Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel: Is It a Silicone Gel, and Is It Enough After 45?
Quick summary
Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel does contain silicone, but it is a water-based massage gel rather than a mostly-silicone gel. Avène states its silicone complex makes up 25% of the formula, and water is the first ingredient. At around $19 to $29 for 40ml in Australia, it is one of the cheapest scar gels on the pharmacy shelf.
It suits small, flat or fading marks, the face, and anyone who wants a gentle gel to massage in. For a raised or red surgical scar after 45, a gel built mainly from silicone is the closer match to the research on silicone scar care.
At Genova Skincare we make an Australian silicone scar gel, so our own product is in this comparison. Prices were checked on 24 September 2026, and results vary from person to person.
30ml, made in Australia. A cosmetic silicone gel for fully healed scars that dries clear in about thirty seconds and sits under sunscreen and makeup. Free standard delivery on Australian orders over $50, with a 30 day money back trial.
Is Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel a silicone gel? What women over 45 should know
Yes, partly. Dimethicone, a silicone, is the second ingredient, and Avène lists a silicone complex at 25%. The first ingredient is water. The rest of the formula includes glycerin, hyaluronic acid, copper and zinc salts, and a postbiotic ingredient the brand calls C+-Restore.
At Genova Skincare, this is the question we hear most about Avène from women over 45: is it the same as the silicone gels a surgeon mentions? Not quite. Gels such as Kelo-Cote and Dermatix list silicones first. Avène has built something closer to a hydrating gel that contains silicone, and describes it as a gel to massage into the scar.
Neither approach is wrong. They are simply different products, and the difference matters most for the kind of scar you have.
Cicalfate+ cream or Cicalfate+ Scar Gel: which one for a scar after 45?
This is where many shoppers get confused, because "Cicalfate" covers a whole range. The best known item is the Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream, which Avène describes for irritated and damaged skin. It is a thick cream, not a silicone scar gel.
The Cicalfate+ Remodeling Scar Gel is the product for a scar. It goes on healed skin only, twice a day, with a gentle massage. If you picked up the cream thinking it was for your scar, it is not the same product.
What Avène Scar Gel costs in Australia for women over 45
Here is what we found on 24 September 2026. The 40ml tube is the current size; some stores still sell an older 30ml tube.
| Option | Size | Australian price | Roughly per ml or gram | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel | 40ml | $19.39 to $29.06 | About $0.48 to $0.73 | Water-based gel, 25% silicone complex |
| DermaScar Classic | 15g | $19.99 | About $1.33 | Silicone gel |
| Dermatix (standard) | 15g | $29.99 | About $2.00 | Silicone gel, silicones listed first |
| Kelo-Cote gel | 15g | $39.99 | About $2.67 | Silicone gel, silicones listed first |
| Genova Silicone Scar Gel | 30ml | $52.95 | About $1.77 | Silicone gel for healed scars |
Avène prices are from Chemist Warehouse, Adore Beauty and Medcart; the others are Chemist Warehouse listings on the same day. Grams and millilitres are not interchangeable, so the per unit column is a rough guide only.
Avène is the cheapest per millilitre in this table by a wide margin, and we would rather say so than hide it. What you are buying is a different product, though: a quarter of the formula is silicone, where the others are built mainly from it. For more brands side by side, see our Australian scar gel price table.
What the research says about silicone scar gels after 45
Silicone is the best supported scar option you can buy without a prescription. International guidelines published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery name silicone gel or sheeting as a first-line option for raised scars. A Cochrane review by O'Brien and Jones found silicone improved scar thickness and colour, and the same authors called the evidence poor quality and highly susceptible to bias.
That research was done mostly with sheets and gels made mainly of silicone. No trial we could find compares a 25% silicone gel with a mostly-silicone gel. Avène's own study of 50 people reports a visible change in scar appearance after three weeks of twice daily use. That is the brand's data rather than an independent trial, and three weeks is early for a scar.
Research in Seminars in Plastic Surgery describes scars maturing over 12 to 18 months, and mature skin often moves more slowly. Our complete guide to fading scars with silicone gel explains the stages.
Avène or a mostly-silicone gel: which suits your scar after 45?
Avène may suit you if the mark is small, flat or already fading, it sits on your face, or you mainly want a gentle gel to massage in. It is also the budget choice, and Avène lists it as suitable from one year of age, which helps if the scar belongs to a child.
A mostly-silicone gel may suit you better if the scar is raised, red, itchy or tight, especially after surgery. Those are the scars the silicone research focuses on. That includes our gel, as well as DermaScar, Dermatix and Kelo-Cote.
Massage itself is worth doing whichever gel you choose. Our step-by-step guide to massaging a scar after 45 shows how.
How to use a scar gel for the best chance of results
- Wait until the skin is fully closed, with no scab, stitches or weeping.
- Clean and pat the scar dry.
- Apply a thin layer twice a day, massaging gently for a minute if the gel is designed for it.
- Let it dry, then apply SPF 50+ sunscreen over the top if the scar will see sun.
- Keep going for at least 8 to 12 weeks before judging the result.
Realistic expectations
Plan on 8–12 weeks of twice daily use at minimum, and longer for surgical scars. Itch and tightness often ease first; colour and texture change slowly.
Older scars change less than fresh ones. No gel, whether Avène's or ours, removes a scar. Results vary from person to person.
What Avène and other scar gels cannot do after 45
No scar gel fills a pitted or sunken acne scar. Those usually need a clinic procedure, which our guide to acne scars by type explains. A large, growing or painful keloid needs a doctor, not only a gel; see our guide to keloid scars after 45.
A scar gel is not a sunscreen either. A new scar can darken in Australian sun, so protect it once the gel has dried. Our guide to sunscreen over silicone scar gel covers the layering order.
Who should skip Avène or any scar gel after 45
Wait, do not buy yet, if the wound is still open, scabbed or weeping. Avène's gel and ours are both for fully healed skin.
See a doctor first if the scar is growing, painful, bleeding or changing in a way that worries you.
Check with your team first if you are having radiation therapy to the area. Ask them before putting anything on treated skin.
Avène Scar Gel questions Australian women over 45 ask most
What is Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel used for?
Avène lists it for scars after surgery or skin procedures on the face and body, on fully healed skin. It is massaged in twice a day.
Does Avène scar gel really work?
It contains silicone, and silicone has the best support of any non-prescription scar option, though that research is modest. Avène's own study reports visible change after three weeks; independent evidence on this specific gel is limited, and results vary.
Can I use Avène scar gel on acne scars?
It may help a red or slightly raised mark look calmer. It will not fill a pitted or sunken acne scar, which usually needs a clinic procedure.
Is Avène scar gel at Chemist Warehouse?
Yes. On 24 September 2026, Chemist Warehouse listed the 40ml tube at $19.39. Prices change often, so compare before you buy.
What is the best scar gel in Australia?
For a raised or red scar, the best one is a silicone gel you will use twice a day for three months or more. Our guides to DermaScar, Kelo-Cote and Cica-Care compare the main brands.
What scar cream do plastic surgeons recommend?
International scar guidelines name silicone gel or sheeting as a first-line option, rather than any single brand. Ask your own surgeon what they prefer for your scar.
Avène makes a pleasant, well priced gel, and if your mark is small or on your face, it is a sensible place to start. If your scar is raised, red or pulling after surgery, choose a gel made mainly of silicone and give it the full three months. Whichever you pick, the one you use every day is the one that has a chance to help.
A silicone gel for raised scars, made in Australia
A cosmetic silicone gel for fully healed scars. Dries clear in about thirty seconds, sits under sunscreen and makeup, and ships from Australia.
12-Week Course, 2 pack
2 x 30ml. For a longer scar, or a full course in one purchase.
Made in Australia. For fully healed skin only. Results vary from person to person.
Individual results vary. Avène and Cicalfate are registered brands of their owner and are not affiliated with Genova Skincare. Genova Silicone Scar Gel is a cosmetic product designed to support the appearance of scars and is not a substitute for advice from your GP, surgeon or pharmacist. Apply only to skin that has fully closed. Australian prices quoted are from retailer listings checked on 24 September 2026 and change by retailer and promotion. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
Sources:
- Mustoe TA, Cooter RD, Gold MH, et al. International clinical recommendations on scar management. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2002;110(2):560-571.
- O'Brien L, Jones DJ. Silicone gel sheeting for preventing and treating hypertrophic and keloid scars. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013;(9):CD003826.
- Commander SJ, Chamata E, Cox J, Dickey RM, Lee EI. Update on postsurgical scar management. Seminars in Plastic Surgery. 2016;30(3):122-128.
- Eau Thermale Avène, Cicalfate+ Remodeling Scar Gel product page (avene.co.uk): ingredients, silicone complex 25%, directions, suitability from age 1, and the brand's 50-person study. Checked 24 September 2026.
- Australian listings for Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel, DermaScar, Dermatix and Kelo-Cote: Chemist Warehouse, Adore Beauty and Medcart, checked 24 September 2026.
