There’s a question on everyone’s lips these days. A mystery that seems unanswerable. You can hear it whispered in hallways everywhere, “What is a BB cream?” Sometimes it feels like there is no definitive answer. Depending on who you talk to, it might be a “blemish balm”, a “blemish base”, or a “beauty balm“. Regardless, BB cream is an all-in-one beauty product that can replace your serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation, and sunblock. That’s right. It’s something of a miracle project that will dramatically cut down on the amount of creams that you rub into your face every morning.
Thanks to their remarkable developments in face cream technology, BB creams have been rapidly growing in popularity in America since 2012. However, they’ve been best-selling beauty products in Asia for longer than that. These products have been around for decades, it just took a while for the US to catch up with the rest of the world. They were invented in Germany over 50 years ago to help patients recover from laser treatments. Further applications and alterations came quickly.
So what exactly are BB creams. Don’t worry, we’re just about to tell you. Beauty balms even out complexions, cover up imperfections, and protect your skin. Some have anti-aging and healing ingredients. Some have sunblock. In other words, these aren’t just every day face creams. They are important and versatile products that your face dearly deserves.
There is one thing worth keeping in mind for first time users though. Sometimes BB creams have whiteners, so they might make your skin look a little gray at first. Most of the time this passes once the cream has a couple of minutes to sink into your skin. Even with tinted BB creams, you may still need a concealer to cover problem areas. So, if you’re worried about your face’s coloring after initial application, show a little patience. It will clear up.
Table of Contents
- 1 Typical Ingredients
- 2 Limitations of BB Creams
- 3 The Best BB Creams
- 3.1 Maybelline New York Dream Pure BB Cream Skin Clearing Perfector
- 3.2 Missha M Perfect Cover
- 3.3 Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector Bb Cream
- 3.4 L’Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream
- 3.5 COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream For Oily Skin
- 3.6 La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur with SPF 20
- 3.7 Holika Holika Pore Clearing Petit BB Cream
- 3.8 Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF 30
- 4 While You’re Waiting for Your New BB Cream to Arrive
Typical Ingredients
Note: Not every BB cream has all of these ingredients. It would take far too much space to list every ingredient in every product. However, these are the most common ingredients in most BB creams.
- Anti-oxidants like Vitamins A, C, and E
- Moisturizers like glycerin and hyaluronic acid
- Light-reflecting ingredients like mica
- Silicone-based ingredients like dimethicone
- Sunscreens based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide
Limitations of BB Creams
When you list all of the benefits of BB creams, it can sometimes seem as though these products can do everything. After all, these kinds of creams try to be multi-taskers, but they have some limitations. For one, they don’t come in as many shades and colors as a foundation does. Also, the BB creams that fight acne don’t have a sunscreen component, and vice-versa, because of FDA regulations. So, that’s certainly a drawback.
You might be wondering, “Why doesn’t the FDA allow these two functions to come in the same bottle?” Well, we’ll tell you. It’s because Vitamin A can make your skin sensitive to the sun, while a sunscreen encourages you to be out in the sun. So, it would be a rather inappropriate mix.
Vitamin A appears under names like retinol, retinyl acetate, and retinyl palmitate. If you see one of those names in a BB cream that also claims to be a sunscreen, put the bottle down and choose something better for your health. It would be a mistake to bring a bottle with that awkward combination home.
The Best BB Creams
We hunted down the five best BB creams for acne-prone skin and reviewed them here for you.
Maybelline New York Dream Pure BB Cream Skin Clearing Perfector
Fights acne, no sunscreen
As you know, salicylic acid is a great acne-fighter. The Maybelline New York Dream Pure BB Cream contains 2% salicylic acid because it’s made especially for blemish-prone skin. So, that’s a major benefit.
The cream also contains dimethicone to seal in moisture, glycerin for hydration, Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate) to fight wrinkles, blemishes, and signs of aging, and Vitamin E (tocopherol) for healing. It’s water-based, so it’s not greasy and won’t clog pores. It goes on smooth and stays that way.
Users have reported that the color and texture are very light, and the cream holds up well all day. Just a little dab goes a long way. So be careful not to overdo it, even if you’re enjoying the product.
Missha M Perfect Cover
Suncreen and moisturizer, several shades available
MISSHA has some of the top-selling BB creams in the world, especially in the Asian market. This Perfect Cover BB cream contains an SPF 44 sunscreen based on zinc oxide. Not bad, huh?
It’s water-based, but it also contains mineral oil, so be careful if you have extra oily skin. The formula was originally made to help patients recover from laser treatments. It helps hide and diminish dark spots and wrinkles. Be sure to choose a shade that best fits your skin tone.
The other ingredients of interest are: dimethicone, glycerin, beeswax, jojoba oil, and herbal extracts like rosemary leaf. Rosemary tones and helps the skin be more elastic. Jojoba oil is a plant-based oil that is very similar to our own skin’s sebum. It fools the skin into thinking it’s produced enough oil already. Beeswax helps repair skin. Glycerin helps hydrate, and dimethicone seals in moisture.
MISSHA recommends pumping just once and dabbing that quantity on your cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose. Gently smooth it over your face with your fingers or a sponge. Tap a little extra over difficult area and dark spots.
Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector Bb Cream
Suncreen, absorbs oil
Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector absorbs oil while it hydrates your skin. It comes in two shades for light to medium skin tones.
One of the ways it absorbs oil is with the use of perlite, a volcanic rock in powder form. It also contains caffeine to minimize pores and Vitamin C to fight signs of aging. Garnier says that over the course of 4 weeks, with regular use, blemishes are reduced, or disappear altogether.
The cream has a broad spectrum SPF 20 sunscreen based on octinoxate and titanium dioxide. Garnier says to reapply it as needed.
L’Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream
Magically matches skin color
L’Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier will change to suit your skin color. Pick the closest shade (there are 4), then rub it in, and let the magic happen.
It’s formulated to work as a primer for other makeup, but you can use it without foundation if you wish. It reduces blemishes and evens out skin tone. It contains Vitamins C and E to fight signs of aging. It also hydrates skin, but L’Oreal recommends applying it over top of your regular moisturizer.
We were curious to see if this product really did match skin tones. Based on expert and user reviews at several major sites, it actually does work! It comes out looking whitish, but then blends in as it is massaged into skin.
COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream For Oily Skin
Oil-free, for a matte finish
Ideally suited for skin with over-productive sebum and blemishes, this BB cream offers a formula that gives people with acne-prone skin a product that will give them an even complexion and won’t cause breakouts. This water-based, oil-free BB cream has a matte finish and comes in 6 different shades. COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream contains no SPF, so make sure to combine with a sunscreen separately.
The non-comedogenic formula of COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream doesn’t clog pores and will keep your skin shine-free throughout the day, without making your complexion seem dull or lifeless with its beautifying matte effect. It’s a long-lasting BB cream that gives great coverage, but yet manages to let your skin breathe- who could ask for more?
La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur with SPF 20
Innovative formula improves skin texture
Oil-free, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic formula of La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur is perfect if you have sensitive, acne-prone skin that breaks out if the product is too aggressive. The unique formula and the whipped mousse consistency of the cream ensure that texture imperfections, such as large pores or blemishes, are evened out with a small amount of product applied. It will also absorb the oil your skin produces throughout the day, keeping your complexion radiant and velvety smooth for hours after application. The secret is in the smoothing mattifier airlicium and Perlite that together absorb oil, humidity, and sweat. The only downside is that there aren’t enough available shades to meet everyone’s needs- only fair/light shade and light/medium shade.
This BB cream for acne-prone skin also contains mineral sun protection so you won’t have to use sunscreen simultaneously.
Holika Holika Pore Clearing Petit BB Cream
Eliminates acne with tea tree oil and provides coverage
A huge hit among Korean cosmetics lovers, Holika Holika Pore Clearing Petit BB Cream is a 2 in 1 product for oily and acne-prone skin. This cream both treats the acne and covers them, evening out your complexion for a flawless finish. Its formula includes tea tree oil extract, which anyone with acne knows that works great for soothing inflammations and in some cases, completely eliminating acne. So, this way, even in the midst of an acne flare-up, you get to use a concealing foundation without worrying you’ll make matters worse for your skin.
In addition to acne-fighting ingredients, Holika Holika Pore Clearing Petit BB Cream formula includes a high sun protection factor- SPF 30- so your skin will also be protected from harmful UV rays while you wear this BB cream. The finish is silky-smooth and matte, so you don’t have to worry about greasy skin breaking through after application. Unfortunately, this BB cream for acne-prone skin doesn’t have a shade range and comes only in one color.
Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF 30
Flawless finish, sunscreen
Smashbox created a water-based BB cream to add to their excellent lineup. It’s made to hide fine lines, blemishes, and pores while it hydrates. It comes in 8 different shades.
There are no alcohols and no oils in its formula. It uses an ingredient derived from medical-grade liquid bandages to create the perfect foundation that lasts all day long. You don’t need to use much to get great coverage.
It also serves as a broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen against UVA and UVB rays.
While You’re Waiting for Your New BB Cream to Arrive
See how to take care of acne without expensive visits to a dermatologist. Give your face a spa treatment at home.
I use garnier and I love it!