BB cream is a marketing term that stands for blemish balm, blemish base, beblesh balm, and in Western markets, beauty balm. Products marketed as BB creams are generally designed to serve as a foundation, moisturizer, and sunscreen all at once. The marketing term "

CC cream CC cream is a marketing term coined in the wake of the marketing term Blemish Balm cream or Beauty Balm. "CC cream" is used by some brands to mean Color Control cream, or Color Correcting cream, and some brands claim to reduce the appearance o ...

" was invented later and sometimes stands for Color Correction cream. Products marketed as CC creams claim to serve the same function as BB creams, with greater emphasis on homogenizing skin color. Differences between BB creams and CC creams vary from brand to brand.

History

What became BB cream was originally formulated in the 1960s in Germany by dermatologist Dr. Christine Schrammek to protect her patients' skin after facial peels and surgery.Chang, Katie
"Vain Glorious , BB Creams Are Here!"

Formulations

BB creams come in a variety of different formulations. Because Korean companies focused initially on the Korean and East Asian markets, they are offered in a limited number of hues. Instead of offering multiple shades for different

skin color Human skin color ranges from the darkest brown to the lightest hues. Differences in skin color among individuals is caused by variation in pigmentation, which is the result of genetics (inherited from one's biological parents and or individu ...

s, most formulae are designed to oxidize to match the user's skin tone. The skin-whitening properties of the cream as sold in the Asian market are an important element in its popularity. The cream is promoted as a multi-tasker and all-in-one treatment, but Korean women mostly use it as an alternative to foundation, particularly those with Western formulations that tend to be too heavy for their tastes. The coverage is often mineral-based, and is intended to both cover and treat blemishes such as acne, sun spots, and age spots. Some brands claim anti-wrinkle, anti-inflammatory, and soothing effects for their products. Several contain

hyaluronic acid Hyaluronic acid (; abbreviated HA; conjugate base hyaluronate), also called hyaluronan, is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans ...

and .

Markets

BB creams make up 13 percent of the cosmetics market in South Korea. Some Korean brands also offer BB creams for men. Notable Korean brands include

Etude House Etude House () is a South Korean cosmetics brand owned by Amore Pacific. The brand name 'Étude' means 'study' in French. As of 2018, there were 393 Etude House stores, and in 2019, only 285 Etude House stores. History The company was establis ...

Missha MISSHA ( ko, 미샤) is a South Korea-based skincare and cosmetics manufacturer, retailer and a franchise business. It is part of Able C&C Co., Ltd. Company In August 2009, the luxury Missha Homme Urban Soul line was launched with higher quali ...

Nature Republic Nature Republic (Hangul: 네이처리퍼블릭) is a South Korean cosmetics brand created in 2009. History Nature Republic opened its first store in March 2009. Stores were opened outside of South Korea in Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and Malay ...

Skin Food Skin Food () is South Korean skincare and cosmetics manufacturer and retailer, headquartered in Seoul. Company Its headquarters is located in the DaeRyung Scecho Tower in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu. It has 895 stores throughout Korea and 5000 sto ...

, Sulhwasoo,

The Face Shop The Face Shop () (stylized as THE FACE SHOP) is a South Korea-based skincare and cosmetics manufacturer, retailer and a franchise business. It is a subsidiary of LG Household & Health Care of LG Corporation. Its products includes body, bath, sk ...

, SKIN79, Innisfree, Banila Co. and CLIO. Western cosmetics companies began to launch BB creams in the Western market in 2012, though some of these creams have been criticized for lacking the skin-caring functions that BB creams normally have, and for being no more than tinted moisturizer. Early arrivals included Boscia,

Clinique Clinique Laboratories, LLC () is an American manufacturer of skincare, cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances, usually sold in high-end department stores. It is a subsidiary of the Estée Lauder Companies. As of 2019, Clinique has over 22,000 cus ...

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...

, Estée Lauder,

Garnier Garnier () is a mass market cosmetics brand of French cosmetics company L'Oréal. It produces hair care and skin care products. Launch ''Laboratoires Garnier'' was founded in France in 1904 by Alfred Amour Garnier. The company's first product ...

, Marcelle,

Maybelline Maybelline New York (formerly The Maybelline Company and Mabelline and Co.), trading as Maybelline ( ), is an American multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company, based in New York City. It was founded in Chicago ...

Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...

and Smashbox.

Lab Series Lab most often refers to: * Laboratory, a facility to conduct scientific research Lab or LAB may also refer to: Places * Láb, a village near Bratislava in western Slovakia * Lab (river), in north-eastern Kosovo People * ISO 639 code for the a ...

makes a BB cream for men. Certain BB creams have been tailored for Western markets: Estée Lauder, for example, has not included the whitening properties in their formulation for North America.

Cruelty-free and vegan BB creams

BB creams advertised as

cruelty-free In the animal rights movement, cruelty-free is a label for products or activities that do not harm or kill animals anywhere in the world. Products tested on animals or made from animals are not considered cruelty-free, since these tests are often ...

include Smashbox (owned by Estée Lauder) and

The Body Shop The Body Shop International Limited, trading as The Body Shop, is a British cosmetics, skin care and perfume company. Founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, the company currently has a range of 1,000 products sold in about 3,000 stores, divided b ...

(owned by Natura & Co). The definition of "cruelty-free" varies. The Body Shop BB cream is certified by the Leaping Bunny Program, which means, according to the certification process, that no new animal testing has been used in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or the suppliers of its ingredients. As of May 2013,

Amore Pacific Amorepacific Corporation is a South Korean beauty and cosmetics chaebol, operating more than 30 beauty, personal care, and health brands including Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Mamonde, Etude House, AMOREPACIFIC and Innisfree. The firm was founded in 19 ...

, which has as its subsidiaries

and

Laneige Laneige (Hangul: 라네즈) is a South Korean cosmetics brand launched by Amore Pacific in 1994. Its name comes from the French "la neige", which translates to "the snow". The brand's flagship products include its Water Bank skin care line, Wate ...

, has ended animal testing on all ingredients and cosmetics. Products certified as cruelty-free may still contain

animal product An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products, such as isinglass and rennet. Animal by-products, as defined by the USDA, are products harvested or man ...

s and may not be suitable for

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

s. Vegan BB creams include the Superdrug own brand BB cream, BB cream souffles from Haut Cosmetics, 100% Pure Cosmetics, Multi-Mineral BB Cream from Pacifica, and the Evenly Radiant BB Crème from Dermae."Vegan BB cream souffles"
, Haut Minerals, accessed September 7, 2012. Also, e.l.f. brand BB Cream is not only cruelty-free, but it is vegan, sold at Target for about $6.
BB creams
, Dermae, accessed March 26, 2013.

History

Formulations

Markets

Cruelty-free and vegan BB creams

See also

References

Further reading