Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream

I have acne from hormonal/autoimmune issues, as well as eczema. I just had knee surgery & between the paid killers, hormonal acne outbreak, and not being able to shower/wash my face as much for a few days, and im not able to do a lot right now and caught myself picking at my face out of boredom. I caught myself way too late and my skin was raw, very irritated, open acne wounds, and even my sensitive skin face washes and face moisturizers were BURNING. I got to the point where i was just globbing vaseline on my face just for some relief, but as someone w acne issue that made me break out worse, continuing the cycle just for the slight tempeary relief. I found this stuff after some slight research, didnt read the amazon reviews but product was highlt recommended elsewhere. The first one i ordered was for sure expired or something, even doing methods in the reviews didnt work, but i stlll used it as much as i could until the replacement came becasue i was desperate, and they replaced it quickly & easily, and I put it in a hot pot of water for 10 mins, took it out and shook viciously and then massaged the bottle around with the cap on for a few, shake again, repeat. After I did that process 2 times I opened it and the consistency was AMAZING and it felt so much better on my face. The first bottle definitely helped my face but it left an awful greasy feeling on my skin and as other reviews said was very watery but the oil part was kinda like dry almost. But the second bottle I have 0 complaints at all. The replacement bottle & the relief it gave me and the speed it helped my skin heal was worth the price & all the hassle. I usually dont leave reviews, let alone ones this long (and this is my mom's account, not even mine) but this product was so wonderful I had to share. Pics for reference, I saw visible results in 2 days, this is about a week in. (I still have been slightly picking at my face, otherwise itd probably look even better)

I love this cream and am puzzled by some of the negative reviews. I have received shipments where only liquid came out of the tube at first. I shook the tube well, and it came out as a cream. (Natural spring water is one of the primary ingredients.) The reasons I am a big fan of this product are twofold: (1) it soothes the redness in my skin, including radiation treatment burns; and (2) it leaves the skin on my face and neck wonderfully moisturized, soft, smooth, and glowing with health. I had radiation decades ago and have tried a variety of products to improve the scars on my neck, yet nothing helped until I started using this product. I'm not saying that it's a miracle worker, but it is slowly reducing the appearance of burn marks and redness on my neck. That alone makes the product worth using for me. However, it also reduces less severe redness on my face and leaves my complexion glowing. It serves as a makeup primer, although I wear it morning and night, often without makeup. It's wonderfully moisturizing and works well on my combination skin. It also seems to help with fine lines. I can see a difference in my skin's appearance when I don't apply it - it just doesn't have the same glow and smoothness. Furthermore, since I've been using it, I frequently receive compliments on my skin's beauty - something that didn't happen before. I'm 64 years old, but with the help of this product (and others), my skin appears decades younger. The tube is small and could be considered expensive, but I don't need to use much product, and it lasts me several months. For me, this cream is a keeper!

In seeing so many negative reviews I felt compelled to weigh in as this is my favorite moisturizer. I have very dry, menopausal skin. Additionally, I have rosacea which seems to have been a nice gift from said menopause (you can only laugh, right?). It's very common for those of us in our 50's to have a compromised skin barrier and when an issue like rosacea is present, even more so. Because of all this my skin is very intolerant to most moisturizers and nearly all actives (over the last few years I've had to discontinue my retinols and chemical exfoliators). While ingredients like ALA's, petrolatum, mineral oil, parafin/bees wax, and lanolin are well tolerated and known to be quite soothing, they don't hydrate very well as they are more occlusive than moisturizing. Enter this product. Magically, it does both! It's marketed as a protective cream, which again implies occlusive, but it penetrates like no other. Gone is the tight, dry feeling that persisted even when I had a heavy layer of product on my skin (my previous moisturizer was Eucerin Original Healing Cream -- which still has its uses -- because it was the only thing I could put on my skin outside of squalane oil during a flare). Now, no topical can cure rosacea. However, the right product can calm the skin, repair the damaged lipid barrier, and improve its appearance. This moisturizer does just that and it's become my holy grail. Since starting this I've also added in the Cicalfate Serum which has only aided in repairing my skin. Another Avene product that works great for me is the XeraCalm Balm which helps with itching. I use all three of these daily and they've really helped fix the secondary issues that come with rosacea. As for the complaints about it being greasy or too heavy. I can see this not working for people with normal or oily skin (or perhaps only in moderation). But my skin loves the heavier weight and because one of the ways I soothe a flare is to keep a tiny mister bottle on hand and repeatedly spray my face so I have to guard against the drying effects of evaporation. These products are so lipid heavy that I can wet my face all day long without worrying about that, though I do reapply throughout the day. As for the watery consistency issue, I haven't had that problem but it does caution on the packaging not to expose the product to temperatures below 41 degrees F (5 C). I suspect that if it gets too cold either because of the weather or because of whatever warehouse it sat in during transit it will separate. Maybe open the package and before squeezing some out look to see if it has split and then shake it up/message the tube. So, if you have skin like mine don't hesitate to try this product. I'm leaving this absurdly long review for my struggling brothers and sisters out there with rosacea in hopes that it provides some relief! Happy moisturizing, internet strangers. ;)

I love this product so much, but, like everyone else the water HEAVILY separated. A lot of water just shot out immediately and as i've used the cream it has felt more and more thick bc of that, shaking the tube or not. POSSIBLE SOLUTION: I actually think the company could salvage this problem by upgrading packaging to a Cosmetic JAR and then customers could take a toothpick and stir if separation has occurred by the time of purchase. I hope to try this with my next tube, just toothpaste squeezed everything out into a nice cosmetic jar and stir the water back into the product. This is such a simple solution that could really solve the product waste. This refreshes my skin, doesn't break me out, and is lovely. I break out so easily, and being middle aged my skin really requires a dense help with moisture. <3

A must have if you are planning to have any micro needling facials. My skin needed help. At 68 living in the desert it was looking dull and dry. (A skin analysis was done and the gal said I didn't have near the amount of sun damage for my age considering I have lived in the desert for over 40 years!) I didn't want to go under the knife so micro needling sounded like my best choice to help with fine lines and wrinkles but still look natural. I had my first treatment and when it was over the esthetician said to use pure Hyaluronic Acid and products with Ceramides. But didn't offer to sell me any products or suggest brands. I thought that was odd. So when I got home I looked for a Ceramide product after micro needing. I found this and absolutely love it. Amazon delivered it the next morning. Your skin will feel dry and your face will be slightly red and swollen. This helped soothe it right away and retain moisture. Use this product sparingly. Apply very small amounts to the pads of your fingertips. I applied to my pointer, middle and ring finger pads on one had and then pressed them together with my other hand. Then I dotted it on, forehead, checks, upper lip and neck. I blended with just the pads of my fingers gently tapping it in. Don't rub it in or pull it across your face. The warmth of your face will allow it to melt in. I also ordered the ZealSea Hyaluronic Acid product which was suggested for micro needling treatments. (See my review on that.) You will need both of these products if you have micro needling done. Apply the HA first then layer the Avene on top. Order them BEFORE your treatment! My background; I'm a retired esthetician and certified color consultant.

I love this brand and use several of their products, the only brand that hasn’t hurt my incredibly sensitive skin. However, I put in a bulk order of these based on trying out this particular cream from someone close to me and I loved it. When I received my order of 6 of these (a pretty penny!!!) they were all completely separated, cream and liquid.. and unable to be combined again! I tried so hard to mix them, trying several methods, it was still just liquid spilling out and then some cream. It also didn’t even feel the same on my skin as when I tried a properly mixed bottle. So I am disappointed after spending this money that they are all like this.

I bought this because I severely damaged my skin barrier and needed something gentle that would help my skin calm down and heal. My skin was extremely sensitive, raw, irritated, tight, and honestly uncomfortable even with water touching it. This did help, but I do want to mention that if your skin is VERY damaged or raw, there can be some stinging at first. I experienced that myself during the first few applications. The stinging didn’t last long for me, but I think it’s important to mention because people with damaged barriers are usually desperate for relief and can panic when products sting. What ended up helping me most was using this as part of a simple barrier repair routine instead of using it alone. What I personally did: * Wet my face first with either water or Avène Thermal Spring Water so my skin was damp but not soaking wet * Applied the Avène Cicalfate onto the damp skin * At night, I sealed everything in with CeraVe Healing Ointment (Aquaphor would probably work too) I repeated this every night before bed and sometimes during the day if I was staying home. If I was leaving the house during the day, I would do the same steps but use sunscreen instead of sealing with ointment. I honestly think sunscreen is extremely important when your skin barrier is damaged and trying to heal because irritated skin feels even more sensitive when exposed to sunlight. I used this day and night, very easy to use, and didn’t experience breakouts from it. The texture is thick but comforting once applied, especially when your skin feels dry and stripped. Overall, I would buy this again. I don’t think it’s some overnight miracle product, but it genuinely helped my skin calm down and recover when my barrier was damaged. I personally didn’t notice any strong fragrance, which I appreciated since my skin was already extremely irritated. I also like how versatile this product is. Even though I originally bought it for barrier damage, I can see why people use it for irritation from retinol, over-exfoliating, dry patches, or skin that just feels compromised in general.

I avoided purchasing this product for a while due to the bad reviews. However, it is still highly recommended by several dermatologist for skin barrier repair. Upon doing my own research, the product can separate if it is stored in cold temperatures (41 degrees or less). This can be fixed people!! It literally says it on the bottle/box and there’s even a video that Amazon posted saying this can happen. It does not affect the product. It’s just the thermal spring water and some oil separating but it can be reincorporated. So I took the risk and ordered this. I’m a first time purchaser. It was already at my door when I was leaving for the gym at 5:30am so I let the package sit in my car for about 1.5 hours (temp was about 70s). I put the tube in a glass of hot sink water for 10 minutes when I got home. I rolled the tube in my hands for a few minutes to mix everything together. Guess what. It came out like a CREAM. No liquid shot out at me. If you can read, do a little research, and can follow instructions, you can get a working product. I have sensitive skin. It’s been a struggle healing my skin barrier but it was getting better. I decided to do something dumb and try dermaplaning. My cheeks have been very red and irritated since. I did avoid active products for a few days after dermaplaning but it was still irritated. Just with the first time use of this product, it was nearly instant relief of some of the redness. It’s fragrance less which is great. It is currently on sale so I think the value is good for what it is right now. I only used two pea-sized amount for my whole face so I think it will last awhile. This can significantly help your skin barrier! Do your own research and read the instructions!

This cream works very well for calming irritated or sensitive skin. It has a rich texture but absorbs nicely without feeling too heavy. I used it on dry and irritated areas, and it helped soothe and repair the skin quite quickly. It’s especially good for post-treatment or damaged skin. Overall, a very reliable and effective skincare product that I would recommend.

Keeps my skin moisturized and soft

I have bought this product endless amount of times. With super sensitive skin it is one of the only creams that doesn’t irritate and creates a great barrier against drying out. It is affordable and keeps my skin hydrated for hours. Have recommended this product to so many friends with other skin problems. Keep in mind it’s a thicker consistency but I love that as I feel like it lasts longer through out the day.

helps as it is ment to do.

Very good for my skin, original product!