What Are BB Creams?
Want to streamline your beauty routine while saving counter
space and money? Who doesn't? That's why a new type of product called BB cream
has become one of the hottest trends in the beauty industry.
This versatile skin care/makeup hybrid promises to do the
job of five or six other jars and tubes: moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, skin
treatment, concealer, and foundation.
"The idea of a well-formulated BB cream is that it's
the only product you'll need after you wash your face," says Ni'Kita
Wilson, a cosmetic chemist at Englewood Lab in New Jersey.
How BB Creams Began
BB creams are short for beauty balms or blemish balms. They
were first developed in Germany by a dermatologist who wanted a single cream
that would protect skin and provide coverage after laser treatments.
The all-in-one formulation became a sensation in South Korea
and then spread throughout Asia.
"The average woman in Asia goes through seven different
steps taking care of her skin," says Jessica Wu, MD, a Santa Monica,
Calif., dermatologist and author of Feed Your Face: Younger, Smoother Skin and
a Beautiful Body in 28 Delicious Days. "When I was in Hong Kong, every
woman I spoke to was using a BB cream to shorten that regimen."
The BB Boom
BB creams started hitting U.S. store shelves in the spring
of 2011. Today, almost every major beauty company has a BB cream, from
drugstore brands that cost under $10 to high-end department-store lines that
may be as costly as $100 or more, as well as lines that are only sold at spas
or in doctors' offices. More are on their way.
The NPD Group, a market research group, found that although
only 2% of beauty shoppers have purchased a BB cream, nearly 4 in 5 of those
who have say they'll buy the product again.
What BB Creams Do
Can one beauty product really do it all? Maybe.
Many BB creams offer effective sun protection, with
broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, the American Academy of Dermatology's
recommendation for daily use. What's more, BB creams generally contain zinc
oxide or titanium oxide, physical sunblocks that have some built-in
water-resistant properties, Wu says.
When it comes to skin treatment, you can find BB creams that
contain:
Anti-aging components, including peptides and antioxidants
such as vitamins A, E, and C
Moisturizing workhorses like hyaluronic acid and glycerin
Ingredients such as licorice and arbutin that help even out
skin tone
Light-reflecting mica to give skin a luminous finish
Silicone-based ingredients, such as dimethicone, that help
smooth the skin, acting much like a foundation primer does
The Limitations of BB Creams
For all its benefits, if you expect a BB cream to be a
miracle in a tube, you might be disappointed.
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