Sometimes, wearing a full-coverage foundation feels like putting on a latex mask. And on the flip side, going totally bare-faced can feel daunting. For days when both sides of the spectrum feel impossible, it’s best to reach for a base product with flexible coverage that feels breathable and maybe even skincare-adjacent. That’s where BB creams come in.
BB creams are the perfect solution for skin-blurring, even-toned coverage that looks—and feels—like your skin. Unfortunately, finding the right BB cream can quickly devolve into a Goldilocks and the Three Bears situation. You want a formula that has enough coverage (but not too much), feels hydrating (but not oily), and stays on all day (but doesn’t mattify). Basically, we want BB creams to do the most. We tried the best BB creams and picked the top eight. Keep reading to see all eight and learn why we love them. Plus, get info on our rigorous testing process and insight from a celeb makeup artist on everything you ever wanted to know about BB cream.
Our Top BB Cream Picks, Listed
The Best BB Creams of 2025
Best Overall BB Cream: Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
Chantecaille
Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15
Our Reviews: “To me, the formula is about as perfect as a tinted moisturizer can get. There’s no funky scent or heavy, oily consistency. It blends into my skin seamlessly without drying it out or making it break out. I can wear it every day (and honestly do), and my skin is actually better for it. I’ve actually already been using this product for two or three years now, and it’s my holy grail. I love how seamlessly it glides on, and it blends flawlessly. The formula is just right for my skin, so it never feels dry or flaky or, on the flip side, oily or heavy, like so many other BB creams I’ve tried have done. It also works as a wonderful base to makeup, and my cream blush, concealer, and bronzer all blend in well on top.” — Anna LaPlaca, senior fashion editor
Pros: Applies easily and provides a great makeup base
Cons: Two darkest shades do not contain SPF
Key ingredients: SPF 15
Finish: Dewy
Shades: 12
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Best Budget BB Cream: Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream
CoverGirl
Clean Matte Bb Cream
Our Review: “Since I was test-driving this BB cream throughout New York Fashion Week, I knew I needed lightweight, long-lasting coverage for running around the city and being photographed. Lightweight and long-lasting usually don’t go hand in hand, so I was skeptical at best. But shockingly, Covergirl blew me out of the water. It settled on my skin flawlessly and gave me a radiant, skin-like finish. I’ll admit I had much better skin days at the start of fashion week than at the end, so my first reactions were that it was incredible. Toward the end of the week, I was itching to get it off since my skin was starting to break out (too many slices of stress pizza will do that to you!), but it looked incredible, sans textured skin or acne. Given how low-cost the CG BB cream is, I’d recommend everyone try it out at least once—at worst, you’re out the price of a latte in New York. At best, you’ve found an affordable formula that you can wear without worrying about the cost per wear.” — Ana Escalante, associate features editor
Pros: Offered at an affordable price point
Cons: Does not provide a dewy look
Key ingredients: N/A
Finish: Matte
Shades: 1
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Best BB Cream for Dry Skin: Saie Slip Tint Tinted Moisturizer SPF 35
Saie
Slip Tint Tinted Moisturizer SPF 35
Our Reviews: “It did exactly what I wanted it to do. It glided onto my skin with ease, gave me a nice glow, and evened out most of my discoloration. I usually still go in with concealer for my under-eye area while using any BB cream, but I’d be okay with just applying this if I just wanted just a little something. Other BB creams either feel like they do absolutely nothing or they’re too close to a foundation. I think this product found that sweet spot right in the middle. And as someone with dry skin, I’ve had the issue of other creams cling to my dry patches and make my skin look even more dry, no matter how I moisturize. This makes it look like I have dewy and healthy skin, which I love.” — Yusra Siddiqui
Pros: Offers dewy and glowy skin-like coverage
Cons: None
Key ingredients: 100% Non-nano mineral zinc oxide, hyaluronic acid, licorice root extract
Finish: Dewy
Shades: 14
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Best BB Cream Shade Range: Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint
FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna
Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint
Our Reviews: “As someone who typically shies away from skin tints or BB creams for fear of looking too oily or not having enough coverage, I was surprisingly excited to try this one from Fenty. I see a ton of content creators using this product, and it has pretty rave reviews from people of all skin tones and skin types. I was hoping for the glowy finish I see all over my For You page. My biggest hope was for my skin to look like skin. It definitely met my expectations in terms of glow and finish, but I found that the product had such a red undertone that I looked a bit orange immediately after application. After a while, it oxidized, and the match felt right, but if I were going to take a selfie immediately after finishing my makeup (like I normally would), I might look a little orange. I will definitely use this product for those light-makeup days. It gives just enough coverage that I feel like my skin can breathe while my blemishes are concealed. It’s super lightweight and perfect for days when I’m running errands, hopping on a virtual meeting, or heading to lunch. I love that it’s available in so many different shades.” — Aniyah Morinia, fashion and beauty editor, branded content
Pros: Provides a glowy, dewy finish
Cons: Some shades have a red undertone apparent immediately after application
Key ingredients: N/A
Finish: Blurred
Shades: 25
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Best BB Cream for Combination Skin: BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream
bareMinerals
Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream
Our Reviews: “Even though it met me at a rough time, it delivered. I was quite tired during fashion week and tried it amid all the craziness. It is important to note that the shade range was impressive, and I loved seeing that it brought color to my skin and revitalized me after a rough night. While many BB creams disappear into my skin, this one sticks around with great coverage for a tinted product.” — Sierra Mayhew, fashion editor
Pros: Lightweight, breathable formula
Cons: None
Key ingredients: Mineral SPF 30, hyaluronic acid, olive-derived squalane
Finish: Natural
Shades: 20
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Best BB Cream for Oily Skin: Cle Cosmetics CCC Cream
Our Reviews: “There are three things I always look for in a BB Cream: sheer coverage, glowy finish, and blends well with the rest of my makeup routine. So far, we've hit the trifecta with the Cle CCC Cream. It brings such a healthy glow to my dull winter skin and feels weightless. After wearing it all day, the coverage stayed intact with no powdering involved. Other glowy-tinted moisturizers I’ve tried tend to transfer easily and wear off throughout the day. If you like decent coverage but hate the feeling of foundation, you need to try this product.” — Natalie Gray Herder, commerce editor, branded content
Pros: Hydrating formula and easy-to-blend formula
Cons: May not offer a glowy finish
Key ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, octinoxate, octisalate
Finish: Radiant
Shades: 9
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Best BB Cream for Mature Skin: Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation
Tower 28 Beauty
SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen
Our Reviews: “I have been using this product for a couple of years now, and it’s one of my go-to base products, particularly in the summer when I don’t feel like wearing foundation and want an extra boost of SPF over my face sunscreen. (Always remember base products with sunscreen never have all the SPF you need to stay protected.) This tinted moisturizer applies easily and looks incredibly smooth on the skin while giving you a juicy, skin-like finish. My only qualm with this formula is sometimes I find the finish a little too dewy—it can border on glossy.” — Katie Berohn
Pros: Provided a glowy finish with buildable coverage
Cons: Not ideal for oily skin
Key ingredients: Non-nano zinc oxide, pricky pear extract, white sage extract
Finish: Natural
Shades: 17
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Best BB Cream for Blurring: Maybelline New York Dream Fresh BB Cream
Maybelline
Dream Fresh BB Cream
Our reviews: “Believe it or not, this is the first BB cream I ever used. I never used to wear base makeup at all through high school and college (save for some concealer under my eyes to cover any blemishes). In the summer of 2016, I wanted to try something with a bit of extra coverage. I was interning in New York City, and I was also broke. I went to Duane Reade and picked up the cheapest BB cream I could find, and it ended up being this one. I love the formula and always have—it is a solid drugstore find that blurs and evens skin and leaves you with a radiant finish. My only qualm is that I found the shade to be a bit too dark and warm-toned for my skin, but it blends out enough to not be noticeable. I recommend applying this one with a brush for the most flawless finish. I wore this to dinner with my friends a few weeks ago for the first time since 2016 and got so many compliments on my skin—might be time for me to break this baby out of retirement.” — Berohn
Pros: Blurs and events the skin for a flawless finish
Cons: Strongly fragranced
Key ingredients: Titanium dioxide
Finish: Natural
Shades: 5
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First of all, what is BB cream?
To get the lowdown on all things BB cream, I reached out to celebrity makeup artist Renée Loiz, whose clients include Quinta Brunson, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Cynthia Erivo, Jaylen Barron, and Vanessa Rubio. Essentially, BB cream really is a do-it-all product—it’s moisturizer, primer, and foundation all in one. “[It’s] sort of like an all-in-one product that helps to hydrate, smooth fine lines, and brighten the skin,” Loiz says.
How do you apply BB cream?
There are plenty of ways to apply BB creams. “You can apply like a moisturizer with your fingers, use a makeup brush, or a beauty sponge,” says Loiz. “I personally prefer to use a beauty sponge, as I feel I use the least product this way and get a seamless finish.”
What is the difference between BB cream, CC cream, and tinted moisturizer?
Think of CC creams as a step above a BB cream—they share all the same benefits, but CC creams have the extra benefit of color-correcting added in. “Also, a CC cream is a much thicker formula and has more coverage than BB cream,” says Loiz.
A tinted moisturizer is the simplest of the three but still shares many similarities to BB cream. “A tinted moisturizer is a moisturizer and foundation mixed together,” says Loiz. “[It] has a very sheer coverage and usually no added skincare benefits.” When it comes to product names, the terms can be pretty interchangeable, which is why you'll see some products labeled “CC cream” and “tinted moisturizer” on this list.
How We Chose
First, Loiz recommends looking for a BB cream with a wide-coverage range. After that, she recommends looking for BB creams that boast hydrating and skin-blurring benefits. With Loiz’s expertise in mind, we combed through 51 BB creams that had made other publications’ “best-of” lists and landed on 13 formulas for our editors to test. From those, we chose and ranked the top eight based on coverage, blendability, finish, shade range, wear time, and more.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
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