Combination skin is tricky to manage. Some people are born with it, and others develop it as they age. Either way, finding the best BB cream can be a bit confusing at first. But if you know your skin type, you are almost halfway there.
Most BB cream brands available nowadays address oily and combination skin problems. They can moisturize dry spots in your U-Zone while they control shine in your T-zone. They should be lightweight, oil-free, able to disguise pores and uneven skin coloring. Most of them contain sunscreen, too.
Top BB Creams for Combination Skin Reviewed
Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 40
The Supergoop! Cream corrects skin color which is very convenient for hiding discoloration and redness. It also contains SPF 40 to prevent sun damage. And it’s able to keep excess shine under control without overly drying other areas of your face. Part of its magic is due to hyaluronic acid that attracts moisture to your skin.
Fans of Supergoop appreciate the fact that this product has a low hazard rating in the Environmental Working Group database. Plus, it’s safe for sensitive skin.
Andalou Naturals Vitamin C BB Beauty Balm
Andalou Naturals uses Fair Trade non-GMO cruelty-free ingredients. But that’s not the only selling point of this BB cream. It has natural broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30. And its ingredients help reverse signs of aging and make skin look radiant.
If you shy away from chemical sunblocks, you’ll like this beauty balm. It relies on 20% zinc oxide to filter out UV radiation. It also contains a host of components to hydrate dry skin, reduce irritation, and slow down sebum production.
Users report that their initial impression is negative because it looks gray and greasy. But after application, the cream adjusts to your skin color for a natural appearance. Then it settles into the skin to keep a dewy fresh look all day long.
MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++
This Korean brand literally does it all. Its non-oily formula helps conceal blemishes, dark circles, and skin discoloration. It also heals scars and gets rid of pimple marks. You won’t worry about oil and sebum production because this product can handle it. It has rosemary and chamomile extracts that help soothe and calm red and sensitive skin. Did we mention that it helps to regenerate the skin? M Perfect Cover BB Cream can help prevent and solve skin aging. It has ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and Glutamine RC. Plus, it has SPF 42/PA+++. You can confidently wear it all-day even on places with hot temperature. This comes in six shades of beige: light, natural, warm, honey, caramel, and golden.
Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm BB Cream Triple Function
Skin79’s Super+ Beblesh Balm in the hot pink container is a new and improved version that makes your skin look powdery fresh. It contains witch hazel, a natural astringent, to manage oil. And it has vitamin C from Acerola to lighten skin tone.
Users report success in keeping shine under control without having breakouts. They like its light coverage that seems to adjust to their skin color. And it has broad-spectrum UV protection from octinoxate listed as Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate on the label.
bareMinerals Prime Time BB Primer Cream SPF 30
The bareMinerals Prime Time Primer is a blur cream with mineral-based sunscreen. You can wear it by itself, or underneath a foundation. The formula is thin and lightweight for a barely-there feel.
Smashbox SPF 35 Camera Ready BB Cream
Smashbox’s Camera Ready BB Cream is recommended by beauty magazine Marie Claire for a number of reasons. One is that it’s available in eight shades so that it matches virtually any skin tone. The second is that the lightweight formula blends perfectly into skin, so it feels like you’re not even wearing makeup. And the third is that you can wear it by itself or under a foundation for a flawless finish.
But wait, there are still other benefits to this BB cream. It’s able to disguise discolorations to the point that many users don’t bother with a concealer. Next, it diminishes shine without making your skin look dull or chalky. Plus, it’s been clinically proven to raise the overall amount of moisture in skin within four weeks. And that’s not a bad thing because more moisture also helps keep oil under control.
Finally, the Camera Ready BB Cream contains broad-spectrum UV protection to protect your skin. And it does not contain sulfates, phthalates, parabens, talc, or an artificial fragrance.
Purlisse Perfect Glow BB Cream
Purlisse’s top-selling product is a multi-tasker like any strong, independent woman! This oil-free product gives a matte and radiant finish. It moisturizes, conceals imperfections, and protects your skin. This is a fusion of old and modern Asian philosophy to bring consumers the best benefits of BB cream. It swears that it is natural, vegan, and cruelty-free. Good news to its loyal customers! Perfect Glow BB cream now comes in added shades and new packaging.
Garnier SkinActive BB Cream Face Moisturizer For Oily/Combo Skin
Garnier surveyed users of their SkinActive BB Cream for Oily and Combo Skin and discovered the following. Almost 90% reported that their skin had a natural finish without excess oil, and more than 80% felt like their pores were less visible. Finally, almost everyone noticed that their skin had more even coloring.
This BB cream’s formula contains moisturizing ingredients, antioxidants, and mineral pigments along with an oil-absorbing mineral called perlite. It also has a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35
Bobbi Brown’s BB cream is a top pick on many beauty websites. It comes in five shades to match most tones. And it’s kind to sensitive combination skin.
The formula includes a broad-spectrum sunscreen as well as antioxidants to protect against damage from UV radiation. It also has caffeine and botanical extracts that reduce redness and fade discoloration.
Users who have left their 20s behind will appreciate the fact that this BB cream will make them look younger. Not only does it have tiny particles of light-reflecting pearls, but it also contains peptides to shrink pores and fine lines.
stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm
The stila Stay All Day Beauty Balm creates a silky finish that controls oil and shrinks pores. The formula also fights acne and reduces redness.
That’s not all you’ll find in the tube. This BB cream contains anti-aging ingredients like tripeptide-37, pea extracts, and bamboo to fight wrinkles and other imperfections. You can wear it underneath a foundation for flawless coverage. And the formula is free of oils and parabens.
Marcelle Light to Medium BB Cream
Marcelle’s BB Cream adjusts to your skin color once you apply it. It’s specifically designed for combination skin because it hydrates dry spots while it reduces oil in the T-zone. Unfortunately, it only comes in two shades for light to medium skin tones.
Fans of this product love that it’s easy to apply and it disguises blemishes. You can build the coverage and set it with powder for an effect similar to wearing foundation. And the hypoallergenic formula is free of artificial fragrances and parabens.
La Mav Organic BB Cream
Australia’s own La Mav BB Cream is making customers happy around the world. The color-adaptive formula enhances natural skin tone while it reduces redness and hides discoloration with Vitamin C. And it’s available in light and medium shades.
One important benefit is that it hydrates overly dry skin with hyaluronic acid while it minimizes oiliness. It also fights signs of aging with Coenzyme Q10. And it accomplishes all these things with organic ingredients like Sweet Almond and Avocado oils and without parabens or other pollutants.
COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream for Oily Skin
Covergirl’s Clean Matte BB Cream is an inexpensive drugstore product that keeps shine under control for 6 to 8 hours. It’s also surprisingly gentle to the rest of your face as it doesn’t emphasize dry patches. If you’re a first-time user of the BB creams, this is a good introduction.
Rimmel Match Perfection BB Cream Matte
Rimmel’s Match Perfection BB Cream is best suited to oily and combination skin. It creates a smooth, velvety finish that hides dark circles and blemishes. It also contains SPF 15.
Users report that it goes on smooth and creamy and feels lightweight. They also say that very dark -colored blemishes will require a concealer in combination with the BB cream.
Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream
Maybelline’s Dream Pure BB Cream is described as an eight-in-one beauty balm. To begin, it won’t clog pores. Next, it keeps acne at bay because it contains 2% salicylic acid. This ingredient also reduces redness.
You may have some doubts when the cream comes out of the tube. But its pigments will blend to match your skin tone. Its coverage hides blemishes and shrinks pores. And it controls excess shine.
Finally, the oil-free formula can go over the top of a moisturizer. Or you can wear it alone as it’s able to hydrate dry patches to make your face look radiant overall.
Finding the best BB cream can be a bit confusing at first. But if you know your skin type, you are almost halfway there.
Most BB cream brands available nowadays address oily and combination skin problems. You’ll want to choose something lightweight and not oil-based. This is perfect to use if you have an oily T-zone and a dry U-zone.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Aging Perfector
For a quick and all-in-one base prep, Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Anti-Aging Perfector is your must-have. This Amazon’s choice instantly reduces imperfections and evens out skin tone. Retinol-infused formula helps stimulate collagen for a perfect skin care team-up. The mix helps smoothen the skin’s texture and reduce fine lines. You would love it even more because it doesn’t stop to care for your skin after you take it off. The anti-aging properties still work and make wonders! The formula is buildable and gives a natural and dewy finish. It also has UVA/UVB sunray protection and SPF 20. This is the best among other drugstore BB cream brands. You can choose from fair to medium tan shades.
Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions BB Cream
Looking for a matte finish and long-lasting stay? Try Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions. Its lightweight, oil-free formula is suitable for blemish-prone or oily to combination skin. A little amount of this BB cream can cover up the whole face and neck. You will notice that it has a very fluid formula with no greasy feel. This also offers sun protection. It has buildable coverage and comes in light medium, medium, light, and medium deep.
Estee Lauder Daywear Bb Anti-oxidant Beauty Benefit Crème
If everything on our list is lightweight, this one’s ultralight! Estee Lauder’s formula has anti-oxidants and vitamins that help skin look fresh and radiant. It’s full of antioxidant to protect you from free radicals. This one's free from paraben, sulfates, and phthalates. It offers a long-lasting and sheer finish. It gives hydration, tinting, moisturizing, and sun protection with SPF 35. You can buy any of the four available shades.
What is the difference between CC Cream and BB cream?
Some of you may still wonder what makes BB cream different from CC cream.
Okay, so BB stands for blemish balm or beauty balm. CC is short for Color Correction or Complexion Correcting.
BB creams are your best option if you want to take a break from using foundation. You can wear it like a tinted moisturizer. It instantly lightens and brightens your skin. It’s good to use even with healing wounds or acne scars because it helps the skin regenerate. You can use it when you have breakouts or ‘sensitive skin’ during your time of the month. Don’t expect too much from the coverage - it usually has a light to medium coverage.
CC creams give a little more coverage and concealing power. You may opt to use this if you want a foundation-like finish. Its formula is thicker and heavier. CC creams can be used to cover redness, discoloration or dark spots. Most CC creams address skin aging, fills fine lines, and smooths out wrinkles.
Are BB creams good for your skin?
Definitely! Would you believe that a doctor prescribed BB cream for post-operation treatment after the Second World War? From then on, the evolution of BB cream uses and benefits spread worldwide.
You can skip your hefty skincare routine. BB cream moisturizes, hydrates, primes, and nourishes the skin. It has hyaluronic acid, collagen, and other antioxidants responsible for skin regeneration. Some even have serums suitable for your needs. They give natural coverage, sun protection, and concealing effect. Most brands also brighten the skin, while controlling acne and other skin-related problems. So, it's safe to use even with combination skin.
What is combination skin?
Combination skin usually means you have an oily forehead, nose, and chin at the same time you have dry cheeks. That shiny T-zone may have larger pores, too. And you may have discovered that some moisturizers and makeup foundations make your skin look dull and others might cause you to develop pimples. Finding the right balance is hard.
If you’re not sure if you have combination skin, there’s an easy test to confirm it. After you wash and dry your face, wait 15 minutes before you apply a moisturizer or anything else. By that time, parts of your face will feel dry and tight. And it’s possible you may notice some shine on your chin, nose, and forehead.
How to care for combination skin
Some people make do with two different moisturizers or two different foundations, one kind for each type of skin. But this level of effort isn’t always necessary, especially if you discovered a BB cream that works for combination skin.
Here are tips to help you care for combination skin so that you always look and feel your best.
Moisturize
It may sound strange that you need to moisturize oily skin when it’s already so greasy. But much of the time when your skin has too much shine, it’s reacting to irritation or dryness.
There are two easy ways to hydrate your face. One is to include enough water, fresh fruit, and fatty acids in your diet. Fatty acids come from fish and nuts, or you can take a supplement.
The next way to hydrate your skin is to apply moisturizer. Choose water-based products and avoid oil-based ones. Also avoid lotions with artificial fragrances, alcohols, and menthol. If it makes your skin tingle, it may be causing irritation that leads to more oil production.
Cleanse gently
But before you moisturize, be sure to wash away the grime of the day with a gentle cleanser. Don’t use soap or alcohol-based toners. You may even wish to avoid products with sulfates which are ingredients that create lather. You don’t need the lather to get clean, and it may be stripping away oil from your skin. If you dry out your skin too much, your face will react by making more oil. If you like to use toner, try witch hazel or micellar water that’s formulated for oily skin.
Protect
Finally, protect your skin from irritation. Use sunscreen, and use it properly. Dermatologists warn that many times people don’t apply enough sunscreen to be effective.
Protecting your skin might also include washing with lukewarm water instead of hot or cold. And when you exfoliate, do it gently with alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acids instead of harsh scrubs.
Although you may be struggling with combination skin right now, there are many steps you can take to minimize the problem.
Wrap Up
Most BB creams are appropriate for all skin types. There are just those that work best with combination skin. Look for something that matches you best and you will not regret investing in a tube of BB cream. A makeup base like this offering more skin benefits is always worth it!