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Avène vs The INKEY List

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

Avène and The INKEY List are distinct skincare brands founded in France and Britain respectively, offering reliable moisturizers, targeted serums, and gentle cleansers built around nourishing glycerin. The French brand suits acne-prone and oily acne-prone skin best, while the British brand fits sensitive and combination skin best. Both brands harness glycerin to improve skin hydration and restore barrier function, yet they differ in their targeted product offerings and origins.

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Avène and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Avène vs The INKEY List products

People Say

AvèneThe INKEY List
  • Gentleness and Soothing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Value and Affordability Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “Bottle lasts for months — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Anti-Aging and Skin Repair Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin instantly felt firmer — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
    • “Healed my over-exfoliated skin in days — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “skin looks fresh and plump — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “bags are gone — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
  • Acne and Oil Control Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “My T-zone was excessively oily... observed a subtle reduction in sebum. — The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Residue, Finish, and Texture Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves a white layer — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “Leaves a greasy film — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “very runny serum — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Packaging and Quality Control Issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Tube cracked on the side — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Cap leaks in bag — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “Tube leaks liquified oil when opened — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Strong Fragrance or Unpleasant Scent Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “smell is too strong — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”

Avène vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Avène vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Avène vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Avène or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands are great choices, as Avène takes the lead for gentleness and soothing while The INKEY List does better for value and acne control. For dry sensitive skin, Lovi rates The INKEY List as High and Avène as Average.

What is the difference between Avène and The INKEY List?

Both brands offer solid routines for most skin types, but The INKEY List is better for value and acne control, while Avène is better for gentleness and soothing. For dry sensitive skin, Lovi ranks The INKEY List as High and Avène as Average.

Avène or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin. The INKEY List helps provide affordable options, while Avène often features soothing thermal water.

Avène or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both Avène and The INKEY List offer cleansers that fit oily and acne-prone skin well, but they differ in formulation and review feedback. Avène products on this page are noted for their gentle deep clean cleansers, while The INKEY List features strong options like the Salicylic Acid Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, Avène or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Avène, as reviewers frequently highlight its budget-friendly moisturizers and serums.

Which brand performs better for dry sensitive skin, Avène or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List performs better for dry sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Avène at Average. The INKEY List also avoids added fragrance across its products on this page, which helps reduce irritation for sensitive types.

How do the fragrance profiles compare between Avène and The INKEY List products?

The INKEY List products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas 7 of the 15 Avène products on this page list fragrance.

Which brand has fewer packaging and quality control issues, Avène or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List does better than Avène when it comes to packaging and quality control issues.

Avène or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Avène and The INKEY List are a High fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that Avène provides effective oil control, while The INKEY List offers strong acne and oil control.

Avène or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

For dry sensitive skin, The INKEY List has a High Lovi fit for its moisturizers compared to the Average fit of Avène. Both brands offer moisturizers that help provide deep hydration and a lightweight texture.

Avène or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both Avène and The INKEY List are rated High by Lovi for sensitive skin, so either brand helps. Reviewers say Avène is better for gentleness and soothing, while every product from The INKEY List on this page lists no fragrance.

Avène or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both Avène and The INKEY List are a High Lovi fit for acne-prone skin, so either brand helps. The INKEY List does better for acne and oil control overall, while Avène is better for gentleness and soothing.

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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