Everything seems to have initials these days simply to get things said and done much faster (OMG). It has also become a good marketing tool for the cosmetics world with the trendy BB, CC, and now DD Creams, all-in-one products with multitasking ingredients and benefits. Just what do these creams do?
One major attraction of the BB/CC and DD creams is the all-in-one quality. The creams prime the skin’s surface for makeup, moisturize and smooth out skin tone and skin texture, and provide SPF protection. Here’s a look at popular face creams and what they do.
Top 10 Tips For Healthy Skin of Color
AA Creams
Diminish Signs of Aging
Though not formally called AA creams, AA unofficially stands for anti-aging.
Anti-aging ingredients are found in a variety of creams for eyes, face, and the neck, and contain anti-wrinkle/wrinkle diminishing and light-diffusing properties, hyaluronic acid, vitamin A and other ingredients to help combat the signs of aging.
BB Creams
Treat Skin’s Appearance
BB Creams contain ingredients to treat skin’s appearance and have been huge in Asia for several years before hitting shelves in the States. BB creams were initially developed by a dermatologist to use as a post-procedure treatment on patients after cosmetic surgery. In Asia, they are called Blemish Balms or Blemish Base. Here they are marketed as Beauty Balms and are all-in-one primers that are a combination of serum, moisturizer, and foundation with sunscreen, and depending on the formulation also combat inflammation, even skin tone, and provide coverage with added skincare benefits. BB Creams are typically lighter than foundation but a bit heavier than a tinted moisturizer.
CC Creams
Color Correct and Even Out Skin Tone
CC Creams were developed in Korea to address skin discoloration. CC stands for Color Correcting or Color Control. The cream works to prime, moisturize skin, and control oil. CC creams have light-reflecting ingredients that give skin a brighter, more even look. Like a serum, CC creams have skin treatment ingredients that improve skin discolorations, even out skin tone, neutralize redness, sallow skin, and fade dark spots, sun spots, and post-acne marks over time. While the CC cream works to gradually improve imperfections, they also provide coverage. In addition, the creams have anti-aging ingredients like hyaluronic acid and antioxidants, as well as moisturizers. CC creams provide more coverage than a tinted moisturizer, but are lighter in texture and feel than a BB cream and provide more natural coverage.
DD Creams
Combines the ABCs to Do It All
The latest cream is the DD Cream (originally meant to stand for Daily Defense) but now stands for Dynamic Do-all, is a combines BB cream, sunscreen, with the addition of color-correcting properties of CC cream, that diminish fine lines, wrinkles and improve skin tone and texture over time.
Which Is Best for You?
Amazon has these tips for choosing the right creams for you:
- If you have normal skin, BBs and CCs can be used for light coverage or blended with foundation for heavier coverage.
- If you have oily/combination skin, you can use the creams as a primer to help makeup stay on longer and to control shine.
- If you have dry skin, you might want to use these creams with moisturizer to provide extra skin care benefits.
Are These Creams For Skin of Color?
All of these multitasking creams sound great, but the problem with BB, CC and will probably be an issue with the new DD creams, is a lack of adequate shades for darker skin tones.
These creams are typically introduced with Light, Medium, and Dark shades that seldom are an exact skin tone match, especially for those with deeper complexions.
Solutions
Use As A Primer
Some makeup artists use BB creams on their clients as a primer and use the correct foundation shade on top.