This Rich, Hydrating Cream Will Save Your Skin This Winter

Last Updated on November 15, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

Fall is here. Winter’s just around the corner. It’s time. Time to up your moisturising game so your skin won’t look like a dishevelled, red prune all the cold season long. It’s a job that calls for a rich cream that gives it all the moisture it needs without turning your face into a sticky, greasy mess. It’s a tough balance to walk but Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream does it perfectly. Here’s everything you need to know about this moisturizer:

What’s In Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream?

MINERAL OIL TO MOISTURISE SKIN

Let’s start with the “bad.” I know a lot of you don’t like mineral oil, but it has its uses in skincare. Mineral oil is super moisturising. It creates a barrier on the skin that prevents water loss. Now moisture has no choice. It has to stay into the skin, hydrating it from within.

And nope, it’s not toxic. It may be derived from oil, but it undergoes a strict purifying process that gets rid of all its toxic impurities. At the end of this process, the chemical structure of mineral oil doesn’t resemble that of oil anymore.

They’re two different things. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t understand the science behind it. Not being rude. Just honest. I totally get it if you don’t want to use Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream because of it. Mineral oil is just moisturising. It doesn’t have other superpowers, like fighting free radicals or lightening dark spots. It’s an one-trick pony. But it does that one trick really well.

Related: Is Mineral Oil Bad For Skin?

GLYCERIN TO HYDRATE SKIN

Glycerin is everywhere. For a reason: it’s a moisture magnet. Glycerin acts like a magnet, attracting water from the air into the skin. This excess moisture plumps up your skin, so your fine lines and wrinkles look smaller; it makes your skin soft and smooth; and gives the complexion a dewy glow. Just a warning: when there’s not enough moisture in the air, glycerin will steal it from the deeper layers of your skin. That has the opposite effect. Hello, dehydration!

Related: What The Heck Is Glycerin And Why Is It In All My Skincare Products?

The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients

• Avene Thermal Spring Water (Avene Aqua): This is mineral-rich water from a thermal spring in France that’s known for calming irritated skin. It helps reduce redness and soothes sensitivity.
• Isohexadecane: It’s just a lab-made oil that makes everything feel silky when you’re rubbing it in. Sinks in pretty quick too so you’re not waiting around with goop on your face.
• Dimethicone: Silicone that makes your skin feel ridiculously smooth and soft, like you just put on primer or something. It locks everything in so the moisture can’t escape.
• Cetearyl Alcohol: I know you see alcohol and you’re like oh hell no, but this one’s totally different from the drying kind. It’s fatty and creamy and actually makes your skin softer.
• Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil): They press safflower seeds to get this oil out and it’s got linoleic acid which your skin barrier actually needs to stay strong. Really good for keeping your skin moisturized without breaking you out.
• Isocetyl Stearoyl Stearate: Honestly this just makes your skin feel nice and smooth, nothing crazy. It’s one of those ingredients that helps everything else blend together better.
• Triethylhexanoin: Another oil but super lightweight so it doesn’t feel like you smeared crisco on your face. Makes the whole thing absorb way faster.
• Glyceryl Stearate: This keeps the oil and water from separating in the bottle which would be gross and annoying. Also adds a bit of moisture on top of that.
• PEG-100 Stearate: Same vibe, it’s there to make sure everything stays mixed together nicely. Helps the cream glide on smooth without being all patchy and weird.
• 1,2-Hexanediol: So this kills bacteria and mold because nobody wants that growing in their face cream. Also makes the texture feel better which is a nice bonus.
• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter): You know shea butter, right? Super thick and creamy and loaded with good fats and vitamins. This is what makes the cream feel so rich and nourishing on your skin.
• Cetearyl Glucoside: Another thing that mixes oil and water but this one’s made from sugar so it’s really gentle. Won’t piss off your skin even if you’re sensitive.
• Benzoic Acid: Just a preservative that stops nasty bacteria from growing in there. You want this because otherwise your cream would go bad in like a week.
• Fragrance (Parfum): This is what makes it smell good but honestly if you’ve got sensitive skin this might irritate you. It’s kind of a gamble with fragrance.
• Phytosterols: Plant fats that help your skin barrier get stronger so it can protect you better. They’re also anti-inflammatory which means less redness and irritation.
• Polyacrylate-13: This just thickens everything up so it’s not all runny and watery. Keeps the formula stable too.
• Polyisobutene: Synthetic ingredient that makes it spread smooth and leaves this thin layer on your skin that traps moisture. Nothing groundbreaking but it does the job.
• Polysorbate 20: Helps mix oil and water together and makes other ingredients dissolve easier. Pretty standard helper ingredient honestly.
• Sodium Hydroxide: Okay so this is lye which sounds scary but there’s barely any in there, just enough to balance the pH. Otherwise the cream would be too acidic or too alkaline for your face.
• Sorbitan Isostearate: Keeps all the oily and watery bits from splitting up into separate layers. Makes it feel smoother when you’re massaging it in too.
• Water (Aqua): Literally just water, like the base of the whole thing. Everything else dissolves into this and it helps the cream spread.
• Xanthan Gum: They make this by having bacteria eat sugar which sounds nasty but whatever, it’s safe. It thickens the cream up and keeps everything from separating out.

Related: Is Thermal Water Just Fancy Water?

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness, flakiness, and irritation? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” cheatsheet:

Texture

I have to admit, when I saw the word “rich” in the name, I thought Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream was gonna be like stupidly thick and heavy. But honestly it’s more like a thick lotion than what I’d call a thick cream, you know? It doesn’t feel greasy at all and sinks into your skin pretty fast.

Fragrance

It’s got this subtle floral scent that’s not overwhelming or anything. It’s one of those light fragrances that you notice when you first put it on but then it kind of fades into the background pretty quickly. But yeah, it may irritate sensitive skin.

How To Use It

You slap this on at the very end of your skincare routine before you go to bed. It’s meant to be your last step after all your serums and treatments have already absorbed in.

Packaging

It comes in a white tube that squeezes out just the right amount of product without giving you way too much. The tube design is actually pretty practical because you’re not sitting there wrestling with it trying to get product out or accidentally squeezing out way more than you needed.

Performance & Personal Opinion

If you’ve got oily skin, you’ll find Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream as rich and greasy and greasy as the name implies, but this cream isn’t for you. My dry skin laps it up with pleasure. I prefer to use this at night, but if you need an extra dose of moisture during the day, the cream’s a good base for your makeup. It won’t make it slide off.

The cream does a great job at keeping my skin hydrated at night. When I wake up in the morning, it looks plumper, smoother and a little glowy. The combo of moisture + silicones makes my fine lines look smaller, too (but the effect is only temporary. Boo hoo!). What really impressed me is how quickly it fixes dry, flaky skin. I had a cold a few weeks ago and my nose was all red and flaky. It kept itching all the time and was just so uncomfortable.

I slathered on a little cream and… instant relief. The itchiness stopped. My skin started to heal. Finally. If you’re looking for a no-frills cream to soothe and hydrate dry/itching skin and don’t mind using a separate antioxidant serum, this is worth checking out. I just wish Avene did away with the fragrance (yes, I’m still banging on about it!!).

What I Like About Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream

• It hydrates my dry skin really well and keeps it moisturized all night long so I wake up with plumper, smoother skin that’s got a little glow to it.
• The combo of moisture and silicones makes my fine lines look smaller, even though it’s just temporary and they come back later.
• It fixes dry, flaky skin crazy fast – like when my nose was all red and flaky from a cold, this stopped the itching instantly and my skin actually started healing.
• The texture is way lighter than you’d think from the name, so it sinks in fast and doesn’t leave you feeling sticky.
• You can use it during the day as a makeup base if you need extra moisture and it won’t make your makeup slide off your face.
• The tube is actually pretty smart because it gives you just enough product instead of exploding all over your hand when you squeeze it.

What I DON’T Like About Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream

• The fragrance is totally unnecessary and can irritate sensitive skin, so I wish they’d just skip it altogether.
• If you’ve got oily skin this is gonna feel way too rich and greasy for you, but honestly it’s not meant for oily skin anyway.
• It doesn’t have any antioxidants in it so you need to use a separate serum if you want that kind of protection.

Who Should Use This?

This works great if you’ve got dry skin and you want something that actually hydrates and soothes without being super heavy. It’s perfect for fixing dry, flaky, itchy skin fast and keeping your face moisturized overnight. But if your skin is oily, stay away because this will feel way too greasy on you.

Does Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream Live Up To Its Claims?

Price & Availability

$42.00 at Boots, Dermstore, and Look Fantastic

Do You Need It?

If you have dry skin, this is a good option to consider.