Avène Cold Cream for dry skin
Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua
Beeswax Cera Alba Cera
Glyceryl Stearate
Cetyl Alcohol
Average
- HighDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 dry skin due to the emollient and occlusive actions of mineral oil and beeswax, which enhance barrier resilience.
- While it provides general skincare benefits, these are mostly supportive and not directly targeted at alleviating dryness or flakiness.
- The formula is safe for your dry skin, as it lacks any harsh or prohibited ingredients that could cause irritation.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use .
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 dry skin?
Avène Cold Cream is an average fit for dry skin, offering moderate moisture and barrier support through mineral oil and beeswax, though its benefits are mostly supportive rather than directly tackling dryness or flakiness. A moisturizer for dry skin needs highly effective, soothing ingredients that provide deep hydration and nourishment, such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin, alongside moisture-retaining agents and emollients.
Scientific Reports, 2021Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1995
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry skin?
Mineral oil and beeswax make this cream a moderate fit for your dry skin by softening the surface and helping to lock in moisture. To get even better results on dry skin, a product needs intensely hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to deeply nourish and stop flakiness.
Scientific Reports, 2021Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1995
What does Mineral Oil do for dry skin?
Mineral oil helps soothe dry skin by locking in moisture and keeping the surface soft and smooth. It improves your skin barrier and increases hydration, though an average fit for dry skin may need richer plant oils or butters alongside it to provide deeper nourishment.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2012The British Journal of Dermatology, 2024
What does Avene Thermal Spring Water do for dry skin?
Avene Thermal Spring Water is unlikely to modify the surface texture or elasticity of dry skin.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
Avène Cold Cream goes after your hydrating toner in the morning and after your treatment in the evening, or as the final step of a nourishing mask routine once a week. It helps soften your dry skin with mineral oil and beeswax, though a moisturizer for this skin needs ingredients that directly target dryness and flakiness.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Scientific Reports, 2021
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first, letting it dry, and then smoothing on this moisturizer. Using a barrier-supporting moisturizer helps reduce the dryness and flakiness that often come with retinol use.
How often should I use it?
You can use Avène Cold Cream twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to help keep your skin protected. Regular application is unlikely to cause irritation and may help improve skin comfort.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2026
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts for dry skin since it lacks harsh ingredients, though a greasy finish is a common complaint. A product for this skin needs richer, targeted ingredients that deeply relieve dryness and flakiness.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
You can use Avène Cold Cream on your body and around the eyes, as mineral oil and beeswax help lock in moisture while cetyl alcohol supports the skin barrier. Because the eyelid skin is especially thin, a product for this area needs gentle, nourishing ingredients that protect without irritation.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Scientific Reports, 2021
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
A lubricant mixture of 20 wt% beeswax, 40 wt% olive oil, and 40 wt% mineral oil reduced the instantaneous and 4-hour coefficient of friction by 87% and 59%, respectively, compared to unlubricated skin in seven participants.
Scientific Reports, 2021A 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, 2025Dibutyl adipate, caprylic/capric acid triglycerides with 5% phospholipids, isopropyl myristate, and mineral oil significantly enhance the skin penetration of methyl nicotinate in human volunteers, whereas caprylic/capric acid triglycerides, cetearyl isooctanoate, and dimethicone 100 have no effect.
Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1995Repeated 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, 2018
Why other moisturizers fit dry skin better
Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Nanoemulsions containing Macadamia integrifolia seed oil successfully enhanced skin hydration and reduced wrinkles in human volunteers, outperforming conventional emulsions in skin hydration enhancement.
Nanomaterials, 2024A formulation containing glycerol (5%) and xylitol (5%) applied twice daily for 14 days increased skin hydration, filaggrin protein quantity, interdigitation index, and biomechanical properties, and decreased transepidermal water loss compared to untreated and vehicle-treated skin in twelve volunteers with dry skin.
Acta Dermato-venereologica, 2017
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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