The story goes like this. In 1736, in the Hérault, in the south of France, the Marquis de Rocozels had a horse with a skin condition that nothing seemed to help. Someone led it to bathe in a spring near the village of Avène, and the animal's skin eased. That is the brand's own telling, a legend and not a lab report, but I like that a whole skincare identity begins with a tired horse and a warm pool.

The brand says the first thermal pool followed in 1743, and that the water rises from the Sainte-Odile source. Pierre Fabre Laboratories bought the spa in 1975 and created Eau Thermale Avène as a brand in 1990, with sensitive skin as the focus. What I find persuasive about Avène is how little it has tried to be anything else. There is a spring, a spa, a set of creams with short ingredient lists, and the brand says its products are made on site at Bains d'Avène.

The trick is to start with the water and work outward. The first grid is the basic Avène kit. Thermal Spring Water is the spray, the brand's hero, and the one to keep in a bag. Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream is the repair cream, and the brand says it contains the spring water plus copper and zinc sulfate. The Moisturizing Melt-in Balm is for dry patches, and Hydrance RICH Hydrating Cream is for skin that feels tight. XeraCalm's balm, the Mineral Sunscreen Lotion in SPF 50 and the Tolerance Foaming Cleanser complete a routine from one brand.

One rule for a sensitive routine: change one thing at a time and give it two weeks. That is how you learn which product is helping and which is only there.

This grid is the rest of the range, arranged by what your skin is asking for. Hydrance Boost is the concentrated hydrating serum for dry, dehydrated skin, and Hyaluron Activ B3 is the plumping one, and the name points to hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3. Vitamin Activ Cg is the radiance serum, the morning one. Retrinal 0.05% Multi-Corrective Cream is the retinal cream, so start slowly and follow the label. Retinal is a night step, and sunscreen is the morning partner.

For breakouts, the Cleanance Cleansing Gel and Cleanance Hydra Ultra-Soothing Restorative Cream are the pair to look at if breakouts and sensitivity show up together. Redness Expert Soothing Moisturizing Concentrated Cream is for skin that flushes easily. The Soothing Eye Contour Cream is for the thinnest skin on your face, and the Tolerance Extremely Gentle Cleanser Lotion is the one to reach for when your skin is at its most annoyed.

A pairing I like: a few sprays of Thermal Spring Water, then Cicalfate+ on any patch that has gone raw. The brand says it is fragrance-free and paraben-free.

What I would skip: starting the retinal cream the same week as a new serum or a new cleanser. If your skin reacts you will not know why.

Here is how I would choose a soother: look at the back of the bottle for what it leaves out. Reactive skin often does better with a short list than with a long one, and the products here are a tour of calming formulas, most of them named for the soothing ingredient inside.

AESTURA's A-CICA365 Cooling Relief Toner Pads are cica pads for a flushed afternoon, and Hanyul's Korean Artemisia Soothing Toner Pads bring artemisia into the same job. Keep the pads in the fridge and press one over a warm cheek. FATION's Rapid Calming Toner brings in PHA and LHA, mild exfoliants, with cica and panthenol. Facile's Destress Redness Calming Serum pairs vitamin C with ceramides.

Then the moisturizers. Experiment's Molecular Mesh Barrier Strengthening Moisturizer and Dieux's Skin Mercy Intense Recovery Cream are for skin that has been through a lot, and Dieux is named for sensitive and eczema-prone skin. Kate Somerville's DeliKate Recovery Cream is a ceramide moisturizer, and Rejuran's Moisture Treatment Ampoule with c-PDRN is a calming serum for those who like a more advanced layer.

A pairing I like: toner pad, then serum, then a plain cream. Three steps, all calm.

What I would skip: layering three exfoliating toners in a week while your skin is already stinging.

Start with your water. Lukewarm, not hot, and no scrubbing. Half of a gentle cleanser's job is a gentle wash, and the other half is not stripping your skin's barrier. If your face feels squeaky, the cleanser is doing too much.

Lesse's Calming Cleanser and Sincerely Yours' Kindly Clean Hydrating and Soothing Foaming Gel are the everyday gels, the ones I would put by the sink. Erborian's Centella Cleansing Gel brings centella into a daily wash. For milks, make p:rem's Safe me. Relief Moisture Gentle Cleansing Milk and S.NATURE's Aqua Rice Cleansing Milk are softer, and S.NATURE's doubles as a makeup remover.

Hourglass's Equilibrium Rebalancing Cream Cleanser is a rich cream for dry days, and Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Revival Foaming Gentle Cleanser with hyaluronic acid is a foam for people who love the lather. Lancôme's Crème Radiance Gentle Cleansing Creamy-Foam is the middle path, creamy until you add water.

A habit worth borrowing: cleanse at night, and in the morning just splash with water and a spray of thermal water if your skin is calm.

What I would skip: a foaming cleanser in the middle of a cold, dry winter, when your skin is tight and papery by noon.

I think Avène is best judged by how quiet it is. There is no dramatic story, only a spring, a spa and a set of creams that try not to make things worse. That is exactly what reactive skin wants, and it is a fair reason to keep the routine short.

So I would start with the Thermal Spring Water, add one calming cream, and choose a cleanser from the last grid. Keep the retinal for when your skin is steady, and add nothing new the same week. The Marquis's horse got a bath and a rest. Yours can get a spray and a good cream. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Filter Baby Skincare Water Filters and My Fall Skincare Essentials.