15 Popular BB Creams from Korea and North America Reviewed

The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream SPF 37 PA++ (no. 01 light beige)

This is a "total skin treatment BB cream" that promotes whitening (corrective), firming, and anti-aging of the skin. It gives medium to build-able full coverage with healthy glowing dewy finish. It's long lasting but oil control isn't great so this one may not be suitable for oily skin type, unless oil free - oil absorbing lotion is used underneath and set with powder. It can appear to have slight grey tone depending your skin tone but it does slightly oxidize after few minutes of application thereby adjusting to skin tone.

Unicof Uni Magic Blemish Balm Sun Cream SPF 50 PA+++ (Whitening Base & Foundation)

This BB cream contains vegetable extract for collagen, aloe for vitality and healthy skin nourishment. It offers a strong protection from the environment. It has medium to build-able full coverage with semi-matte finish. The color is bright beige with no grey-ness at all. It provides decent oil control and also very long lasting.

Hera Mineral Multi BB SPF 40 PA++ (no. 2 natural beige)

This product has a pleasant yet very strong scent; a little too strong for my liking. It has liquid foundation like texture and blends well. It's super moisturizing and offers light to medium coverage with a dewy finish. Oil control is poor; oily part of the face gets oily within half hour and dry parts looks drier. It settles very badly on different parts of face therefore it's not recommended for combination skin (or oily skin). This one best fits someone with overall normal, dry, or mature skin. This BB cream is better suited as makeup base.

Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream SPF 30 PA++ (no. 1 sheer silky skin)

This product is mineral oil free, petroleum free, and paraben free. It promises whitening and anti-aging. It has pearl powder in it that helps to instantly brighten the skin. It has medium coverage with glowing dewy finish. It's long lasting but with poor oil control. Oily areas are accentuated within one hour.

Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox Healing Blemish Base SPF 25 PA++

This one contains arbutin which is a known ingredient to treat hyperpigmentation and even out skin tone; ginko bilbao extract to improve elasticity and firm skin; caviar extract and antioxidants to protect skin from inner and outer pollutants and purify regeneration. This is a good BB cream to use after skin care treatments that require regeneration of the skin. This gives medium to build-able full coverage. It has thick creamy texture. It blends okay and sets semi-matte. 

Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35 PA+++ (light)

This has yellow undertone. Covers skin well with minimal oxidation. It gives matte to semi-matte finish with good oil control. Blend-ability is poor. You have to work fast to pat it on the skin before it sets. It helps to smooth out wrinkles and pores and promises anti-aging benefits with continued usage.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 (light)

This BB cream offers a broad color/skin tone choice compared to most other BB creams. The "light" color is suitable for NC20-30. It has creamy texture, blends well, with decent oil control. It has bit of silica in it which gives that Smashbox primer feeling (that smooth skin finish) upon application but it's minimal. It has peptides, vitamins, and plant extracts. It's also paraben free. This feel like smashbox primer and medium coverage foundation with some added skin care benefits.

Dior Hydra Life BB Cream SPF 30 PA+++

This is a moisturizing BB cream with skin enhancing ingredients. It has a strong yellow undertone; it does oxidize to slightly pink-er yellow base skin tone upon few minutes of application. This one wouldn't be suitable for fair/light skin tones; suitable for medium-light skin tone (NC25-35).

Diorsnow UV Shield  White Reveal UV Protection SPF 50 PA+++

This water based BB cream brightens and evens out skin tone. Lasting effects of more evened and brightened skin tone can be achieved with long term consistent usage and especially intensified when used in conjunction with other Diorsnow skin care products. This product promises evenness, luminosity, moisture, and plumpness. It delivers most of what's promised; evenness and luminosity can be achieved immediately upon application. However, I didn't find this product very moisturizing. It has great oil control but can be bit drying. Coverage is good; helps even out discoloration and redness, offering medium to build-able full coverage with matte to semi-matte finish. There can be a slight grey-ness especially if used on darker olive skin tones. This suits light to medium skin tone (NC/NW 30-15+-). Blendability is not as good as one would expect from a water based product. It is very long lasting and adheres to skin well.   

Marcelle BB Cream Beauty Balm: Skin Enhancer (light to medium)

This version does not have sun protection but Marcelle does offer same type of BB cream with sun protection. It's a hypo- allergenic product that's great for sensitive skin. It blends well and offers light to medium coverage. It feels very much like a tinted moisturizer but with slightly better coverage and skin treating/enhancing properties that helps to protect and improve skin's appearance. 

Loreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream (light)

This product promises to prime, perfect, hydrate, and correct the skin. It does not offer any sun protection. It appears white right out of the tube and has small beads that encapsulates pigments that transform to even out and match your skin tone. It has decent medium coverage that appear dewy upon application but within minutes it turns semi-matte to matte finish. This formula also helps to smooth out the skin texture. It also has decent oil control but after half hour to hour it does slightly oxidize/darken.

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Cream Multi BB SPF 25 PA+++

This product is best suited as makeup base/primer. It gives light coverage. It works great under foundation, helping to make your foundation appear brighter and last longer. On its own it helps to slightly brighten and even out your skin tone and gives glowing dewy finish. The mousse version of this product is better suited for oily skin type and has slightly higher SPF 30.

Boscia BB Cream

This product promises to hydrate, firm, and soothe skin while diminishing pores, fine lines, and uneven skin tone. And it also claims to provide long lasting natural coverage. It doesn't deliver much. This is one of the worst BB creams (if it can even be called that!) I've ever tried. It oxidizes terribly: turns pink-ish orange shade within minutes of application and continues to darken that about an hour later my face looked like I used a bad orange colored self tanner. The product itself is creamy in texture and contains small silver glitters which remains on the skin even after the product is massaged in. It takes long to absorb; upon application, the product sits on top of skin and shifts around a lot and only after continual massage it starts to get absorbed into skin. Overall, this product is a poor excuse of a BB cream.

Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream (light/medium)

This was the first North American drug store BB cream I tried and my first impression was that this feels and looks just like a tinted moisturizer, perhaps with slightly better coverage. It offers light to build-able medium coverage. It has a strong, very strong, flower-y perfume scent that can be bit overpowering.  It hydrates well but lacks many "BB cream qualities."

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8 in 1 Beauty Balm SPF 30 (light/medium sheer tint)

This product is very much like a tinted moisturizer with slightly better coverage. This one blends and absorbs into skin better than Garnier BB cream. Oil control and coverage are both slightly better also but overall very similar to Garnier BB cream.