Head to head

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel vs La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser

Same comparison whichever way you searched it: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser vs Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel.

The bottom line

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser does more across the board (it leads on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone), while Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is the simpler, more pared-back pick.

Reach for La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser if you want the actives; Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.

Avène Cleanance Cleansing GelAvèneCleanance Cleansing GelCleanser · ~€14See every ingredient in Cleanance Cleansing Gel, decoded
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming CleanserLa Roche-PosayToleriane Purifying Foaming CleanserCleanser · ~€14See every ingredient in Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser, decoded

Which should you pick?

Pick Cleanance Cleansing Gel if

  • you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula

Pick Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser if

  • plump, lasting hydration is what you want
  • your barrier feels stressed and needs the support
  • your skin is sensitive or reacts to fragrance

What each delivers

HydrationBarrierBrighteningOil-controlAnti-aging
Cleanance Cleansing GelToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
  • Hydration
    110
  • Barrier repair
    210
  • Brightening / tone
    37
  • Oil-control & blemishes
    68
  • Anti-aging
    26

Side by side

Cleanance Cleansing GelToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
TypeCleanserCleanser
Key activesZinc GluconateGlycerin, Ceramide 3, Niacinamide
TextureA gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky.A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky.
FragranceContains fragranceNone detected
Fungal-acne safeNot likelyNot likely
PregnancyNo flagged activesNo flagged actives
Ingredients20 listed15 listed
Price~€14~€14

What's in one but not the other

The two labels share 5 of the 30 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.

What each one adds acts on Not established for Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel and The stratum corneum, The living epidermis for La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.

Only in Cleanance Cleansing Gel

Both share

No active in common.

Only in Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser

Where each label stops telling you the dose

Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel

  1. 1Avene Thermal Spring Water
  2. 2Aqua/Water
  3. 3Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
  4. 4Zinc Coceth Sulfate
  5. 5Polysorbate 20
  6. 6Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
  7. 7Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol
  8. 8PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
  9. 9Citric Acid
  10. 10Disodium EDTA
  11. 11Parfum (Fragrance)
  12. 12Glyceryl Laurate
  13. 13CI 61570
  14. 14Lauric Acid
  15. 15Sodium Benzoate
  16. 16Sodium Chloride
  17. 17Sodium Hydroxide
  18. 18Sodium Methyl Isethionate
  19. 19CI 19140
  20. 20Zinc Gluconate

11 of 20 sit below the line, marked by Disodium EDTA. Including what it is sold on: Zinc Gluconate.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser

  1. 1Aqua/Water
  2. 2Glycerin
  3. 3Coco-Betaine
  4. 4Propylene Glycol
  5. 5Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
  6. 6PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
  7. 7Sodium Chloride
  8. 8Ceramide NP
  9. 9Niacinamide
  10. 10Sodium Hydroxide
  11. 11Disodium EDTA
  12. 12Capryloyl Glycine
  13. 13Caprylyl Glycol
  14. 14Citric Acid
  15. 15Acrylates Copolymer

5 of 15 sit below the line, marked by Disodium EDTA.

Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.

The molecule doing the work

Cleanance Cleansing GelZinc Gluconate
Toleriane Purifying Foaming CleanserGlycerin

Better for…

  • Dark spots & uneven toneToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
  • Fine lines & firmnessToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
  • Breakouts & congestionToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
  • Dryness & dehydrationToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
  • Sensitive, reactive skinToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser

Both sit around the same price (~€14 vs ~€14).

Ready to pick one?

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Common questions

Is Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel or La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser better for dark spots & uneven tone?

For dark spots & uneven tone, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser does more across the board (it leads on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone), while Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is the simpler, more pared-back pick. Reach for La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser if you want the actives; Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.

Which is cheaper, Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel or La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser?

Both sit around the same price (~€14 vs ~€14).

Can I use Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser together?

They are both cleansers, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.

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