Avène XeraCalm Cleansing Oil

​Hello everyone! Welcome back to my skincare blog. Today, I want to share my experience with a product from Avène that I’ve been testing for the past few weeks: XeraCalm Cleansing Oil. Many of you are likely familiar with Avène for their products designed for sensitive skin. Their star ingredient is always thermal spring water, renowned for its soothing and softening properties, and found in most of their formulas. Generally, I love the brand’s philosophy and their commitment to quality, but on this occasion, this cleansing oil hasn’t become one of my favorites. Let me tell you why!

What is Avène XeraCalm Cleansing Oil?

XeraCalm Cleansing Oil is a cleansing oil specially designed for sensitive, very dry, or irritated skin. The XeraCalm line focuses on providing comfort to the skin through formulas that don’t irritate or dry it out, but rather nourish and soothe, thanks to the inclusion of ingredients like I-Modulia (a complex that helps regulate irritation and inflammation) and ceramides (which help strengthen the skin’s barrier). It also contains Avène’s iconic Thermal Spring Water, known for its soothing properties.

What I liked
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• Extreme gentleness: This oil is very gentle on the skin. It works wonders on very sensitive, reactive, or compromised skin because it doesn’t irritate or leave a tight feeling.
• Pleasant texture: Despite being an oil, it rinses off quite easily and leaves the skin feeling comfortable and well-hydrated.
• Great for the body: Because it’s so gentle and moisturizing, I find it to be an excellent option for the shower, especially if your body skin is dry or atopic. After using it, you’ll notice your skin feels soft, without that tightness that some harsher body washes can cause.

What I didn’t love

• Doesn’t remove heavy makeup or water-resistant sunscreen: Even though it’s an oil, I noticed that it’s not very effective at removing long-wear makeup or water-resistant sunscreen. After using it on my face, there were still traces of mascara and sunscreen left.
• Falls short for the face: Because of that, if you’re used to wearing makeup or a resistant sunscreen, you’ll need to use a double-cleansing method or a more powerful makeup remover first.
• Not my favorite from Avène: Although it does an excellent job moisturizing and soothing the skin, I prefer other products from the brand for my facial routine or even for body cleansing that have a stronger cleansing power.

My verdict

If you’re looking for a very gentle cleansing oil that cares for the skin’s protective barrier and offers hydration, Avène XeraCalm Cleansing Oil could be a good option, especially if your body skin is very sensitive. However, if your main priority is a face cleanser that can remove makeup and water-resistant sunscreen, you might need a more powerful product or a double-cleansing system.
Overall, Avène is a brand known for the quality of its products and its formulations focused on sensitive skin, but in my experience, XeraCalm Cleansing Oil doesn’t fulfill my needs for a facial routine. It’s certainly very respectful to the skin, but it doesn’t manage to remove everything when I use waterproof makeup or sunscreen. For me, it’s ideal as a body cleanser, but not so much for the face if you want a deep cleanse.
Have you tried this oil from Avène? Let me know your experience in the comments. Talk to you soon!