Are you someone who doesn’t like wearing heavy, cakey foundation, but still wants some coverage? Or perhaps you want to simplify your beauty routine and use fewer, more versatile items. If so, you might be interested in a BB or CC cream! They’re the best of both worlds when it comes to skincare and makeup. Let’s chat more about them, and I’ll be sharing a couple of low tox brands that you can try!
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This post covers:
- What are BB and CC Creams?
- Similar Clean Products
What are BB and CC Creams?
Believe me, I didn’t know what the heck these were either until getting into clean beauty 😅 While the two have overlapping characteristics, let’s take a look at how they differ!
BB Cream = Beauty Balm or Blemish Balm
BB creams are a makeup and skincare hybrid, often providing light coverage and skin-loving benefits like hydration, moisture, and enrichment (versus foundations which primarily focus on coverage). Sometimes they have added sunscreen protection, but not always. They’re sort of an all-in-one product to help you streamline your routine, and are ideal for a “no makeup makeup” look.
In addition, BB creams tend to be favorable for mature skin types since the coverage is lighter and less likely to settle into fine lines!
CC Cream = Color Correcting or Color Control
CC creams tend to have more coverage than BB creams and are more likely to have added sunscreen protection. CC creams act more like a concealer and target uneven skin tone, like hyperpigmentation, redness, or freckles. They also have skincare benefits, but are typically more directed at improving skin tone and addressing discoloration instead of just moisturizing.
Are they the same as a tinted moisturizer?
There are many similarities among the three, but tinted moisturizers mostly focus on hydration and moisture with the addition of a sheer tint. BB and CC creams usually give better makeup coverage and more versatility, but it really depends on the product!
Related post: “”
Popular BB & CC Cream Brands to Avoid ❌
Here are some brands that use ingredients I recommend avoiding due to links to hormone disruption, allergic reactions, environmental toxicity, or carcinogenic contamination.
- Burt’s Bees BB Cream (alcohol denat, fragrance, phenoxyethanol)
- Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream (cyclic silicones, PEGs, phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, talc)
- E.l.f. Camo CC Cream (cyclic silicones, disodium EDTA, octinoxate, PEGs, phenoxyethanol, polysorbate 20)
- IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream Color Correcting Foundation (cyclic silicones, ethoxylates, PEGs, phenoxyethanol)
- Jane Iredale Glow Time BB Cream (disodium EDTA, PEGs, lots of silicones)
- Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream (disodium EDTA, PEGs, phenoxyethanol, polysorbates, propylene glycol)
- Neutrogena Clear Coverage CC Cream (disodium EDTA, PEGs, phenoxyethanol, lots of silicones)
- Tarte BB Blur Tinted Moisturizer (cyclic silicones, PEGs)
These two brands, Andalou (they have BB and CC creams) and Pacifica Multi-Mineral BB Cream, have mostly clean ingredients except for undisclosed fragrance. They are affordable and a “better, not best” in-between option if you can’t splurge on the brands covered in the next section.
Wanna learn more about harmful ingredients in your personal care products and the WHY behind it all? Download this Ingredients to Avoid Index! It has over 60+ common ingredients to watch out for and a printable pocket guide.
The Best Non-Toxic BB & CC Cream Brands
BB Creams:
100% Pure BB Cream
$44 for 30 mL • Vegan & Cruelty-Free
100% Pure’s cream uses responsibly sourced mica as the first ingredient, so it has some shimmer and iridescence! ✨ It has light to medium coverage that conceals imperfections with a blurred, dewy finish. The formula is thicker and can be kind of difficult to spread, so I recommend applying it after moisturizing instead of on bare, dry skin. However, a little goes a long way!
I also wouldn’t use it as a standalone moisturizer—it’s packed with many hydrating fruit extracts and botanical oils (such as raspberry seed oil which offers mild UV protection), but might feel too dry for certain skin types on its own.
This only comes in three shades, which are supposed to be flexible. The lightest one, 10 Luminous, works for me, but I’ve read reviews from people with fair skin that it’s too warm for them, and the darkest one is too light for those with darker skin tones. Wish they had an expanded shade range!
Also available here on Amazon.
INIKA Organic BB Cream (⭐️ Becca’s Top BB Cream Pick!)
$52 for 30 mL • Vegan & Cruelty-Free • Certified Organic Australia • Halal Accreditation • Aluminum packaging
Inika’s cream leans closer toward a foundation, in my opinion. It has a thick but somewhat moussey texture, and I prefer to apply it with a makeup brush instead of my fingers. It still feels really comfortable and breathable on skin, though. The coverage is slightly more than most BB creams; I’d say it’s light-medium with a soft, skin-like finish that still has some luminosity to it. I wear shade Nude.
Plus, the ingredients are impeccable—everything is super pure and organic! You get tons of beneficial oils like prickly pear (antioxidant-rich and soothing), jojoba (fights wrinkles and controls oil production), and rosehip (brightens and repairs).
Also available here at The Choosy Chick (discount code ORGANICALLYBECCA) and Amazon.
Related post: “Top 8 BEST Clean Beauty Foundations (According to My Readers!)”
Kosas BB Burst Hydrating Tinted Gel Cream
$38 for 30 mL • Vegan & Cruelty-Free • Has sun protection • Biggest shade range
Kosas’ truly feels like skincare and is the least makeup-esque. It has a lightweight, refreshing gel cream texture that almost feels like a serum; definitely super hydrating thanks to its hyaluronic acid! 💦 It applies so smoothly and sinks into skin amazingly (although I have noticed minimal pilling if I overblend), and I would especially recommend it for dry or dehydrated skin types. It’s mostly unscented but has a very faint mineral scent.
It has light coverage and I enjoy how natural the finish is. The second ingredient is zinc oxide, which provides mineral sun protection—however, there’s no official SPF rating, FYI. The shade Light Cool 13 matches me perfectly (I appreciate that Kosas has cool-toned shades!).
Note: This contains butyloctyl salicylate, which is an ingredient I’m on the fence about and would like to see more data for. It’s used as an SPF booster and has UV absorption capabilities, but has a similar chemical structure to octisalate and could be a sneaky chemical filter in disguise. I wanted to point that out in case you wanted to err on the side of caution and avoid it.
Also available here on Amazon, Credo, and The Detox Market.
Lily Lolo Natural BB Cream
$24 for 40 mL • Vegan & Cruelty-Free • Non-GMO
Lily Lolo is an OG green beauty brand that specializes in mineral makeup! Their BB cream has sheer-light coverage with a soft, natural, slightly radiant finish. It has a thin, liquid consistency and is formulated with manuka oil (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory), argan (nourishing and antioxidant-rich), and jojoba. It has a lovely, subtle floral-citrus aroma!
One thing to note is that this can be a bit drying on its own, depending on your skin type, so it’s best to apply it after a moisturizer. It is available in five shades, and you can buy $3 samples to test it out, which is so helpful! I wear shade Light, which can be too dark on my skin, but only if I use a LOT at once; since the formula is pretty sheer, it thins out nicely to match my tone.
If you’re looking for minimal coverage, I think you’ll like this one!
Note: This contains wheat germ oil, which is an allergen, but is also considered comedogenic, so it might not be suitable for acne-prone skin.
Use code ORGANICALLYBECCA for a discount 🏷️
Also available here at The Choosy Chick and Love Peace Organic.
CC Creams:
Juice Beauty Stem Cellular SPF30 CC Cream (⭐️ Becca’s Top CC Cream Pick!)
$40 for 50 mL • Vegan & Leaping Bunny Certified Cruelty-Free • Has sun protection
I was pleasantly surprised at how big Juice Beauty’s tube is—you get 1.7 fl oz.! It also has a unique metal applicator tip. The coverage is light but can be built up closer to medium, and it glides on seamlessly and feels breathable. I will say that it looks quite dewy when you first apply it, but in my experience, that subsides after a while, and the finish looks more subdued as the day goes on (and it still looks good after hours of wear). That might depend on your skin type, though! Shade Rosy Glow is a perfect match for my pink undertones.
It’s formulated with lots of plant-derived organic ingredients and an antioxidant-rich base of aloe, grape, apple, and lemon extract (their signature SuperJuice Complex™) which fight free radicals and offer youth-boosting benefits. Bonus, it has SPF30 from non-nano zinc oxide! It’s mostly unscented but has a very faint, fresh scent. Overall, it’s great!
Buy Juice Beauty CC Cream Here
Also available here at Ulta.
Sappho Light Reflecting CC Cream
$40 for 30 mL • PETA Certified Vegan & Cruelty-Free • Has sun protection • Tested for PFAS
Sappho is a Canadian brand that goes above and beyond to ensure safety and ethical sourcing. For example, they test all of their products for PFAS (aka, Forever Chemicals) and are always reformulating to improve their findings. Their CC cream is made with 70% certified organic ingredients and low heavy metal minerals! 👏
This applies more like a foundation—it has a thick but somewhat moussey consistency, and I prefer to apply it with a makeup brush instead of my fingers. The coverage is light to medium with a smooth, satin finish. Thanks to its light-reflecting minerals, there’s a subtle luminous glow! There isn’t much of a smell, just a hint of a sunscreen/makeup scent.
The cream is made with organic aloe vera juice, Vitamin E, and antioxidant-rich fruit extracts like apple, pomegranate, and pineapple. It also contains 10% zinc oxide, but doesn’t have an official SPF rating. I tried shade Light, which is a bit too dark for me (but doable in summer when I have a tan), so I’d like to try Fair next time!
Note: This contains unrefined coconut oil, which might not be suitable for blemish-prone skin.
Also available here on Amazon and Beauty Heroes.
Shop the products from this post:
Similar Clean Products:
There are actually a ton of clean products on the market that could fall into the BB or CC cream category, but they’re not explicitly marketed as such. I wanted this post to highlight the true BB and CC creams, but in case you’re interested in browsing some comparable options:
- La Mav Organic BB Cream: I used this one years ago and loved it; however, they’re an Australian brand, and it’s no longer available in the US that I’m aware of. You have to pay a $20 international shipping fee. Otherwise, I would have included this above!
- RMS SuperNatural Radiance SPF30 Serum: These are gorgeous! You get sun protection but a sheer tint that smoothes out imperfections and leaves you with a soft focus, radiant glow. Use code ORGANICALLYBECCA20 for a discount.
- Saie Slip Tint SPF35 Tinted Moisturizer: My all-time fave tinted sunscreen! The coverage is sheer; just enough to cover redness and even out skin tone. It’s a bit dewy, but not greasy.
- Suntegrity 5-in-1 SPF30 Tinted Moisturizer: A multitasker that renews, hydrates, protects, primes, and covers skin with sheer coverage and a natural, dewy finish.
- TOK Neive Serum Foundation & Concealer: The founder of TOK created this 2-in-1 product as a low tox swap for IT Cosmetics CC Cream! It’s medium coverage with a skin-like finish and radiant glow. It has zinc oxide, so you get sun protection too. Use code ORGANICALLYBECCA for a discount.
Have you tried any of these BB or CC creams? Are there any brands that I’m missing? Let me know in the comments section! I hope this guide was helpful, and thanks so much for reading 💚
Written by: Becca
Becca is a blogger, wife, and dog mom living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Having seen firsthand the benefits of switching to a natural lifestyle herself, she's passionate about helping women make the switch to clean beauty products, organic skincare, and a holistic way of life (without the stress of being perfect about it!).
