Eau Thermale Avène ingredients

• Animal testing has been banned in the European Union since 2004 for finished products, and since 2013 for the ingredients used to make these products. Pioneers in this approach, since 1995 we have been using innovative skin models reconstructed in the Laboratory.
• As many as 700 tests can be carried out on a dermo-cosmetic product and if one test is not conclusive, the product will not be launched.
• 3 years of research is the average time needed between the discovery of an active ingredient and the marketing of the finished product...but it can take up to 10 years!

• Suns filters are essential for protecting the skin from UV rays responsible for the vast majority of skin cancers: they absorb or deflect them.
• In some formulations, we use titanium dioxide [NANO] which is a safe sun filter and is permitted in concentrations up to 25% in the finished product.
• It has been shown to not penetrate significantly into the skin and does not present an inhalation risk.
• Our new formulas no longer contain Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (EMC), believed to be an endocrine disruptor.

1- Permitted by the European Cosmetic Regulation (13) as a sun filter at a maximum concentration of 25%.
2- We apply important safety margins: our Titanium Dioxide [NANO] is therefore safe even in spray form: the droplets are larger than 100 µm (no risk of reaching the lungs) and do not present an inhalation risk.

• The mineral oils we use (paraffin, microcrystalline wax, etc.) are to the quality set out by the European Pharmacopoeia and are therefore purified without any health risk.
• They are in no way oils used for industrial purposes.
• We use them for their excellent tolerance and their protective and hydrating properties.

• To better meet the expectations of our consumers, we have decided to stop using parabens in our new products.
• Similarly, we no longer use Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and Phenoxyethanol in our new products.

• Antioxidants prevent formulas from becoming rancid, especially those containing fats.
• When the formula requires it, we use Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) which has been proven to be neither an irritant nor an endocrine disruptor.
• Unlike Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), which we no longer include in our formulas.
• As part of our ongoing efforts to improve our formulas, we are looking for alternatives, but for the moment there are few substitutes.

• Not all silicones are controversial.
• In some of our formulas, we include Dimethicone, a hydrating and nourishing agent. It is often confused with Cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), a prohibited silicone, which we do not use.
• For particular uses, such as scar massage, silicones are very effective ingredients and are recommended by experts.
• They are well tolerated by the skin, non-comedogenic, non-irritant and non-allergenic. They improve the feel and finish of a product.
• We do not use Cyclotetrasiloxane (D4).