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Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel

Cleanser~€14typical, July 2026

Our read, in one look

Zinc Gluconate is the reason to consider this cleanser.

The case for it

  • Zinc Gluconate, limited evidence for oil and breakouts
  • No alcohol, silicones or parabens

Mind this

  • Morning or evening, whichever suits your routine
  • Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Best for oily, combo, acne prone, sensitive skinFind it on amazon.com →
Maya's read

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is a cleanser built around Zinc Gluconate. The actives here are gentle rather than heavy-hitting. Best suited to oily, combo and acne prone skin. Worth noting it contains fragrance, so reactive skin should patch-test.

Reviewed by Maya FaourLast reviewed September 2026Why no score? We tested. →

Skip it if your skin reacts to fragrance: this one is scented.

The formula, drawn

Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.

9 of the 20 sit above the 1% line. The other 11, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.

  • Actives & signals
  • Texture & base
  • Preservation
  • Not in our library yet

What it delivers

Hydration1
Barrier repair2
Brightening / tone3
Oil-control & blemishes6
Anti-aging2

How it feels A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. (estimated from the formula)

What's in it that matters

The molecule doing the workZinc GluconateSupporting Active · limited evidence

Zinc salt used to support inflammatory acne and oil control. Most efficacy data are oral, not topical zinc gluconate alone.

How to use it

Massage over damp skin, then rinse. Morning and/or night, gentle enough for twice a day.

Against the average cleanser

HydrationBarrier repairBrighteningOil-controlAnti-aging
This productMedian cleanser (13 in catalogue)

It scores lower than the median cleanser on hydration, barrier repair, anti-aging and oil control.

On brightening it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.

A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.

The full ingredients list, decoded

Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 8 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.

All 20 ingredients, decoded
  1. Avene Thermal Spring WaterSolvent (base)
  2. Aqua/WaterSolvent (base)
  3. Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
  4. Zinc Coceth SulfateMineral
  5. Polysorbate 20Emulsifier
    mild irritant
  6. Sodium CocoamphoacetateCleansing agent
  7. Ceteareth-60 Myristyl GlycolEmulsifier
  8. PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor OilEmulsifier
  9. Citric AcidExfoliant
    mild irritant
  10. roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Disodium EDTA down, these 11 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
  11. Disodium EDTAChelator
  12. Parfum (Fragrance)Fragrance
    can irritate
  13. Glyceryl Laurate
  14. CI 61570
  15. Lauric Acid
  16. Sodium BenzoatePreservative
  17. Sodium ChlorideThickener
  18. Sodium HydroxidePh adjuster
    mild irritant
  19. Sodium Methyl Isethionate
  20. CI 19140
  21. Zinc GluconateZinc salt

Worth knowing: Zinc Gluconate sits below that line. It is in there, and the label does not tell you how much. That is not the same as saying it is too little to matter.

Copy the raw INCI list

Avene Thermal Spring Water, Aqua/Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Zinc Coceth Sulfate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Parfum (Fragrance), Glyceryl Laurate, CI 61570, Lauric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Methyl Isethionate, CI 19140, Zinc Gluconate

Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.

Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →

We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.

Compare it with…

VSBanila CoClean It Zero Cleansing Balm OriginalSame lane, mid-range bandVSBiodermaSébium Gel MoussantSame lane, mid-range bandVSBiodermaSensibio H2O Micellar WaterSame lane, mid-range band
All 10 comparisons

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Photograph the front and the ingredients list on the back. A person reads the queue weekly and checks your product against the same knowledge base as everything else on the site, so this takes days, not seconds.

The photos

Common questions

Is Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel good for oily skin?

By our read of the formula, it suits oily, combo, acne prone skin. Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is a cleanser built around Zinc Gluconate. The actives here are gentle rather than heavy-hitting. Best suited to oily, combo and acne prone skin. Worth noting it contains fragrance, so reactive skin should patch-test.

How do you use Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel?

Massage over damp skin, then rinse. Morning and/or night, gentle enough for twice a day.

What are the key ingredients in Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel?

The actives that do the work are Zinc Gluconate. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.

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Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel