I have horribly dehydrated skin, extremely rough and dry, to the point of being very uncomfortable. Most days my face feels so dry not just to the touch, but so dry it's uncomfortable and has this persistent 'taught' and completely dehydrated sensation, like when you have cracked or horribly dry skin elsewhere and it's so dry and irritated, you're constantly aware of it on a mental, conscience level (versus just when you see or touch an area of dry skin). This moisturizer felt like dried out play-doh on the outside and then when rubbed in my fingers before applying, gave way to a creamier texture inside. That outer grainy feel, as if it dispenses with some dried out silicone coating, reminds me of products in the Paula's Choice line and is definitely not something someone with extremely dry skin wants to encounter.
Its only good point? It's in a squeeze tube that is made of thicker, colored plastic so it's rather well protected from sunlight and bacteria when dispensing the product.

Really nice hydrating moisturiser for daytime. Doesn't break me out, moisturises thoroughly, doesn't clog pores and does not irritate (even though it has fragrance).
I was told by my pharmacist that Avène guarantees that their product will not cause an allergic reactions (I don't know how they could, but that's what she said) and that they offer a full refund if you return the product to where you got it. I don't know it that's how it works everywhere, but thought I'd add it to those of you, who had a reaction to their products.

This product has been a life saver for my very dry sensitive skin. Just to give you an idea of how dry my skin is, the skin all over my face peels off constantly. My face is usually one dry patch of peeling skin regardless of how much i moisturize or care for my skin. This product is so amazing that on my second day using it, my dry patches were decreased by a whole 50%, it blew my mind! After 3 months of having used this product I think its safe for me to say that this is the best facial moisturizer for dry skin. It keeps my skin extremely hydrated and dry spot/ peeled skin free and does not make me oily at all. I do have acne prone skin as well as I do tend to get breakouts and with this product I have noticed neither an increase or decrease in the amount of acne I have. I have used this product at night and during the day, under makeup and it seems to perform perfectly at all times. If you have dry, peeling, and sensitive skin I highly recommend giving this a try!

I have acne-prone skin so I am constantly using harsh creams to keep the acne at bay and obviously this is extremely drying to my skin even though it is quite oily all the time. I am usually VERY hesitant to using these types of intensive creams because the grease usually makes me break out. Surprisingly I have not experienced a single break out from using this, which has been about two years now. It provides instant relief for my skin and might sometimes burn depending on how dry my skin is (but it is tolerable). I use it as a night cream, every other night. I wouldn't use it as a daily or day wear moisturizer because it is very greasy and does make your face look greasy, but who cares since I am using it at night.

Love love love this moisturizer. I was having problems with moisturizer 'quitting' on me during the day and leaving behind painful dry skin patches. This one lasts all day, leaving skin smooth and no residue. I don't like SS creams, prefer to get SPF protection in MMU so this cream is perfect for me. I use this every morning and Eluage products at night. Avene is such a great brand.

I have extremely fair, sensitive combi skin and live in tropical climate so its hot and humid outside, and dry and cold inside due to the constant airconditioning. Adult acne breakouts, redness and dry skin which causes my frown lines to stick out more than necessary are my main problems! I have tried a whole lot of products; Clinique - broke me out, Olay regerist - I wanted to love this but my skin had a disastruous reaction to this and I had to see a derm, Origins - am too sensitive and many of the plant extracts irritated my skin etc.. I have used Avene in the past, but somehow got bored with the range and felt that I had to use too many different products (Eluage, serum, Ystheal) essentially I felt confused and conned and decided to stop using the range. Am currently using Vichy Aqualia Thermal SPF15 for daytime use, Vichy CxP serum underneath both day and night, and have started using this Avene cream again. All I can say is that this cream calms my skin, gives it a fantastic glow and healthy appearance and is alltogether a very priceworty and awesome cream! Wouldnt go for the whole Avene range again, but will stick with this cream.
*************REVISION: This cream broke me out.. dont know its possible as it says non comedogenic, but it did.. blech...

I use several different Avene moisturisers. In the UK this is pretty cheap, especially compared to the ones I've used before.
I sometimes use this morning and night and sometimes just in the evenings when I alternate with the light version or cleanance. I sometimes mix it with diacneal to get some glycolic acid in there.
I like how this does not leave a horrible greasy feeling on my skin. This does not break me out (or any other avene moisturiser) which is fantastic. I did take one lippy off as I really wished that Avene did not use frgrance in any of their creams. I don't see the need for fragrance.

I'm having mixed feelings on this cream.
It's a great moisturizer for normal to dry skin (really dehydrated skins might be better out with richer formulas) and also a good base for make up if you're using this in the morning. I like that it has no SPF so you can actually use it day and night. Not greasy, not a problem with pores, didn't break me out, the price is in the medium range.
The reason I'm giving 4 lippies is that it performs really well as a basic moisturizer, but I don't want to slather my face in paraffinum liquidum twice a day, so I'm sure I won't repurchase. Avene is a good brand but should put more effort in ensuring its products do not contain harmful ingredients, and PL is one of the worst ones.

My skin got very dry & I needed a hydrating moisturizer to get me through until my hg winter moisturizer (Keihl's Ultra Facial Cream) came in the mail. I picked this up from the drugstore because Avene is supposed to be good for sensitive skin & my skin was so dry it felt paper thin. It barely felt hydrating going on & provided no moisture through the day. It left my skin with a bit of an uncomfortable siliconey film. Also, it had quite a heavy scent that I didn't like. The one thing I did like was the tube packaging. It sells for $38 Canadian before tax, so I was VERY relieved I didn't have trouble returning it. On the advice of MUA I got Eurerin 5% Urea Moisturizer (for half the price) to tide me over and its very nice. continued >>

The only thing that I don't get is; why does Avene use perfume in this cream? Because it's suppose to be for sensitive skin types and perfume can irritate the skin. This is a nice cream, I don't find the texture to thick, I actually thought it was quite thin for a "Rich" cream but I'm used to using thicker moisturizers so that could just be me. It's sinks in the skin quickly and has not irritated my skin so far. I also liked Biotherm Biosensitive Rich creme, but these are all basic cremes and I like to find something cheaper!

This is my hg moisturising cream! I will never go without it as long as avene produces it. Before I had this I used a lot of different moisturisers but they often either didn't sink in very well and left a strange residue or made me look oily or just didn't moisturise at all, and I have used different brands, many much more expensive than this. Avene hydrance optimal riche on the other hand sinks in beautifully, never makes my skin oily, and it feels smooth and well hydrated afterwards. It's also great that it's in a tube, so it's sanitary. It's very cheap in Germany, so whenever I go to Berlin, which is very often I can get a tube of this.

I just LOVE this moisturizer! When I used to live in Germany a few years back I always had all the AVENE products available a few steps away at a nearby pharmacy.
ANyways, this moisturizer is amazing!Every moisturizer seems to make me break out (my last experience was with the Cosmedix Phytoclear moisturizer, not worth the price).This Hydrance optimale riche cream moisturizes my skin perfectly and seems to even calm down my breakouts, it is a miracle moisturizer in my book. I strayed in the last few years to try out high end products and natural ones (Jan Marini, IS Clinical,Bioelements,Kate Somerville,MD Forte, Cosmedix with the natural ones being Dr Alkaitis,Intelligent Nutrients,Sircuit skin etc.) but after all those other lines and moisturizers I can honestly say this is the superstar of them all.It gives the skin a very healthy appearance,a shine,yet not an oily shine if that makes sense and hydrates all day.For me it is not too rich to use during the day even in summer. If you get the chance try it!

I used it in wintertime for two-three weeks. Loved it - the product is unbelievably moisturizing, leaves the skin smooth and soft + adds a really healthy-looking glow. The best moisturizer I have tried in my entire life. However, I started getting some really weird white dots and pimples from it and had to give it up.

Will definitely repurchase and give it another try in the future.

Love this cream, I have sensitive skin and rosacea and this is one of the few products that soothes my skin. it is expensive but one tube lasts me at least 2 months.

Wow. I used this as a follow on from the Skin Recovery cream and Anti-redness light emulsion. Having bought those to ease the cosmetic load on my skin in an attempt to beat adult acne I had found that a significant part of the problem lay in over-cleansing, stripping out my skin's natural moisture and generally aggravating it, and the SRC had helped, but as my skin became accustomed to it I realised more moisture and not less was what it had needed all along.
I love this, it's really thick and gentle, good at any time of day (have just purchased the version with SPF to see how I fare with that, so will put a review in when I've tried it), and is non-greasy, non-comedogenic and very moisturising. Yes, it's a little expensive, and all the Avene products are, but a little does go a long way, and I feel for what these products have done for my skin, they are definitely worth it. Will buy again, and again, I am sure.

This product is very hydrating and can cause the skin to appear shiny, this product works best if it's used at night and followed by the Avene light moisturizer in the morning. This product is great for dry-oily skin because it does not cause additional breakouts. However, the only problem with this product is the price, it's very expensive for such a small container. But overall this product is great, I have used it for about a year and I purchased it twice in just a year, so it is long lasting.

My skin went trough some changes when I was on BCP for the first time. During Winter my skin was quite dry, a very weird thing for me, being an oily gal. I bought this product to calm my skin down and it worked. After a while I didn't need it anymore, but I kept it anyway, the tube was half full, at least. Almost a year ago, the skin around my area became very dry/sensitive (it was always a little sensitive, but no big deal). I was starting to get desperate because I couldn't use concealer - it would dry out my skin more and it looked cakey. And concealer is the MU item I always use if I live the house, even for just 5 minutes. Luckily I remembered I had this moisturizer and decided to give it a try. It worked out perfectly! I doesn't sting at all (usually the skin around my eyes can't stand face moisturizers), leaves my skin smooth and fresh, it really is amazing! I will repurchase for sure. It's pricey (around 20€, I believe) but many eye creams cost the same, for 15 mL of product.

I live in a very cold and dry climate and felt that I needed something with more umph that would hydrate me throughout the whole day. I tried this and it worked fantastically, HOWEVER, it seems almost too rich since it broke me terribly along the jawline. I'm giving it 3 lippies because it does the job, and will probably work for someone who doesn't have as sensitive skin as I do.

Love it! It seems like a pretty no frills cream at first but as others have said it really does seem to make a difference. My skin was so dry and irritated before I used this and no it seems to stay hydrated all day--and still no break outs after one month! I am so happy that I found this cream!

i bought this today (in light not rich) at a local pharmaprix in canada and i was really excited to try this. First because of the good reviews it generally gets but also because avene has a pretty good reputation when it comes to cleansers and creams. the only "bad" thing is that i find it quite expensive (40 ml for 36$). but ayways so i JUST finished trying it and i find that the consistency is really awkward. It was hard to blend into my skin, either that or it absorbed REALLy fast. Anyways apart from that, the product smells good and it seems to work nicely with my sensitive-combination-acne-prone skin. Ill let you in on some further details in the next week (like if it broke me out, or if its actually moisturizing my skin)
...I think im breaking out from this, ive stoped using it to see how my face would react and it calmed down a lot. except that now i need to find myself another moisturizer!