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Avène Cleanance Hydra Soothing Cream Ingredients Explained

5.0   from 1 ratings
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Published on June 09, 2022 Submitted by Lia_36

Overview

What it is

General moisturizer with 23 ingredients

Cool Features

It is reef safe

Suited For

It has ingredients that are good for dry skin, brightening skin and sensitive skin

Free From

It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens or sulfates

Fun facts

Avène is from France. This product is used in 53 routines created by our community.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

You should know

Here's our breakdown of the notable ingredients, benefits, and concerns we determined from the ingredients in this product. Click any item to learn more.

Benefits

Hydrating
Reduces Irritation
Brightening

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
Eczema

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

Ingredients Overview

Here's our quick-to-read summary of the ingredients in this product. Keep scrolling if you'd like to learn more about what each ingredient does!
Ingredient
Features
1
Skin Conditioning, Solvent
2
Masking, Skin Conditioning
0-2 / 0
Oil IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon
3
Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
4
Cleansing, Emulsifying, Masking
1 / 3
5
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
May worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon
6
Humectant, Solvent
7
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
1 / 0
8
Emollient
0 / 0
9
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
0 / 0
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon
10
Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
1 / 0
Silicon Icon
11
Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking
2 / 2
Fatty Alcohol Icon
12
13
Antioxidant, Masking
Antioxidant Icon
14
Masking, Skin Conditioning, Soothing
Helps reduce irritation Icon
15
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
16
17
Masking, Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon
18
Preservative
Preservative Icon
19
Buffering, Masking
20
Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning
0 / 2
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon
21
Buffering, Emulsifying, Masking
2 / 0
22
Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
23
Skin Conditioning

Ingredients Explained

This product contains 23 ingredients. Click on any ingredient to learn more about it
1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
2
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Carthamus tinctorius seed oil comes from safflower, one of humanity's oldest crops.

Safflower seed oil contains a high percentage of linoleic acid and oleic acid. It also contains Vitamin E. These three components are effective moisturizers.

Vitamin E helps nourish your skin's lipid barrier. It is also a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or unstable molecules that may damage your skin cells.

Thoughout history, safflower has been used for dying fabrics and in food as a saffron substitute.

Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
3
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Sucrose Stearate is derived from stearic acid and sucrose (sugar). It is an emollient and emulsifier.

As an emulsifier, it prevents oils and water from separating in a product. This property also makes it a surfactant and therefore a cleansing agent.

4
What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Masking
Community Rating: Mixed

Caprylic Acid is a fatty acid commonly found in plant oils, such as palm and coconut oils.

Much of the research is based on caprylic acid derived from coconut oil. Coconut oil is an emollient and helps moisturize the skin.

Caprylic Acid has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Several studies found it to be effective at treating yeast infections. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Besides cosmetics, this ingredient is also used for a variety of medical purposes such as treating digestive disorders.

This ingredient is minimally soluble in water.

Read more about a similar ingredient Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride.

Learn more about Caprylic Acid
5
What it does: Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Myreth-3 Myristate isn't fungal acne safe. It can be bad for oily skin and be bad for acne prone skin.

6
What it does: Humectant, Solvent

We don't have a description for Peg-12.

7
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Pentaerythrityl Tetracaprylate/Tetracaprate is a mixture of pentaerythritol, caprylic and capric acid.

9
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin
10
What it does: Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Dimethicone is a silicone used for making products smooth and silky. It also has the added benefit of sealing in hydration. The amount of dimethicone found in beauty products is considered safe and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores.

Dimethicone has been found increase absorption in skin, boosting the benefits of other ingredients. While there is concern for the safety of dimethicone, the levels used in skincare are safe for use.

11
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

Cetyl Alcohol is not related to SD alcohol, denatured alcohol, or ethyl alcohol. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

12
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.

After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.

It is also used to make a product more thick.

Learn more about Acrylates Copolymer
13
What it does: Antioxidant, Masking
Community Rating: Liked

This BHA stands for butylated hydroxyanisole. If you are looking for the beta-hydroxy acid, aka as Salicylic Acid, click here.

In cosmetics, butylated hydroxyanisole is used as a perservative. It also has antioxidant properties. The concentrations usually used in skincare are low and do not penetrate through skin.

However, it is considered a carcinogen when ingested.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole is a synthetic and waxy petrochemical. It is used as a preservative in foods and cosmetics.

Learn more about BHA
14
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Bisabolol is pimarily used to add fragrance to a product. However, it is also famous for helping soothe skin.

Bisabolol comes from German chamomile essential oil. Synthetic Bisabolol has been shown to be less effective.

Bisabolol helps soothe skin. It does this by blocking the inflammatory signals, helping to reduce your body's reaction to irritation.

Bisabolol also interferes with the process of hyperpigmentation. This can help with reducing dark spots and uneven tone.

Bisabolol is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. By fighting these free-radicals, Bisabolol may slow down signs of aging.

Studies have shown Bisabolol to have antimicrobial properties and may be a fungicide. These properties help preserve a product's shelf life.

Bisabolol also helps the absorption of other ingredients.

Learn more about Bisabolol
15
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol
16
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA
17
What it does: Masking, Perfuming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum
18
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

19
What it does: Buffering, Masking

We don't have a description for Sodium Acetate.

20
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Sucrose Distearate is made up of the sucrose (sugar) esthers of stearic acid. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.

21
What it does: Buffering, Emulsifying, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Triethanolamine is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.

As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.

PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.

Learn more about Triethanolamine
22
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum
23
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Zinc Gluconate.

Embed Ingredients

Here's what our community thinks of the 23 ingredients in this product ✨

26% are loved or liked
9% have mixed ratings
39% are disliked or very disliked
26% have no rating yet

When to use

We've created a guide with info on when you should use Avène Cleanance Hydra Soothing Cream. We've also included some recommended products to use it with, as well as some routine inspiration!

Read our guide on when to use Cleanance Hydra Soothing Cream ->
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Latest Reviews

Lapaki's Avatar'
Apr 7, 2023

Instant soothing cream - a skinsaver
I've been using this one since years and always have one stored for emergencies mostly caused by some over-irritation (retinoids, facial tratments). It has an instant soothing and calming effect, and...

Instant soothing cream - a skinsaver
I've been using this one since years and always have one stored for emergencies mostly caused by some over-irritation (retinoids, facial tratments). It has an instant soothing and calming effect, and relieves itchy skin in no time.