🇬🇧United Kingdom

Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum for dry sensitive skin

High

  • HighDry Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

A great choice for dry sensitive skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, 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

  • Excellent for your dry and sensitive skin, this serum's hyaluronic acid and niacinamide provide deep hydration and strengthen your skin barrier, effectively addressing dryness and flakiness.
  • Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate further enhance humectant action, ensuring lasting moisture and improved skin elasticity.
  • The formula is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring soothing components like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using this moisturizer 3 times a week and move to daily use if your dry skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toner in the morning, or after your serum in the evening. Always pair it with SPF in the morning.
  • Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing it harshly to protect your sensitive skin.
  • Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help with hydration absorption. This also works well for dry and flaky skin types.
  • Do a patch test before your first use. Avoid the eye area to prevent any irritation.

People Say

★4.6Overall rating based on 600+ reviews

Users report this serum provides immediate hydration and a visible plumping effect, making it beneficial for aging and dehydrated skin. Most users find it effective for smoothing fine lines and suitable for sensitive skin, though some encountered a sticky finish or pilling when layering products.

Highlights

  • Plumps and firms Mostly Mentioned
    • “skin instantly felt firmer”
    • “noticeably more plump”
    • “redensifies skin”
    • “fine lines less noticeable”
  • Deeply hydrates Often Mentioned
    • “intensely hydrated”
    • “skin feels fresh”
    • “super hydration”
    • “quenched my thirsty skin”
  • Fast absorption Sometimes Noted
    • “absorbs fast”
    • “absorbs quickly”
    • “non-sticky texture”
    • “easy to use”
  • Gentle on sensitive skin Sometimes Noted
    • “great for sensitive skin”
    • “no irritation”
    • “soothing benefits”
  • Improves texture Sometimes Noted
    • “smoothes and brightens”
    • “skin tone is more even”
    • “complexion looked smoother”
    • “soft and fresh”
  • Sticky finish Sometimes Noted
    • “sticky kinda feeling”
    • “leaves a sticky film”
    • “tacky residue”
    • “feels heavy”
  • Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “breakout of acne”
    • “bumps appeared”
    • “caused reaction”
    • “clogged pores”
  • Drying for some Rarely Noted
    • “made me feel dry”
    • “not moisturizing enough”
    • “tight feeling”
    • “skin felt parched”
  • No results Rarely Noted
    • “didn't work for me”
    • “hard to tell”
    • “no difference”
    • “not the best”
  • Pilling issues Rarely Noted
    • “makes it peel away”
    • “peels like dirt”
    • “doesn't layer well”
    • “balls up”

Sources: lovi.care, boots.com, ulta.com, aveneusa.com, cocooncenter.co.uk, lovelyskin.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Serum a great fit for dry sensitive skin?

This serum is a great fit because its hyaluronic acid and niacinamide give your dry skin deep moisture while strengthening your skin barrier. Glycerin helps lock in hydration for lasting comfort, and the gentle formula is very unlikely to cause irritation.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Scientific Reports, 2024

Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry sensitive skin?

Sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide, glycerin, and thermal spring water make this serum a great fit by providing deep hydration, strengthening the skin barrier, and soothing dryness without harsh ingredients.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Scientific Reports, 2024

What does Hyaluronic Acid do for dry sensitive skin?

Hyaluronic acid is a great fit for dry, sensitive skin because it brings a large boost in hydration, making the skin feel soft and smooth while improving barrier function. It helps calm tightness and dryness, and is unlikely to cause irritation.

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Dermatology and Therapy, 2021

What does Niacinamide do for dry sensitive skin?

Niacinamide helps dry sensitive skin by calming irritation and keeping moisture locked in so your face feels soft and smooth. It works to build up your skin barrier and calm redness while being very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2013

Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?

This serum goes in your evening routine after your toner and before your moisturizer. Putting treatments in the evening keeps things simple and gives you extra safety around sun exposure.

Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this serum with retinol by applying it right before your retinol in the evening routine. Using a soothing moisturizer beforehand or afterwards may help your dry, sensitive skin handle the retinol more comfortably.

Cutis, 2006

How often should I use this serum?

You can use this serum in your evening routine daily. Applying it regularly helps keep dry and sensitive skin deeply hydrated and comfortable.

Health Science Reports, 2021Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?

This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin because its gentle formula features soothing ingredients and no harsh additives. Reviewers only occasionally mention breakouts, making it a safe choice for your skin type.

Can I use this serum around the eyes or on my body?

You can use this serum around the eyes because its hydrating ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and glycerin are gentle and help smooth fine lines in that delicate area. The formula is safe and well-tolerated, though applying it to the entire body might be costly given its size as a facial treatment.

Polymers, 2023Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Treatment with a combination of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid improved skin aging signs and demonstrated a senomorphic effect by decreasing SASP and autocrine signaling genes in women.

    Scientific Reports, 2024
  • 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, 2017
  • Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.

    The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002
  • Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
  • Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.

    Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022
  • Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.

    BMC Oral Health, 2019
  • Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
  • Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.

    The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008
  • Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.

    Dermatologic Surgery, 2005
  • Balneotherapy 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, 2023
  • Malaysian 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, 2024
  • A 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, 2025
  • The 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, 2020
  • Ten 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, 2001
  • Niacinamide/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, 2012

Ingredients

Avene Thermal Spring Water Avene Aqua Avene Aqua, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate

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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Prices checked 18 Oct – 2 Nov 2026

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