Avène Cold Cream for sensitive skin
Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua
Beeswax Cera Alba Cera
Glyceryl Stearate
Cetyl Alcohol
Average
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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
- Offers moderate moisturizing for your normal skin due to mineral oil and beeswax, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience, but lacks specialized ingredients to address your redness and irritation.
- The formula provides general skincare benefits relevant to normal skin, but the absence of targeted ingredients means it will not significantly improve your specific concerns.
- The product is safe for your sensitive skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that could cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
- You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
- Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, users find this cream to be a winter essential, deeply nourishing and protecting very dry, sensitive skin. It is highly effective for restoring the moisture barrier and soothing irritation, though some users report a heavy or greasy texture that they prefer for nighttime use.
Highlights
Intense winter protection Mostly Mentioned
- “Saves my skin in winter”
- “creates a protective mask”
- “essential for skiing”
- “blocks the sharp wind”
Deeply moisturizing Often Mentioned
- “Restores moisture barrier”
- “healed my dry patches”
- “skin feels supple again”
- “no more flaking”
Greasy finish Often Mentioned
- “Leaves a greasy film”
- “too shiny for day use”
- “feels heavy on face”
- “pillow gets oily”
Rich and economical Sometimes Noted
- “A little goes a long way”
- “tube lasts for months”
- “very rich texture”
- “thick and creamy”
Soothing for sensitivity Sometimes Noted
- “Relieved itching immediately”
- “calms my redness”
- “perfect for sensitive skin”
- “doesn't sting”
Old-fashioned scent Sometimes Noted
- “Smells like grandma”
- “strong herbal scent”
- “perfumey smell”
- “wish it was unscented”
Potential breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Caused closed comedones”
- “clogged my pores”
- “too rich for my T-zone”
- “gave me spots”
Price vs. size Rarely Noted
- “Tiny tube for the money”
- “expensive for the amount”
- “wish it came in a bigger tub”
Sources: lovi.care, lovelyskin.com, influenster.com, makeup.uk, boots.com, sweetcare.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Avène Cold Cream work for sensitive skin?
Avène Cold Cream is an average fit for sensitive skin because its mineral oil and beeswax provide moderate moisture and support your skin barrier, but it lacks targeted ingredients to calm redness and irritation. A moisturizer for this skin needs soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica and cica ceramide to quiet redness and repair the barrier.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin?
Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil and beeswax make this cream a fit by hydrating and protecting sensitive skin. Because this is an average fit, this skin needs soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, cica, and ceramides to calm redness and irritation.
What does Mineral Oil do for sensitive skin?
Mineral oil helps keep sensitive skin soft by sealing in moisture and is unlikely to cause irritation or penetrate deeply into the skin. Refined mineral oils have a strong safety profile and do not build up in the body.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2019
What does Avene Thermal Spring Water do for sensitive skin?
Avène Thermal Spring Water helps calm sensitive skin by decreasing redness and reducing uncomfortable stinging and burning. It has been shown in human studies to significantly lower the overall sensitivity scale of consumers.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cream goes at the end of your evening routine as a moisturizer. While it is safe and provides moderate hydration, sensitive skin with redness needs targeted soothing ingredients to truly calm irritation.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream alongside retinol to help keep your skin soft and comfortable, applying it after your retinol has fully absorbed. This type of moisturizer needs barrier-enhancing ingredients like ceramides and soothing agents to properly calm redness and protect sensitive skin during retinol use.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream daily to keep your skin soft and hydrated. Sensitive skin of this type needs a moisturizer that includes soothing and calming ingredients to help reduce redness and irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts for sensitive skin, as reviewers only occasionally mention this issue. However, because it contains mineral oil and beeswax, it provides a heavier layer that may feel greasy on some skin types.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream on your body, but it is less suited for the thin skin around your eyes. This cream relies on mineral oil and beeswax to hydrate dry skin and protect your skin barrier, but sensitive skin in thinner areas needs specialized soothing ingredients to calm redness and irritation.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Repeated application of concentrated water-in-oil emulsions over four weeks caused no skin irritation, positively affected skin properties, and delivered almost 50% of the applied fluorescein sodium, with isopropyl myristate showing superior penetration performance compared to liquid paraffin in healthy volunteers.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2019Balneotherapy 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, 2025Topical application of a honey, olive oil, and beeswax mixture three times daily for up to 4 weeks resulted in clinical responses in 86% of patients with pityriasis versicolor, 78% with tinea cruris, and 75% with tinea corporis.
Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2004A prototype body cream containing bee venom, propolis, honey, beeswax, and royal jelly demonstrated stability for 90 days, high antioxidant capacity of 85.45%, lack of cytotoxicity with over 70% cell viability, and no irritation or allergic reaction in dermatological analysis, while improving skin parameters in a panel test.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022MUD1 protected human dermal fibroblasts against AAPH-induced oxidative stress by increasing cell viability, reducing oxidative damage, improving mitochondrial functionality, and enhancing wound healing capacities.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2018A soap-free cleansing lotion containing cetyl alcohol and sodium cocoyl apple amino acids reduced skin surface impurities and improved skin hydration, barrier function, and skin tone in 27 healthy adult subjects over 30 days.
Cureus, 2025
Why other moisturizers fit sensitive skin better
A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002A dexpanthenol-containing cream accelerated skin barrier repair, increased stratum corneum hydration, reduced skin roughness, and decreased skin redness compared to vehicle and untreated controls in sodium lauryl sulphate-irritated skin.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2002
Ingredients
Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua, Beeswax Cera Alba Cera, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Bht, C20-40 Pareth-10, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Phosphate, Parfum, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Triethanolamine, Water
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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