This Makeup Artist–Approved Cream Is Perfect for Dry, Mature Skin
I don't know about you, but I think there's a lot of confusion surrounding the difference between tinted moisturizers, BB creams, and CC creams. Truth be told, they're actually all pretty similar, with a few unique traits each. A tinted moisturizer can also act as a CC cream with the right ingredients, but the main thing that I'm going to clear up here is what a CC cream is versus a BB cream. Celebrity makeup artist Allison Kaye breaks it down for us. "A BB cream is a beauty balm or blemish balm," she says. "This product is going to provide more of a sheer coverage and will have ingredients like moisturizer, SPF, and brighteners. The goal is to brighten and hydrate your face while providing very light coverage. CC cream stands for color corrector or complexion corrector and is meant to help with redness, dullness, uneven skin tone, and dark under-eye circles. CC creams usually have a matte texture and finish, whereas BB creams are going to be more glowy due to the hydrating/moisturizing properties in them."
That being said, BB creams are great for dry or mature skin types because they add another layer of hydration to the skin and can camouflage the look of sun spots or other skin damage. You can also go in with a foundation or concealer to add more coverage if desired. For the absolute best BB creams for mature skin, keep scrolling! We've rounded up a few below.
Best Overall: BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer
"My favorite BB cream is the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Cream. I've used this product on myself for years, and it has always left my skin so hydrated and glowy!" — Kaye
Customer Review: "I have used this product for years, and it is a staple. I recently tried something new and immediately went back to this. As someone with freckles (but lots of redness), I love the light coverage this gives to even out my skin tone. It goes on great with a brush, a sponge, or my hands."
2. Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream
Jane Iredale's formula is mineral based and water-resistant and contains nourishing ingredients like vitamin E, aloe-leaf juice, and sunflower-seed oil that soothe drier skin types. Grapefruit extract also promotes extra luminosity, and apple extract lightly exfoliates to reveal younger-looking skin.
Customer Review: "This is full coverage and should be used with a pressed powder. I love the coverage."
3. L'Oréal Makeup Magic Skin Beautifier Anti-Redness BB Cream
If you need a BB cream that also does a bit of color-correcting, L'Oréal's is the option for you. It contains encapsulated color-transforming pigments that counteract redness while also providing serious hydration.
Customer Review: "This was my first time using this product, and I have been VERY pleasantly surprised. It is very green coming out of the tube, so it really stands out on your face, and then as you rub it in, just like MAGIC, it disappears! It goes on very smoothly, a little goes a long way, and there is no odor. I have recently been diagnosed with rosacea, so I needed something to diffuse my red cheeks so they did not stand out so much. This works very well, and I am happy to have found it."
4. Purlisse Perfect Glow BB Cream SPF 30
This BB cream is infused with powerful antioxidants, SPF 30, and hydrating ingredients to provide a dewy finish and improved tone and texture. It also smooths, blurs blemishes, and can even provide the perfect base for foundation if you'd like a bit more coverage.
Customer Review: "This is an unfiltered picture. Remember, I'm 40, so yes, I have large pores and slight wrinkles. This BB [cream] feels so natural and lightweight. My skin is glowing, and I LOVE IT! I just got it today, and [I] washed my face, primed [it] like I normally do, and applied. I will be using this from now on. Side note, I've been trying so so many foundations because I've noticed my skin is changing. Tip, always apply your moisturizer and primer first and let it set for about 5 min. Love this BB cream!"
5. Maybelline Dream Fresh Skin Hydrating BB Cream
The Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream is an eight-in-one skin perfector that brightens, smooths, hydrates, and protects with SPF. It also minimizes the look of pores, reduces redness, and is hydrating. It's totally oil-free, so it's a great option for drier skin types that are prone to breakouts now and then.
Customer Review: "I've been looking for a tinted sunblock, and this product is it and more! It's everything it's advertised to be: blurs imperfection with just the right amount of color that matches, hydrates, protects with SPF 30, etc. Best of all, it's very lightweight! I forget that I have it on. This is very important to me because I hate the feeling of foundation on my face. I'm constantly aware that I have foundation on. Not this one. This is my new daily sunscreen."
6. Clinique Age Defense BB Cream
Clinique's Age Defense offers everything dry, mature skin might need: antioxidant protection, smooth coverage, and hydration. It can also double as a primer and is designed to work well for sensitive skin types.
Customer Review: "I have dry skin, which makes it impossible for me to use regular foundation as it can very quickly look cakey, flakey, and creasy. This BB cream is so light and offers just enough coverage to get rid of the imperfections, all the while providing the natural glow that my skin unfortunately lacks due to its dry nature. I am very happy with this cream and will continue to buy it."
7. Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream
Missha M's BB cream offers a dewier finish with powerful hydrating ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and Gatuline RC. It also contains emollient plant oils, botanical essences, and nutrient-rich marine extracts to fully rejuvenate the skin and leave it looking incredibly refreshed.
Customer Review: "I've been using this product for over 10 years. I absolutely love it. It's my go-to redhead pale girl foundation. Every time I try a different product, I just end up switching back to this one immediately… One tube lasts FOREVER—like over six months with generous daily wear. The pump system lets you get literally every drop out of it too. I use mine until they are twisted up like the picture. This twisted-up empty tube was still giving me full pumps. It's crazy. You can get an empty BB cushion and pump it into that for cushion application and higher coverage, but the cushion will not have the same level of longevity since some product will always stay in the cushion."
8. Physicians Formula Super BB Cream
This Physicians Formula cream is designed to help simplify your morning routine. It's ultra-blendable, infuses the skin with moisture, and is incredibly versatile. It can be applied in a light layer to help smooth, firm, prime, conceal, and brighten.
Customer Review: "I use this as a base layer on top of my moisturizer. I am in my thirties and have both wrinkles and mild-ish acne at the same time (sigh). I've gotten compliments on my skin while wearing this. It looks nice with a powder over it and even looks nice on its own. I use a very, very small amount and put a little water on the wedge or round before applying. It's very comfortable to wear."
9. Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream
This multitasker from Pacifica primes and hydrates with ingredients like coconut water, hyaluronic acid, and plant stem cells. It helps diffuse the look of pores, uneven tone, and fine lines all in one.
Customer Review: "Nice, lightweight coverage for the natural ladies! It especially works well over a freshly moisturized face. I've been using this BB cream for years!"
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
Up Next: These 11 Highlighters Ensure an Ethereal Glow for Darker Skin Tones, Every Time
Shawna Hudson is a beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and travel writer with over 10 years of experience. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in journalism and has written for other publications such as Bustle, The Zoe Report, Byrdie, Elite Daily, and more. She is currently a beauty writer at Who What Wear and hopes to continue feeding her (completely out-of-control) beauty obsession as long as she can. Stay up to date on her latest finds on Instagram @shawnasimonee.
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