BB cream vs. CC cream
When it comes to facial coverage, your options are no longer limited to foundation versus concealer. Makeup aisles are now stocked with tinted moisturizers, BB creams and CC creams. Like a tinted moisturizer, both BB and CC creams hydrate the skin and deposit pigment — and then do a whole lot more.
What makes BB and CC creams stand out is that they also target a variety of skin issues with skin-friendly ingredients. They typically offer more coverage than tinted moisturizers but less coverage than foundation.
In a nutshell, the difference between the two multitaskers is that BB creams provide lighter coverage but are more hydrating than CC creams. CC creams offer more coverage while targeting mature skin and pigmentation issues. To learn more about these, keep reading.
What is a BB cream?
BB stands for “beauty balm” or “blemish balm.”
The BB creams come in cream form and typically offer sheer to light coverage. Their shade range is narrower than that of foundation: anywhere from two to 10 options. Because BB creams’ coverage is typically sheer and won’t cover up your freckles, you don’t need an exact match to your skin tone.
This multipurpose product contains moisturizers to hydrate skin, SPF for daily sun protection, pigment for covering blemishes and evening skin tone and added vitamins and antioxidants.
BB creams start at $6 for drugstore brands and cost up to $54 for top-quality ingredients or full-coverage creams.
BB creams pros
Unlike foundation, BB creams contain skin-friendly ingredients to protect and nourish the skin in addition to their pigment.
- Moisturizers: BB creams are heavy on hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin and panthenol, making them ideal for dry skin types.
- Brighteners: Another perk of BB creams is their added ingredients to help brighten dull or dry skin, like licorice root and niacinamide.
- SPF: Many BB creams offer SPF protection with mineral sunscreens like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. SPF ratings can range from 10 to 50.
- Skin protectants: Added antioxidants and vitamins, like vitamin E, will protect your face from environmental pollutants and toxins.
BB creams cons
Because BB creams are so emollient, they may be too greasy for oily or acne-prone skin. For those skin types, look for a BB cream that’s oil-free or noncomedogenic. Shade ranges are also limited, so if you have extremely fair or dark skin, you might have a hard time finding a match.
BB creams offer sheer or light coverage, which may not hide red spots or heavily blemished skin. While full-coverage BB creams do exist, you’ll need to match your skin tone exactly to get a natural look. Because of their limited shade ranges, a poor match may be more obvious with a full coverage product.
Best BB creams
Not only does this luminous BB cream contain sun protection, but its SPF is water resistant for up to 80 minutes, making it perfect for people with active lifestyles. This organic BB cream provides a hydrating glow and diminishes the appearance of fine lines.
For a budget-friendly BB cream, look no further than this drugstore favorite. Its lighter coverage both brightens and blurs imperfections, and it does so without clogging your pores due to its unique water-gel formula.
What is a CC cream?
CC creams stands for “color correcting” or “color corrector.”
Like BB creams, CC creams come in cream form but are more lightweight because their formulas are less heavy on emollients. CC creams also offer more coverage — though not as much as foundation — and are better at covering up redness (often by adding green pigment) and other discoloration issues.
CC creams are similar to BB creams in that they contain SPF, brighteners, skin protectants and moisturizers. In addition, part of what distinguishes them from BB creams is that they boast antiaging and color correcting ingredients. This makes this product popular with mature and acne prone skin types.
CC creams start at $11 for drugstore brands and go up to $100 for high-end brands, making them on the whole slightly pricier than BB creams.
CC creams pros
Here are the discoloration issues CC creams are formulated to cover:
- Redness or blotchiness.
- Uneven skin tone.
- Hyperpigmentation, like brown or sunspots.
- Dark undereye circles.
- Acne scarring.
To address aging and acne-prone skin, CC creams may contain the following ingredients:
- Retinol to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Skin-firming agents like peptides and hydrolyzed collagen.
- Hyaluronic acid to plump skin.
- Salicylic acid to reduce acne breakouts.
- Soothing agents like green tea.
CC creams cons
Like BB creams, CC creams are also limited in their shade ranges. Some premium brands offer up to 15 shades, with more inclusive skin tone ranges. You’ll have to pay more for these, though.
If you have acne-prone skin, be sure to select a CC cream that’s labeled as noncomedogenic, so it won’t flare up your skin. Not all CC creams are oil free, so if you have oily skin, be sure to select a CC cream that’s oil free and offers a matte finish.
While coverage is buildable with CC creams, you may need to apply a concealer on top for prominent blemishes and dark spots. Like with BB creams, you’ll also need to apply a couple of layers for full sunscreen protection — or layer a separate sunscreen under it.
Best CC creams
A top pick for mature skin, this CC cream hydrates and repairs. It boasts a high SPF and color corrects with a full-coverage finish.
Another outstanding clean-beauty pick, this nontoxic CC cream is packed with organic ingredients beneficial to aging skin. Its SPF is mineral-based for sensitive skin.
BB vs. CC cream: Which is better?
The answer depends on your skin type and coverage needs.
For dry skin, we recommend a BB cream. If you have a lot of blemishes, opt for an oil-free formula and one with full coverage.
For mature and acne-prone skin, we recommend a CC cream with ingredients to target your specific skin issue. This can reduce the amount of products you use daily with an investment in a quality, multipurpose CC cream.
If you have normal or combination skin, either a BB cream or CC cream is suitable. Just decide what kind of finish you want: dewy or matte.
Remember, BB and CC creams are designed to give you a natural look and not cover up all your flaws. Embrace your unique skin and show it off with one of these skin-nourishing products.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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