I realise I’m going to be quite unpopular with the BB Cream-wearing crowd after this, but I can’t just sit by and nod and smile and pretend that I’m willing to be privy to the whole madness that is BB Cream, or CC Cream, or any other alphabet cream they choose to come up with. I know DD and even EE creams exist but that’s just nonsense if you ask me.
I have been sceptical about these seemingly all-in-one products for a long time, ever since I told you way back in the day that I didn’t want to talk about BB Creams. Where possible, I still don’t. Unlike many people, I have not been sold on the idea of BB Creams at all. Sure, I use them. But I use them as I would any other makeup, and I treat them as I would any other makeup i.e. It goes on only after my skincare and must be properly removed at the end of the day.
Despite what we are fed and led to believe, BB Creams are NOT skincare. BB Creams are NOT sunscreen and BB Creams are not a miracle skin perfecting product.
And this is my biggest beef with this seemingly miraculous product. I still stand by everything I said back in 2010 about BB Creams. I use them, and my BB Cream horizon has expanded and I even have some faves, but some recent revelations from people have surprised me so much that I’ve realised that BB Creams could actually be doing more harm than good to the general public. Naturally, you don’t have to agree with me 🙂 In fact, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this after I’ve had my say.
BB Creams are NOT skincare, they are makeup
I cannot stress this point enough. The statement put to me that bowled me over was when people asked if you could apply BB Cream at night, or if you can sleep in your BB Cream or better yet, whether you need to remove your BB Cream at all at the end of the day.
When asked why they thought the way they did, the answer that came back was “Because BB Cream is skincare, isn’t it?”
Fact is, it is not skincare, no matter how long the list of benefits to the skin it carries. The original concept behind BB Cream was to allow women to wear makeup post-laser treatments when their skin was thin and sensitive. A product that combined makeup (foundation) properties and a healthy dose of skin caring benefits was introduced. This was the BB Cream or Blemish Balm Cream. These days, BB can mean anything from Beauty Booster to Blithering Baloney.
This product does not replace your creams and moisturisers at all. By telling people that a BB Cream has 8-in1 or 10-in-1 benefits that includes whitening, hydrating, anti-aging, makeup etc is almost BS. In the same breath, we are advised to use only a small amount so it doesn’t look heavy on skin.
Now think about that for a minute. How on earth are you expected to derive any skincare benefits from a tiny dollop of cream? If you have believed this, and if you have been abandoning your normal skincare for BB Cream and if you are wondering why your skin is dehydrated and dull, herein lies your answer. You just aren’t doing things right. Ditch the BB Cream, go back to your skincare and moisturisers and creams and you’ll see much better results.
BB Creams do not offer sufficient sun protection
Another statement that has bowled me over is the use of BB Cream in place of a proper sunscreen product. This, I almost blame squarely on the brands who tout their SPF and UV protection properties in their BB Creams, leading people to believe that “Wow! Look, I can skip one step and save on sunscreen! Yay!”
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
High SPF only lulls consumers into a false sense of security. Again, the product may contain a high SPF factor, up to SPF50. But how much of a BB Cream do we put on our skin? A tiny bit. Remember? We are only supposed to use a thin layer so it doesn’t look fake and thick. So, how do you expect to get any or sufficient sun protection under our tropical sun, with just a thin layer of protection between your skin and the skin damaging UV rays?
You can’t.
So, the proper thing to do is to wear a separate sunscreen. Treat the SPF in the BB Cream as a bonus, if you must but it is definitely NOT a replacement for sunscreen, and definitely NOT sufficient for daily wear. I personally discount any reference to SPF in a makeup product. You just won’t use enough of it to be beneficial. If you really want an all in one product, get a tinted sunscreen instead. That is a sunscreen first, makeup second.
BB Creams must be removed at the end of the day
No brand tells you this, but BB Cream is makeup. My advise is to treat BB Creams as you would makeup, and get a proper makeup remover to remove it at the end of the day. This applies to any colour you put on your skin. No matter how beneficial it is, it is still makeup.
The problem I have when seeing BB Creams being pushed, is that the brands will extol the virtues of the skincare benefits and this confuses the customer into thinking that this product is a skincare item that can be left on the skin. Just take a look at the box of your BB Cream. The blurb is almost exactly what you’ll see on a box of face moisturiser. Some even tell you to “Use it as the last step of skincare”. Now if that’s not confusing, I don’t know what is! So, if its skincare, you don’t need a makeup remover right? Perhaps, just a quick wash with a regular face cleanser at the end of the day will do it?
Nope, that’s not the case.
I’ve personally found that the texture of BB Creams tend to sometimes be a bit heavier and oilier than regular foundation. It is also more sticky and sticks to skin. What this means is that the potential to clog pores is also higher. Also, not many people just wear a BB Cream and head out. They will likely pat on some powder or dab on some concealer… you get the picture. It is not skincare, ladies. Let’s wise up, yes? Use a proper makeup remover.
BB Cream is nothing but foundation
Ultimately, this is the take away of it all. A BB Cream is nothing more than a foundation. It could be sheer, medium or full coverage but the primary purpose many people wear BB Cream, if you ask them, is because they want their skin to look better and more eventoned. This is what foundation was designed to do. No one wears a BB Cream because “I am too lazy to use a proper moisturiser and sunscreen”.
When people tired of heavy foundations, along came tinted moisturisers, the pre-cursor to the BB Cream. But these days, foundation runs the gamut of textures from sheer to full coverage and everything in between. Many have included SPF and there are foundations that offer skin caring benefits as well.
Why not use something that has a targeted purpose instead of an all-in-one-master-of-none product?
I’m not saying don’t use a BB Cream. I’m saying, use one if you like but be aware as to what it is. Don’t believe all the miraculous all-in-one claims. Don’t wear it and then tell people you aren’t wearing makeup. You are. You have just been confused to the extent that you never realised it.
I don’t deny that I do use BB Cream (I just found one I like from Guerlain!) but I do not subscribe to the seemingly wonderful skincare benefits they tout. For me, a BB Cream is nothing but base makeup and I treat it accordingly. It goes on after my sunscreen, which is the last skincare product to go on my face. Some work for me beautifully, many don’t. But I think we’ve had enough. The Age of the BB Cream is past and brands should just go back to working on their foundations and making it better instead of churning out crowd-pleasing products, that are the alphabet creams.
Here’s what I’d like to see the brands do : Market a BB Cream as makeup. Scrap the CC Cream. Improve on foundation textures and benefits. Keep the skincare benefits of BB Creams secondary. Stop confusing the public. Our skin will thank you for it.
How much of a BB Cream’s claims do you believe?
None, in my case. I only measure how it works as foundation and discard all skincare/sunscreen benefits. I don’t expect anyone to agree with me on this. But if you’d like to share your views, please do. The soapbox is now yours 🙂
Paris B
Honey says
I so love this article! You hit it on the spot, Paris. BB / CC cream is all but hype and I totally agree that it is not skincare. As some have commented, I use it on weekends when I want minimum fuss. But it is still MAKE UP! Oooh, and I absolutely laughed out loud when I read ‘blithering baloney’.
Paris B says
Thank you Honey. I was afraid I may have stepped on a few toes but I’m glad to know it agreed with most of you 😀 Or maybe the ones who disagree are just not saying anything haha! I use BB creams on weekends mostly too. Its quick and evens out skin just enough 🙂
Evan Chang says
Totally agree with you Paris !
Many are confused of what a BB cream should be, I’ve seen some of my friends skin go south because they never took care of their skin after they started using BB cream.
Actually I feel like slapping them when they say they can skip a lot of steps.
On another note, companies shouldn’t really do this!
Paris B says
Haha don’t slap them, educate them! Although you know what? Most people won’t want to listen, right? They’ll say “Oh but they say I can use this like skincare!” Darn!
Noni says
Phew… that answered my doubt with BB cream. I have thought of using it to fast forward my morning routine. But when I read other people reviews, do some research about BB cream; I think I’ll just skip it. Why should I ditch my skincare routine if normal BB cream can’t give me what I need? I should stick to my skincare, liquid foundation for full coverage and powder foundation for sheer coverage. And I’ll just clean it at the end of the day, i don’t waste 5 minutes of slapping dots of BB cream to my face, and I’ll get the result what i want with my routine, just speed it up with that thing on your face, girl!
Paris B says
I’m glad this helped open up your eyes Noni 🙂 There’s no shortcut to good skin, just a lot of hard work like everything else! 😀
ct says
awww..been cheated by BB cream 🙁
Paris B says
Oh dear, which part of it CT? On the bright side, you now know what not to do! 🙂
Wojis says
This is exactly what I say to people, it’s great if you like BB cream, but it doesn’t make the rest superfluous. You need more SPF and more often then once a day. It
Isn’t a miracle it is a handy part in make-up routine. But people keep plugging it as the answer to everything. Here in Europe the even recuse SPF to 10 or 15, well that is just tinted moisturizer. Anyway, I’m glad you spoke out!
Paris B says
Goodness Wojis. SPF10 or 15 is barely anything 😛 I wish more people would understand that BB creams aren’t miracles. But it doesn’t help when many “gurus” rave about them or tout them as the answer to life and the universe 😛
EL says
I don’t wear sunscreen unless I really have to so they did appeal to me because I thought hey here’s an excuse for me to wear sunscreen without adding another layer to the routine.
How was guerlain a coverage compared to diorsnow bb?
Paris B says
I suppose if you can’t wear sunscreen or don’t like wearing sunscreen anyway then using a BB Cream maybe better than nothing, but I do still think it would be better in the long run to just wear the sunscreen 😉 I haven’t done a side by side test but the coverage of both seem similar with tone differences. In fact, they are both so similar which might be why I like using them!
Liz says
I couldn’t care less about the so-called multi-benefits of BB cream. I’ve always considered it as either tinted sunscreen or something that works lighter than foundation when I wasn’t going for a full-on makeup look. Even when I say tinted sunscreen, I still use a proper sunblock before it as I also didn’t trust the SPF claims of BB creams. XD Anyway, I’m actually one of those people who will use BB cream after my regular skincare routine and then head out. But yes, BB cream should always be removed by a makeup remover. Sunscreen too! Maybe I’m just paranoid but I also don’t buy the claim about some cleansers being able to remove makeup that there is no need to use a proper makeup remover. Double cleansing is still the way to go.
Paris B says
I’m with you Liz! Ever since I learned about double cleansing, I’ve never looked back. There’s just no way a cleanser can remove everything! Even though I don’t use oil cleansers anymore, I still double cleanse in that I use a face makeup remover and then a face wash so I’m quite sure my skin is really clean. Seems to help my skin too!
berries says
I completely agree with you! For me BB cream is too much of a wishy washy product, neither skincare nor makeup.
Paris B says
Hi Berries, I tend to agree with you about them being wishy washy! Its so hard to categorise, I just prefer lumping them into the makeup category 😛
Laura says
I think a lot of the confusion had to come from the appropriation of the terms “bb cream” and “cc cream” by western makeup companies. No doubt the products were touted for their skincare benefits, but I don’t believe I’d ever seen an eastern bb/cc product claim to purely be skincare. For me, the frustrating part the blatantly misinformed marketing and the complete lack of research by the companies themselves when they jumped on the bb bandwagon. The eagerness with which they stepped in speaks to a lack of concern for the consumer and is a blatant show of greed. Bb and cc products are intended to be different – one touts higher coverage and more skincare benefits while the other offers less coverage and more brightening properties. Not that anyone not doing independent research would know. I doubt the companies know either, since most western bb/cc creams seem to have gone the exact opposite route of Asian bb/ccs.
That aside, my personal experience with bbs has been odd. I personally did find there to be skincare benefits, in that if I had an under the skin pimple (the worst, because they hurt and won’t come out), wearing a bb in those areas would force the pimple out by the end of the day! Weird, right? The ones I tried wouldn’t break me out in any other away, but every foundation I’ve tried so far has given me clogged pores. Base makeup is a frustrating experience, to say the least, huff!
Paris B says
Actually Laura, based on my observation, I’ve found that the Western brands are a little more careful with the positioning of their BB/CC Creams. You will usually find the BB creams placed with the makeup or foundation section and not in the skincare sections. In that sense, they haven’t been as confusing. It is the Asian brands, which I find most confusing or which push the skincare benefits the most. The 2 examples I’ve shown here are Asian brands and you can barely tell from the descriptions that its a makeup item. They too tend to have 5 up to 10-in-1 skincare benefits which confuse things even further. So I think the original intention for the creation of BB Cream as a gentle tinted cream that people with sensitive post-laser could use to even out redness in skin, was a noble one, what it has become has far deviated from its original purpose.
That said, I haven’t personally derived any benefits from wearing a BB Cream and in fact, I used to break out a lot because I found them too heavy and oily on my skin. I attributed it to the formulation which is very heavy especially in our tropical weather. But the newer lighter formulas are much better and perhaps, if well formulated, may actually work well in terms of being a skin nourishing makeup base. But ultimately, that’s all it is. A makeup base 🙂 If the BB Cream fits, Laura, use it! 😀
Swati says
hey Paris…good one 🙂 BB or any other alphabet creams (as you call it :D) are just evolved forms of foundations only! but, you are right about many people using it as sunscreen. i have always maintained on my blog as well that bb cream or any other makeup or skin care product which is not sunscreen should not be substituted for real sunscreen but people prefer other products because its less sticky comparatively and reduces one step in the routine!!
Paris B says
Glad you enjoyed this Swati 🙂 I think many people forget the original purpose of a BB Cream – to enable women to wear makeup post laser. Its just makeup! LOL 😀 But I agree with you about how people perceive the use of sunscreen in the product that might appeal to many. Not everyone wants to put on many layers on their skin or some people may actually not like the texture of their sunscreen if they haven’t found one to appeal to them 🙂
Liyana Ismail says
I never really liked BB creams or CC creams. The skin tone adapting concept is just nonsense to me. For me, it’s better to get a foundation that matches your skin tone. Not to forget they even tend to oxidize badly on darker skin tones. No matter what i’m wearing, i never skipped my sunscreen. Guess we’re on the same page Paris.
Paris B says
Haha I so agree with you about the skintone thing. I think the adapting thing only really works for those who have a medium skintone because you can go a little either way without having too much of a difference. For those who have a light or deeper skintone, its a travesty 😛 I’m glad we’re on the same page!
Poorva says
very very well written 🙂
and i agree with you! i always took bb creams as makeup- a light base that i can use for daily wear and never as skincare! but i do come across ppl who use it religiously as skin care!!
Paris B says
Hi Poorva, I’m glad you enjoyed this 🙂 Also, it looks like many of us are on the same page about these creams being makeup and need proper removal. I have to admit some of them are really nice as a makeup base, but to use as skincare? Horrors!
Amanda says
I never knew BB cream was ‘considered’ as a skincare product! I always thought they’re just another makeup 😀 I don’t use them though.
Paris B says
I know! Most of us seem to think so but it would appear that people have been duped by it into thinking its a skincare, which is a right pity!
Julia says
I agree. (Although I wonder how many people would slather a teaspoon of tinted sunscreen on their faces…)
Lately I’ve been using the Bioré BB Sunscreen in the morning instead of moisturizer and then either put compact powder over it or the Maybelline BB Base they sell in Japan. But basically, although both products have “BB” in their names (what’s up with that?!), I just treat one as a moisturizer/sunscreen (which is what it is!) and the other as a foundation.
Paris B says
None of us, I’d warrant, Julia 🙂 I do reapply sunscreen religiously when I’m by the beach but not really on a normal day. Just so hard to! There are so many BB stuff these days! So weird. I’ve even seen BB Blush. I don’t even know how to explain that 😛
Mr. B says
Not sure about the rest of the benefits of using BB creams, but take this from a user who used all types of sunscreens from regular Banana Boat SPF50 to liquid SPF130 – there is no way in skin protection heaven that a sunscreen can last a whole day, even when you apply it like you would apply a mask! Reapplication is a must every two hours or so else one will gain the delicious complexion of a boiled lobster at the end of the day.
Paris B says
If I guess the SPF130 product you’re using, its crap 😛 I’m serious. I’ve used it and it leaves my skin feeling like paper… and then it burns. Bah! But yes, for outdoor use, reapplication every 2 hours at maximum is essential if you dont’ want to burn. I do so by the beach (while I hide under the umbrella!) but not on a regular day. Just too much hassle 😛
Ika Roseworn says
AMEN SISTA! I use BB Cream to even out my skintone, and I like how it makes my skin looks. And like any other foundation I use, I faithfully slap on my moisturiser first, then my SPF30 sunscreen, then whatever else. It is APPALLING that some women think using BB Creams or Foundations with SPF is enough! I mean, c’mon! Don’t you do your home work before you put blind faith into the products?? After all too much of a good thing can be totally wrong for you!
Paris B says
Amen! 😀 I must agree with you Ika yet it would seem that doing research these days is secondary. Use first and worry later 😛
Monstro says
Fully agree with you PB! Well said!
Paris B says
Good to know you weren’t duped! 😉
Junni says
I absolutely agree with you. I do not even finish reading this post because I don’t have to. 🙂 Thanks for clearing this out in your blog.
Paris B says
Hahaha! Thanks for the honesty Junni and I suppose we’re already on the same page so you knew what I was going to say/rant anyway right? 😉
Seraph says
I’ve never seen BB cream as a skincare product… but perhaps I may have been somewhat misled, as I think BB creams are somewhat better than foundation due to the added skin benefits it claims…. I still do a proper cleaning of my face whenever I use BB creams simply because the texture feels like make up, and no make up stays on my face before sleeping…
neither can I understand why do they go on with CC cream, DD cream, EE cream… ==” only missing out is AA cream then…. hahaha….
Paris B says
I personally think that these days, BB Creams and Foundations are quite interchangeable depending on the coverage you want and how it reacts with your skin. Many new foundations are really good stuff! Good to know you cleanse before bed. I honestly can’t understand anyone who doesn’t -_-“
Nadira says
I can’t agree more. I use my BB creams as foundation or I mixed it with foundation to find the right shade. It’s practically foundation to me. Not skincare or anything else. And just like any other makeup, removing it before I go to sleep is crucial. I always remind my friends about that. Glad to know that I’m on the right track 🙂
Paris B says
I’m glad to know we’re on the same page, Nadira! 🙂 Oh and its a good thing you remind your friends too! Its easy to be taken in by the fancy claims by the different brands but to look past all that and realise its just makeup at the end of the day, is the most important thing!