Winter weather and especially the awful wind this time of year always makes my skin dry out. So I picked up the Avène Tolérance Extrême Emulsion as a substitute moisturiser which focuses more on soothing and softening the skin than my Clarins one.
Where to Buy
| Avène | Boots| LookFantastic |
Tolérance EXTRÊME Emulsion
Alternatives:
Ingredients
Avene Thermal Spring Water (Avene Aqua), Squalane, Behenyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Water (Aqua).
Ingredient Benefits
Avène Thermal Spring Water has a unique composition which helps soften and soothe the skin more than harder waters.
Behenyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol that acts as an emulsifier and thickener. It gives the skin a smooth feel and helps prevent moisture loss.
Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride is an emollient and skin-replenishing ingredient that is derived from coconut oil and glycerin.
Glycerin promotes skin cell maturation which can help fight effects of skin problems such as psoriasis whilst improving the appearance of skin in general. It is a humecant and helps the skin maintain it’s moisture which in turn makes the skin look healthier.
Sodium Acrylates is a synthetic ingredient used to thicken formulas, enhance textures and as an emollient.
Squalane mimics your skins natural oils as an emollient with antioxidant properties. Squalane gives the skin a soft, smooth appearance.
Water acts as a solvent and enables multiple other chemicals to work much better than if they were without water. As water is water, it is also suitable for all skin types and won’t be over-drying or make skin oilier.
How To Use REN Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk?
After cleansing, apply to your face and massage into skin.
Use in both morning and night routine.
Continue with your skincare routine.
Step in Skincare Routine
- Cleanser
- Masks and Exfoliators
- Toner (+exfoliating toner)
- Treatment Products (acne, antioxidant serums, acids, retinols/retinoids)
- Mists
- Serum
- Moisturiser – Use moisturiser to re-hyrdrate skin after cleansing and to protect skin from external irritants and pollutants.
- Eye Cream
- Oil
First Thoughts
My first thoughts were all about how simple this moisturiser is ingredients wise – and how good that should be to avoid sensitive skin issues. It only has 7 ingredients – of which two are different water. It has no discernable scent which helps the “good for sensitive skin” vibe I had.
The rest of the ingredients have been hand picked to be moisturising, noncomedogenic, and able to protect the skin after use. This had me hopeful for the product because in theory it should work wonders – this along with good reviews I’ve seen before made me really excited to try it.
Avène’s packaging is also great – it’s not a normal tube moisturiser but has been created specifically to keep products sterile. The top you can see below helps to prevent air, microbes and other contaminants from entering the tube. This keeps the product un-contaminated meaning preservatives aren’t added to their delicate, exceptionally gentle formulations they create.
During Use
As soon as I used Avène Tolérance Extrême Emulsion I realised how light the formula is. It’s clearly water based (even if I hadn’t looked at the ingredients!) and spread super easily across my skin.
As it’s so light though it acts different to many other products. Many moisturisers contain comedogenic ingredients which purposely clog pores. These ingredients create the illusion that your skin is smoother and more hydrated – but it’s only a short term solution.
As it acts like an emulsion, it works well to soothe, hydrate and then protect from water loss afterwards. Similar to presribed emollients for eczema, I found that this worked nearly the same during use except it didn’t feel as greasy afterwards.
After Use
After using it for a few days my skin started to perk back up. My dry patches felt smoother and were soon gone, and I also found I had less redness. I can definitely see that it’s fully moisturising rather than covering problem areas.
I would recommend for those with skin issues like eczema. It also didn’t make my skin feel anything like irritated. If anything, once I had applied and let it smooth in my skin genuinely felt soothed.
Would I Re-Purchase?
If I was having skin issues I would pick this up again! As it’s so good for sensitivity and it actually does moisturise – it’s a great addition to my skincare cupboard.
