“Can you recommend me a BB Cream?”
“What BB Creams do you like?”
“Why don’t you talk about BB Creams?”
Just a few questions I get off and on about this mysterious Asian German invention – BB Creams.
BB Creams – Just what are they?
Just quickly, for the uninitiated. BB Creams or Blemish Balm is something that started was popularized in Korea (Update: but started in Germany). It was formulated to be a foundation, sunscreen and moisturizer all in one and was apparently formulated for women who had undergone skin laser treatment.
After undergoing laser treatment, your skin is thinned and need lots of protection from the sun. But these women couldn’t do without their foundation! So, some intrepid skin doctors came up with the idea of having an all in one product they could tout to their patients and thus, Blemish Balms or BB Creams were born.
Many women in Asia swear that it helps them with their acne problems or skin problems. It is also easy – just apply 1 product instead of applying 3.
Yet, I actually also read somewhere (gosh! I forget where!) that they are called Blemish Balms or BB Creams because Koreans find it hard to pronounce “Tinted Moisturizers” which these products essentially are. Don’t shoot the messenger! 😛
BB Creams tend to be too oily
Anyway, I’ve tried BB Creams from Etude House, Missha and Skin79. I didn’t like any because I found all of them too oily. I will have a caveat here. In the tropics where I live, the formula of BB Creams might be a bit heavy because they are formulated for use mainly in Korea where the air is much drier. If I were living in a dry climate, I might like it. As it stands, I’m not much of a fan. Its the same with liquid foundation. I steer clear of liquid foundation that is oil based or have heavy coverage because I just know I’d hate it. There are exceptions of course – some like Ecobeau BB Cream actually feels matte on the skin, and the Lancome BB base too doesn’t feel too oily.