A BB cream is a tinted moisturizer with a little more to it: light coverage, some hydration, and usually an SPF. A CC cream is built to even out color, so it leans harder on pigment to quiet redness, dullness and blotchy patches. BB stands for beauty balm, CC for color correcting. If your skin tone is fairly even and you want one quick layer that makes you look rested, buy a BB cream. If redness or discoloration is the thing you see first in the mirror, buy a CC cream. Neither name is regulated, though, so the letters are a hint and the coverage word on the tube is the fact. Some CC creams cover as much as a foundation, and plenty of BB creams are sheer.
What the letters mean
BB cream came first. The idea started in a German skin clinic as a soothing tinted balm, became a staple in South Korea, and then reached American drugstores as moisturizer, tint and sun protection in one tube. CC cream arrived later as the answer to a complaint about BB creams, which was that they didn’t cover enough or do much for uneven tone.
A BB cream starts as skin care and adds tint. A CC cream starts as a complexion product and adds skin care.
| Feature | BB cream | CC cream |
| Stands for | Beauty balm (or blemish balm) | Color correcting (or color control) |
| Main job | Moisturize and add a light tint | Even out redness, dullness and discoloration |
| Typical coverage | Sheer to light | Light to full, depending on the brand |
| Texture | Closer to a lotion | Often thicker, closer to a foundation |
| SPF | Common, but check the tube | Common, but check the tube |
| Best for | Even-toned skin, quick mornings, dry or normal skin | Redness, sallowness, old acne marks, uneven tone |
For where each one sits next to skin tint and foundation, see skin tint vs foundation vs BB cream.
The label matters more than the letters
No rule says how much pigment makes something a CC cream, or how much moisture makes something a BB cream. Brands choose the name. Maybelline’s Dream Fresh BB gives sheer coverage. The e.l.f. and IT Cosmetics CC creams further down are both sold as full coverage.
Three things on the package tell you more than the name does:
- The coverage word. Sheer, light, medium or full. This decides how much of your skin shows through.
- The finish word. Dewy and radiant suit dry skin. Matte and natural suit oily skin.
- The Drug Facts box. If the tube claims an SPF, it has one, and that’s where the real sun protection details live.
The SPF part, read carefully
The moment a BB or CC cream claims an SPF, the FDA treats it as an over-the-counter drug as well as a cosmetic. That’s why these tubes carry a Drug Facts panel, the same as a beach sunscreen.
Read the directions and you’ll see the problem. They say to apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply at least every two hours. Nobody applies a tinted base liberally, and nobody reapplies full-coverage CC cream at lunch. SPF values are measured at a thick, even layer, so a thin layer of tint is likely to give you less protection than the number on the front.
Treat the SPF in a BB or CC cream as a bonus on top of a real sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, and two of the picks here are SPF 20 and SPF 25. Put sunscreen on first, let it set, then add your tint. These sunscreens that sit well under makeup are a good place to start, and tinted moisturizer vs tinted sunscreen explains what to buy if you’d rather the sunscreen itself carried the tint.
Who needs which, and who can skip both
Buy a BB cream if your tone is mostly even, you want to look awake in two minutes, and foundation feels like too much on a normal day. It’s also the easier choice for dry skin, since the base is closer to a moisturizer.
Buy a CC cream if redness across your cheeks and nose, a sallow or gray cast, or leftover marks from breakouts are what you’re trying to hide. You’ll get more evening-out from one layer than a BB cream gives you in two.
Skip both if you already own a foundation you like and a sunscreen you wear. If you want only the faintest tint, a tinted moisturizer is simpler.
Neither one replaces a true color corrector. A CC cream evens out mild, all-over redness. A purple-blue under-eye circle or a strong red patch needs a concentrated corrector underneath, which our color correcting guide walks through.
How to put it on
- Moisturize if you need to. Dry skin should. Oily skin can often let a BB cream do that job.
- Apply sunscreen and give it a few minutes to set, so the tint doesn’t drag it around.
- Start with a pea-sized amount. Dot it on your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin.
- Blend from the center of your face outward. Fingers work well for a BB cream because warmth helps it melt in. A damp sponge or a brush gives a more even result with a thicker CC cream.
- Add a second thin layer only where you need it.
- Conceal after, then powder your T-zone if you get shiny.
Common mistakes
- Buying by the letters. A full-coverage CC cream and a sheer BB cream are different products. Check the coverage word before anything else.
- Counting it as your sunscreen. A thin layer worn all day without reapplying is not what the directions describe.
- Piling on layers of BB cream to hide a breakout. Three coats of a sheer product looks heavy and still doesn’t cover. Use one layer and a dab of concealer.
- Guessing the shade. Many BB creams come in a handful of shades; Maybelline’s comes in five. If none is close, a CC cream line with a wider range is the better bet. Here’s how to match your shade.
BB and CC creams worth buying
IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream SPF 50+
About $39
Prices move constantly, so we link to live listings instead of printing a number that is wrong by the time you read it. Links go to Amazon, which is where a referral gets credited.
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream is about $8, though the price changes often. It’s a textbook BB cream: sheer coverage, a lightweight base with glycerin and aloe, and broad spectrum SPF 30 from titanium dioxide. Maybelline describes it as oil-free. It comes in five shades, which is the weak spot.
e.l.f. Hydrating Camo CC Cream is about $16. It’s a full-coverage base with a dewy finish and broad spectrum SPF 30, and the formula includes hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and panthenol (vitamin B5). The sunscreen filters are homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and zinc oxide. Buy it if you want foundation-level coverage with moisture built in.
IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream, about $39, is one of the best-known CC creams. It’s full coverage with broad spectrum SPF 50+, and both of its sunscreen actives are mineral: titanium dioxide 9% and zinc oxide 6.3%. The formula also has niacinamide and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid. It contains several citrus peel oils, so sensitive or fragrance-averse skin should patch test first.
Erborian BB Cream with Ginseng is about $46. It’s an SPF 20 with octinoxate, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as its sunscreen actives, plus ginseng and licorice root extracts. It contains fragrance. At SPF 20, wear a separate sunscreen underneath.
Erborian CC Cream is also about $46. It’s an SPF 25 with octinoxate, octisalate, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, and it includes centella asiatica extract. It also contains fragrance. Like the BB, it belongs over a real sunscreen.
If I Were You
If your skin is fairly even and you just want to look less tired, get the Maybelline BB. It’s $8, and it’ll tell you whether you like this kind of product at all.
If redness or leftover acne marks are the main complaint, go straight to a full-coverage CC cream. The e.l.f. is the low-risk way in, and the IT Cosmetics is the one to move up to.
If your skin is dry, pick a BB cream or the e.l.f. Hydrating Camo, and moisturize first either way.
If you’re outside for hours, none of these is your sun protection. Wear a water-resistant sunscreen and treat the tint as makeup.
FAQ
Is CC cream heavier than BB cream?
Usually, yes. CC creams tend to carry more pigment and feel thicker. It varies by brand, so go by the coverage word on the tube.
Does a BB or CC cream replace moisturizer?
On normal or oily skin, a BB cream often can. On dry skin, or under a full-coverage CC cream, use a moisturizer first.
Is the SPF in a BB or CC cream enough?
Not as your only protection, in our view. You’d have to apply it liberally and reapply every two hours to follow the directions, and almost nobody does that with a tinted base. Wear sunscreen under it.
Do you need primer under BB or CC cream?
No. Both are meant to go on over skin care. A primer helps only if you have a specific problem, such as makeup sliding off an oily T-zone by midday.
What about DD creams?
The label never caught on, and there’s no agreed meaning behind it. Judge one the same way: coverage, finish, and the Drug Facts box if it claims an SPF.
Bottom line
BB cream is for moisture and a light tint. CC cream is for evening out color, and it often covers a lot more. Decide how much coverage you want, then check the tube says so, because the letters alone won’t tell you. Whichever you choose, the SPF in it is a backup. Sunscreen goes on first. There’s more on bases in our makeup archive.
