Avène Hydrance+ for oily acne-prone skin
Glycerin
Butyl MethoxydibenzoylmethaneLow
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
A weak match for oily acne-prone skin; the sunscreens alongside 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 and UV protection for your oily skin, with glycerin providing hydration and a blend of UV filters shielding against sun damage, though it lacks specific ingredients to address your primary concerns of acne and breakouts.
- While suitable for oily skin due to its humectant properties, the formula does not contain sufficient oil-controlling agents to fully manage shine.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizing sunscreen every morning. Reapply throughout the day if you are outside.
- Apply this moisturizing sunscreen as the final step of your morning routine after your moisturizer.
- Gently smooth a nickel-sized amount over your face and neck, avoiding harsh rubbing to keep oily areas calm.
- Apply this moisturizing sunscreen on clean, dry skin to ensure even coverage and protection.
- Avoid getting the product into your eyes and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.1Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsThis product is praised as a gentle, hydrating mineral sunscreen and moisturizer suitable for dry and sensitive skin. A significant number of users with medium to darker skin tones report a noticeable white cast, and some find the texture too thick or difficult to blend.
Highlights
Leaves white cast Mostly Mentioned
- “leaves a white layer”
- “ghostly look”
- “not for dark skin”
Gentle, non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “no irritation at all”
- “soothes my skin”
Deeply hydrating Sometimes Noted
- “skin feels soft”
- “intense hydration”
- “healed my dry patches”
Dewy finish Sometimes Noted
- “nice dewy finish”
- “good makeup base”
- “leaves a glow”
Mineral formula Sometimes Noted
- “love that it's mineral”
- “no chemical filters”
- “doesn't sting eyes”
Thick texture Sometimes Noted
- “too thick”
- “hard to rub in”
- “feels heavy”
Can be greasy Rarely Noted
- “too shiny”
- “greasy finish”
- “face looks oily”
Pills easily Rarely Noted
- “pills under makeup”
- “balls up”
- “weird graininess”
Sources: lovi.care, aveneusa.com, ulta.com, lovelyskin.com, walgreens.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is Avène Hydrance+ a weak match for oily acne-prone skin?
Avène Hydrance+ is a weak match for your oily skin because it offers moderate moisture and sun protection with glycerin, but it lacks specific ingredients to address acne and breakouts while failing to provide sufficient oil-controlling agents to fully manage shine. A product of this type needs lightweight ingredients that hydrate without clogging pores, control excess oil, and support the skin barrier while targeting blemishes.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream is a weak match for your skin because it lacks specific ingredients to address acne and breakouts, and does not contain enough oil-controlling agents to manage shine. Oily acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-greasy ingredients that hydrate without clogging pores while helping to control excess oil.
What does Water do for oily acne-prone skin?
Water helps keep oily, acne-prone skin hydrated without making it greasy. Keeping skin hydrated is important because acne treatments can dry it out and irritate the skin barrier.
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream goes in the morning routine as your moisturizer and spf step, coming after your hydrating toner. Because it is a weak match for your oily acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs extra oil-controlling agents and blemish-clearing ingredients to properly manage shine and breakouts.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first and following it with the moisturizer to help keep your skin soft and reduce irritation. However, this product is a weak match for your oily acne-prone skin, so an ideal product for you needs oil-controlling agents and ingredients to manage breakouts.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing SPF every morning to hydrate and shield your oily skin from the sun. Because it is a weaker match and lacks oil-controlling agents, oily acne-prone skin needs a product with ingredients that target breakouts and control shine.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
Avène Hydrance+ may not be the best match for oily acne-prone skin because it lacks specific ingredients to address breakouts and does not contain enough oil-controlling agents to fully manage shine. To work well for this skin, a product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and ingredients that help clear blemishes and control excess oil.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum).
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, 2017The 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, 2012Encapsulation of ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane in lipid microparticles significantly reduced their in vivo human skin penetration compared to nonencapsulated filters.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011Microencapsulation of the BMDBM/HP-beta-CD complex in lipid microparticles significantly decreased the percutaneous penetration of the UV filter into the stratum corneum of human volunteers compared to the non-encapsulated sunscreen agent.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011Following human skin application of an O/W emulsion containing 2% BMDBM loaded in lipospheres, 15% of the sunscreen accumulated in the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum without remarkably modifying skin permeation compared to unencapsulated sunscreen.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2008
Why other sunscreens fit oily acne-prone skin better
Biomimetic hyaluronic acid-stabilized zinc oxide nanoparticles selectively inhibited C. acnes, outperformed erythromycin in preclinical acne models, and safely reduced acne lesions and redness in a clinical trial.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2025Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.
Biomedicines, 2025
Ingredients
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, 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
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