Today I’m bringing you Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion Review. This lotion is a product that surprised me with its abilities, considering how it has only a few ingredients. I’ve been using it for the past five months, and now it’s time to write a review.
About Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion
Avene says:
This face and eyes cleansing milk, suitable for sensitive skin, gently cleanses and removes makeup. It removes any impurities built up during the day, without drying out the skin. Its minimalist formula and high tolerance ingredients, respect the skin’s microbiome. Fragrance-free, Tolérance EXTRÊME Cleansing Lotion Sterile Cosmetics®is composed of only seven ingredients to ensure optimal tolerance. No-rinse, it immediately comforts the skin, leaving it supple. For improved tolerance, this cleansing milk for sensitive skin benefits from Pierre Fabre’s unique Sterile Cosmetic® technology to protect its formula from the outside air and bacteria.
Ingredients:
AVENE THERMAL SPRING WATER (AVENE AQUA). SQUALANE. CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE. GLYCERIN. BEHENYL ALCOHOL. SODIUM ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER. CARBOMER. WATER (AQUA)
I mean, it can’t be any more simple than this. We know that squalane is hydrating and gentle on the skin. It also has an antioxidant effect meaning it can fight free radicals and prevent skin damage.
This product also contains glycerine which we know is a superstar for the skin. It is a humectant meaning it attracts water to the skin, leaving it moisturised.
The rest of the ingredients are mainly emollients and viscosity controllers, so the main cleansing ingredient here is squalane. Since it is similar in molecular composition to our sebum, it works well in melting the excess oil from our skin.
Packaging, texture and use
Packaging
Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion comes in a generous 200ml tub with Sterile Cosmetics Technology. This technology doesn’t allow air or bacteria to get inside the product keeping it sterile at all times. Because the packaging is sterile, the product doesn’t need to have any parabens or preservatives to keep it stable.
The packaging is soft, and you need to squeeze it to get the product out. The only downside of this packaging is once you’re at the end of the product, it gets tricky to get it out. You need to roll the tube to get all the lotion to the bottom and squeeze hard to get the product out, which resulted in projectile lotion ending up on my walls.
Texture
The texture of this lotion is somewhere in the middle on the consistency scale. I would say it’s between a cream and a gel. It is a white, creamy lotion that resembles more of a moisturiser than a cleanser. But even though it’s thicker than most cleansers I usually use, it spreads very smoothly and feels lovely on the skin.
Use
Avene says to use it like this:
‘Apply morning and evening with your fingertips, massaging gently. Remove gently and without rubbing, using a tissue or damp cotton wool.’
I use this cleanser only as a morning cleanse, and I rinse it off instead of wiping it off with a tissue. I know the whole point is to skip rinsing, as the tap water can sometimes dry out the skin, but I can’t go without rinsing it. The method Avene recommends on the bottle, wiping it off instead of rinsing, works really well, but I just can’t go about my day knowing I didn’t rinse it.
My routine starts by applying this cleanser to dry skin and gently massaging it. Then, I rinse it with lukewarm water and tap-dry my face with tissues. I find that this way, I get the best of both worlds. I get a mild morning cleanse without stripping the skin, which still gives me a fresh and clean-feeling face.
Who is Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion for
This cleansing lotion is perfect for anyone with sensitive or dry skin. Avene recommends it for people with sensitive/hypersensitive skin, but I think anyone with normal or dry skin looking for a gentle cleanser can use it. Primarily as a mild morning cleanse, where you only need to remove traces of night skincare and refresh the skin.
My experience with Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion
I like this cleanser. Even though I don’t use it as intended – a makeup remover, I still really like it. As the first step in my morning routine, it prepares my skin for the rest of my skincare. And if I start the day without irritating my skin, I know that the rest of the skincare will sit nicely on my skin.
The lotion has a nice, soft consistency. It does feel nourishing on the skin when I massage it, and I notice that my skin is soft after using it.
But I will say that I don’t see it calms my redness as the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Gel does. I feel this product is intended to be more like a very gentle cleanser but without any other benefits. But I do like what it does with only seven ingredients. It provides exactly what it says on the bottle – a gentle cleanse.
Also, I did try to use it as a makeup remover, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. It melted all the makeup pretty much straight away, and it even took off my mascara without a problem. Even removing the whole thing off with some tissue worked surprisingly well, but once again, I just can’t leave it at that. I had to go in with my gel cleanser to be sure I had squeaky clean skin.
| Pros | Cons |
| Only 7 ingredients | Hard to use up the whole product |
| Removes face and eye makeup | Doesn’t calm the redness but it doesn’t make it worse either |
| No parabens, perfumes, alcohol, preservatives | |
| Sterile packaging | |
| Suitable for very sensitive skin | |
| Gentle yet effective cleanse |
Conclusion
Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion Review – it’s a fantastic product for those with sensitive skin, or those looking for a gentle cleanser.
It is a versatile product that can be used as a gentle morning cleanser, makeup remover or both. It works very well in all scenarios.
Another thing to note is that this product has only seven ingredients but works exceptionally well and is suitable for even the most sensitive skin.
If you have sensitive skin and need a new cleanser, give this one a try.
Packaging: 4/5
I love the idea of sterile packaging, and it does work great. But it gets hard to get the product out once you have a little bit left. Maybe there is an option to fix that so we can use every last bit of it. I started struggling now that I have a little bit left (but still enough for at least ten uses), and while trying to squeeze it out, it projected onto my wall. So be careful when you get to that point.
Ingredients: 4.5/5
I can’t justify giving this product any other mark. I love the fact it has only seven ingredients that work so well together in removing all kinds of dirt and makeup, but I would love to see maybe another soothing ingredient in there that would work on reducing the redness.
Value: 5/5
For 200ml of the product, you will pay €17.95. But you can often find Avene on offers, so it’s usually less than that. And this size lasts for ages. I had my bottle for about 4 or 5 months, using it once a day every day. You don’t need a lot of product to cleanse properly, but a lot will come out once there is a little bit left and you struggle to get it out.
Overall: 4.5/5
Overall, it’s a fantastic product for sensitive skin. Or even for those with normal skin looking for a gentle cleanser. It works well, isn’t expensive and lasts for a long time. What else could you ask for?
Have you tried this product? What is your favourite cleanser?
