Avène Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream for sensitive skin
Avène Thermal Spring Water
Glycerin
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Dimethicone
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 suitability for normal skin, as glycerin and shea butter provide beneficial humectant and emollient actions to support your skin's barrier resilience.
- While these ingredients offer general hydration beneficial for redness and irritation, they are not specifically targeted to address these concerns.
- The formulation is safe for your sensitive skin, with no harsh 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 1.5k+ reviewsUsers frequently report deep moisturization that alleviates tightness and flakiness, leaving skin soft and comfortable without a greasy feel. Some users note a strong fragrance that can be irritating, and a low number of reviews mention the cream being too heavy or causing mild irritation.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “It is rich, ultra hydrating, thick and goes on smoothly.”
- “It intensely hydrates, but does not feel or look greasy at all.”
- “My skin stay much more hydrated.”
- “Provides deep, long-lasting hydration for dry and dehydrated skin.”
Soothes sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “I have skin allergies and this stuff has been great.”
- “Putting this on my face was nothing but comfort.”
Non-greasy texture Sometimes Noted
- “Feels rich and moisturising but not sticky or heavy.”
- “Absorbs quickly... does not feel or look greasy at all.”
- “Absorbs beautifully without greasy residue.”
- “Very hydrating but breathable.”
Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “I absolutely detest the signature scent of AVENE.”
- “It is strong, it lingers and frequently can be irritating.”
- “Don't remember it having such a strong fragrance.”
- “The smell reminds me very much of an older persons cream smell.”
Can cause irritation Rarely Noted
- “It does make my skin a tiny bit irritated.”
- “The first week I felt my skin really sore.”
- “Frequently can be irritating... why use a horrible fragrance?”
Too heavy Rarely Noted
- “This is too rich for me now that my skin is back to normal.”
- “I would not recommend this for oily skin.”
- “Avoid over-application to prevent a greasy feel.”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, dermstore.com, adorebeauty.com.au, cocooncenter.co.uk, ozhairandbeauty.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Avène Hydrance Rich work for sensitive skin?
Avène Hydrance Rich works fairly well for sensitive skin, as its glycerin and shea butter help support your skin's barrier while staying gentle and unlikely to cause irritation. However, it lacks specific ingredients to target redness and irritation. A moisturizer for this skin needs soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, cica ceramide, and nourishing oils that calm redness and repair the skin barrier without overwhelming it.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycerin and shea butter make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin by helping keep it soft and supporting the skin barrier. To fit this skin even better, a moisturizer of this type needs soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica and cica ceramide to specifically target redness and irritation.
What does Avène Thermal Spring Water do for sensitive skin?
Avène Thermal Spring Water helps calm sensitive skin by significantly reducing redness, stinging, and burning sensations. It provides a soothing effect and improves overall skin comfort, making it very well tolerated by easily irritated skin.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2007
What does Glycerin do for sensitive skin?
Glycerin helps keep sensitive skin soft and deeply hydrated while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and roughness.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1999
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cream goes at the end of your evening routine after your treatment, and it needs calming ingredients like centella asiatica or thermal spring water to properly care for sensitive skin.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizer with retinol, applying it after your retinol treatment to help soothe your skin and lower the likelihood of dryness. Sensitive skin of this type needs a gentle moisturizer with ceramides and soothing ingredients like niacinamide or centella asiatica to better calm irritation.
How often should I use this cream?
Apply this cream twice a day to keep your skin soft and comfortable. Regular daily use helps maintain moisture and supports your skin barrier over time.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
Avène Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream is safe for your sensitive skin and is unlikely to cause harsh irritation. However, a product for this skin needs soothing ingredients like centella asiatica or green tea to actively calm redness and irritation.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is safe for your sensitive skin and can be used on the body, though the thin skin around the eyes often benefits more from specialized eye creams with ingredients like low molecular weight heparan sulfate or hyaluronic acid.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). 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, 2017A 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, 2025Balneotherapy 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, 2012A 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, 2025Safflower oil body-human epidermal growth factor microgel emulsions mixed with xanthan gum enhance transdermal absorption, regulate inflammation, accelerate angiogenesis, and promote re-epithelialization and remodeling in full-layer skin wounds in rats.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007
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
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua, Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Isocetyl Stearoyl Stearate, Triethylhexanoin, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Cetearyl Glucoside, Benzoic Acid, Beta-Sitosterol, Bht, Disodium Edta, Parfum, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, 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
How does it fit your skin?
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