Avène Cold Cream for oily acne-prone skin
Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil
Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua
Beeswax Cera Alba Cera
Glyceryl Stearate
Cetyl Alcohol
Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it 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
- Offers moderate moisturizing for your oily skin due to mineral oil and beeswax, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience without targeting acne concerns.
- The formula provides general skincare benefits, but lacks targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to address your acne, blemishes, and breakouts or oiliness.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple 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 oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer works reasonably well for your oily acne-prone skin, providing moderate hydration through mineral oil and beeswax without causing irritation. However, because it lacks targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide for breakouts and oiliness, this skin type needs a lightweight product with acne-fighting ingredients, brightening agents, and soothing extracts that hydrate without adding excess oil.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Avène Cold Cream provides moderate moisture for oily skin through mineral oil and beeswax, though it lacks targeted blemish-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide. Oily acne-prone skin needs a moisturizer with lightweight textures, acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide, and hydration that does not clog pores or add excess oil.
What does Mineral Oil do for oily acne-prone skin?
Mineral oil sits on the surface of the skin to protect it and lock in moisture without causing irritation, but it is unlikely to help control breakouts or excess oil on its own. Oily and acne-prone skin generally needs lightweight hydrators like niacinamide to balance oil production and non-clogging ingredients that keep pores clear.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2019
What does Avene Thermal Spring Water do for oily acne-prone skin?
Avène Thermal Spring Water helps calm redness and soothe angry, oily skin whenever you feel irritation flare up. It is unlikely to clog pores and is very well tolerated by sensitive skin types.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer goes near the end of your morning and evening routines, right before sunscreen in the morning and after your treatment step at night. It provides moderate hydration for your oily skin, though an oily acne-prone skin type needs a product that includes targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to help manage breakouts and oiliness.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream alongside retinol by applying it either before or after to keep your skin soft and calm. Moisturizers of this type help soothe dryness and irritation while supporting your skin barrier during retinol use, but oily acne-prone skin also needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to manage breakouts and oiliness.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream daily as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your oily skin hydrated without causing irritation. For this skin type, a moisturizer also needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to help clear breakouts and manage oiliness.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause severe irritation on your oily skin, but it may cause potential breakouts. An oily acne-prone skin needs a moisturizer with ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to help clear blemishes and control oil.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream on your body and around your eyes, as its gentle ingredients are unlikely to cause irritation. However, oily acne-prone skin needs a product of this type that also includes targeted blemish-clearing ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide.
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, 2021Both US- and Tanzanian-sourced beeswax-pine resin mixtures produced equivalent short-term skin irritation compared to a hydrocolloid active comparator in 35 healthy volunteers over 7 days.
Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing, 2026Repeated 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 oily acne-prone 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, 2024Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023A facial serum containing snail secretion filtrate, Calendula officinalis, and Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract significantly reduced inflammatory acne lesions compared to placebo in 66 participants with mild-to-moderate maskne over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
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
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