BB Creams- Skin Care Breakthrough or Just Another Product You Don't Need?

Earlier in 2012, beauty companies began to introduce "BB Creams" to the U.S market and they were an instant hit. These BB Creams (BB stands for Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm) are touted to be great multi-tasking products that will replace your serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation, sunscreen….well, you get the idea.  Here is a link to the current list of BB Creams available at Sephora, so you can see for yourself all of the claims that these companies are making.

Now, as a formula developer, I'm always skeptical of ANYTHING that gets as much hype as I've seen surrounding BB Creams…and people often ask me what my opinion is of certain products, so here it is.  Are BB Creams bad? No.  Are BB Creams good?  Sure, some of them are great products.  Can they replace all of your other skin care products? No.  And that's really the kicker- these product can be great moisturizers and they can give you that light, natural coverage and they can even contain some good anti-aging ingredients.

So, what's missing?  How about some retinol- which is hands down, my favorite anti-aging ingredient.  And what about glycolic acid, or any other exfoliating acid?  For me, these are the two biggies that are not (and likely cannot be) in these BB Creams.

Now, just to make sure that I'm making things clear I'll tell you how you can incorporate these BB Creams into a great skincare regimen that will cover all of your skin care needs.  Each morning, wash your face with an exfoliating cleanser (something with glycolic acid is really best IMHO).  After washing, apply your BB Cream and your morning routine is complete.  Now, your nighttime routine will be a little different, depending on your needs.  I would absolutely use a Retinol serum in the evening (you can find ours here), and you will likely want an additional moisturizer with some antioxidants and peptides.  Once a week, use our Renew mask to fully exfoliate.

When would I suggest that you skip the BB Cream?  On occasions when you are going to wear foundation, because it's not really saving you that much time or money if you are going to wear foundation over it, and I believe that there are better moisturizers you could choose from.

Have you tried BB Creams?  I know some people love them…and some don't.  Tell me what you think!