If you love a full face of make-up, look away now. This product is the perfect pick for those after a bare-faced look with the lightest layer of coverage, and you couldn’t find better buys than these nine options.
BB cream – often called beauty balm or blemish balm by those in the biz – sits somewhere in between make-up and skincare. Offering just a touch of tint to the skin, lightly covering up blemishes, uneven skin tone and redness, it’s much lighter in weight than a foundation and covers the whole face, unlike a concealer.
Often including ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, ginseng and vitamin C to hydrate the skin as well as reduce fine lines and wrinkles, they also work to boost skin health from the inside. And who doesn’t love a two-in-one product?
From No7’s protect and perfect option that also doubles as an SPF, to Erborian’s bestselling blemish-busting balm, there’s a whole host to choose from and we’ve tried a huge handful to bring you the best BB creams to buy.
Keep reading this article to find out which BB creams impressed on oily skin, which ones created a fuller-coverage effect and which ones stood out for their great sun-protection factor. And remember, a simple additional sweep of concealer can help to cover up any under-eye bags or blemishes that are harder to budge.
How we tested
Trying a huge range of some of the best make-up brands, our tester took six weeks to work through each and every product. Looking at ease of application, coverage, colour, finish and feel, they rated each one out of five to find those that truly impressed.
To use, simply sweep onto the face with your fingers after you’ve applied your skincare routine and rub in as you would a moisturiser. It really couldn’t be easier.
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The best BB creams for 2023 are:
- Best overall BB cream – Erborian super BB au ginseng nude: £20.50, Sephora.co.uk
- Best budget BB cream – Essence hydro hero hydrating BB cream: £4, Notino.co.uk
- Best BB cream for oily skin – Garnier oil-free perfecting care all-in-one BB cream, SPF25: £6.66, Boots.com
- Best BB cream for dry skin – Clinique dramatically different moisturizing BB gel: £18.50, Lookfantastic.com
- Best BB cream for combination skin – Nude by Nature sheer glow BB cream: £19.99, Superdrug.com
- Best BB cream with SPF – No7 protect and perfect intense advanced BB facial sun protection: £14.95, Boots.com