Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel for oily acne-prone skin
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua
Zinc Coceth Sulfate
Lauryl Betaine
Decyl Glucoside
Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract
High
- SuperiorOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few cleansers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 oily skin and acne concerns is provided by zinc gluconate and silybum marianum fruit extract, which work to regulate sebum production and reduce inflammation.
- The formula offers effective cleansing for your oily and acne-prone skin, with zinc gluconate contributing to sebum regulation.
- The product is safe for your skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and poses no risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it daily to help clear your breakouts.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in the morning and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Follow it with your toner and moisturizer.
- Gently massage a small amount of the cleanser onto your face using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help clean deeply and remove excess oil. This works best for oily skin types.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 6.5k+ reviewsThis gel cleanser is widely praised by users with oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin for its ability to deeply cleanse and regulate sebum without disrupting the skin barrier. While the majority report clearer, matte skin, a minority of users with drier skin types found it too stripping or experienced initial purging. This summary is based on a very large amount of data and should definitely be taken into account.
Highlights
Effective oil control Mostly Mentioned
- “Keeps me matte for hours”
- “Drastically reduced my oiliness”
- “Best face wash for greasy skin”
- “Controls sebum perfectly.”
Gentle deep clean Often Mentioned
- “Squeaky clean but soft”
- “Removes makeup easily”
- “Gentle on my sensitive skin”
- “Doesn't strip my barrier.”
Helps clear acne Often Mentioned
- “Cleared my cystic acne”
- “Keeps pimples at bay”
- “My skin is finally clear”
- “Great for hormonal breakouts.”
High value Sometimes Noted
- “Bottle lasts for months”
- “A little goes a long way”
- “Worth the price”
- “One drop is enough.”
Refreshing feel Sometimes Noted
- “Feels so refreshing”
- “Love the clean smell”
- “Leaves face feeling fresh”
- “Cooling effect is nice.”
Drying for some Sometimes Noted
- “Left my face tight”
- “Too drying for winter”
- “Caused dry patches”
- “Stripped my skin.”
Initial breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Broke me out initially”
- “Caused tiny bumps”
- “Skin got worse before better”
- “Gave me cystic spots.”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Cap leaks in bag”
- “Lid is hard to close”
- “Dispenses too much product”
- “Messy bottle design.”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “Scent is too strong”
- “Smells like perfume”
- “Fragrance irritated my nose”
- “Wish it was unscented.”
Sources: lovi.care, aveneusa.com, dermstore.com, ulta.com, lovelyskin.com, lookfantastic.ie, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is a great fit because ingredients like zinc gluconate and silybum marianum fruit extract help control excess oil and calm redness. The gentle formula cleans your skin effectively without harshness, making it very unlikely to cause irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Zinc gluconate and silybum marianum fruit extract make this cleanser a great fit because they help control excess oil and calm redness. The formula also includes Avene thermal spring water, which helps soothe the skin with a very low risk of irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
What does Avene Thermal Spring Water do for oily acne-prone skin?
Avène Thermal Spring Water helps calm oily, acne-prone skin by reducing dryness, stinging, and redness while improving overall skin comfort. It is often used as an extra step alongside standard acne care to make treatments more tolerable and to keep skin hydrated.
What does Zinc Coceth Sulfate do for oily acne-prone skin?
Zinc Coceth Sulfate is a cleansing agent that helps wash away excess oil and dirt from oily, acne-prone skin. A product of this type needs to gently clean without stripping moisture, often including soothing or balancing ingredients to keep skin calm and clear.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is used as the first step in both your morning and evening routines. It gently washes your face and helps calm redness without drying out your skin.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol as part of your routine, applying the cleanser first to clean your skin before using your retinol treatment. This cleanser is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin because zinc gluconate and silybum marianum fruit extract help control oil and calm inflammation, and the formula has a very safe profile that is unlikely to cause irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
How often should I use it?
This cleanser is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin and is gentle enough for daily use in both your morning and evening routines. It helps control excess oil and calms inflammation without causing irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is a great fit and is unlikely to clog pores or cause major breakouts, though initial breakouts may rarely happen for some. Its formula helps regulate oil and calm the skin safely without harsh ingredients.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is not well suited for the very thin skin around the eyes, but you can safely use it on the body because it contains no harsh ingredients and poses no risk of irritation. A deep cleansing gel containing zinc gluconate helps manage body breakouts.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It contains fragrance (parfum) and drying alcohol (isopropyl alcohol).
What the research says
Daily use of a deep cleansing gel containing salicylic acid 2%, zinc gluconate 0.2% and lipohydroxy acid 0.05% significantly reduced total lesion count by 56.3% after 84 days in 35 subjects with mild to moderate truncal acne.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023A dermocosmetic cream containing Punica granatum Pericarp extract, Salicylic acid, Niacinamide, Zinc gluconate, and Aqua Posae Filiformis significantly decreased inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesion counts in subjects with mild to moderate acne compared to untreated hemi-faces after 15 days.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Malaysian 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, 2024Balneotherapy 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, 2023A 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, 2025A formulation containing vitamin C, biopeptides, hyaluronic acid, and mineralizing water accelerated cell turnover to 17.1 days versus 19.2 days for untreated skin, and reduced crow's-feet, forehead, and nasolabial folds by 9%, 11%, and 5% respectively after 28 days in female subjects.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2021Silybum marianum flower extract increased human hair follicle dermal papilla cell proliferation and VEGF production while suppressing cellular senescence, and in a clinical study using hair shampoo, it significantly increased hair density and total hair count at 16 and 24 weeks compared with a placebo group.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Topical 0.5% silymarin-loaded antioxidant serum applied twice daily significantly reduced clinical acne severity, lesion counts, and melanin pigmentation in 22 Korean acne patients over 4 weeks without associated adverse events.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Topical silymarin cream 1.4% showed comparable results to salicylic acid 30% peels in reducing acne severity in 30 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, 2024
Ingredients
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua, Water, Zinc Coceth Sulphate, Lauryl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Parfum, Green 5 Ci 61570, Isopropyl Alcohol, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Peg-6, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Yellow 5 Ci 19140, Zinc Gluconate
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
How does it fit your skin?
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