-Posay or Avène?

La Roche-Posay has more fragrance-free products on this page, with 21 out of 35 products listing no fragrance, compared to Avène which has 7 out of 15 fragrance-free products.

What are the key shared ingredients across La Roche-Posay and Avène products?

Both La Roche-Posay and Avène feature thermal water and glycerin as key shared ingredients across their products on this page. Glycerin helps provide hydration, while thermal water is commonly included to soothe the skin.

La Roche-Posay or Avène for oily skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Avène are good options for oily skin, as Lovi rates their routine fit for oily skin as High. La Roche-Posay offers products on this page like Anthelios UVMune 400 Oil Control Fluid SPF 50+ that help manage oily skin, while Avène features items such as Cleanance sunscreen with a Superior fit level for oily skin.

La Roche-Posay or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Both La Roche-Posay and Avène offer moisturizers with High fit levels for dry and sensitive skin on the products on this page, but La Roche-Posay does better for hydration and moisture overall. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

La Roche-Posay or Avène for sensitive skin?

La Roche-Posay is a better option for sensitive skin because Lovi rates its routine fit as High, whereas Avène is rated Average for dry sensitive skin. Both brands offer gentle formulas, but La Roche-Posay features a broader range of products with Superior or High fit levels for sensitive skin types.

La Roche-Posay or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

La Roche-Posay Anthelios and Avène Cleanance sunscreens both achieve high fit levels for several skin types on the products on this page. La Roche-Posay reaches a superior fit for skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, combination skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, and oily skin, while Avène Cleanance achieves a superior fit specifically for oily skin.

La Roche-Posay or Avène for acne-prone skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Avène achieve a High routine fit level for acne-prone skin. Lovi rates Avène as Superior for oily acne-prone skin, whereas La Roche-Posay achieves a High fit level for that specific skin type.

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

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