The Difference Between Tinted Moisturizer, BB Cream, and CC Cream

Key Takeaways:

Tinted Moisturizer for Sheer Hydration: your go-to for hydration with the sheerest hint of color. Its primary job is to moisturize, offering a dewy, "no-makeup makeup" finish that evens out skin tone slightly without covering imperfections.

BB Cream for All-in-One Benefits: A "Beauty Balm," or BB cream, is a multi-tasking product that offers more benefits than a tinted moisturizer. It provides light to medium coverage to conceal minor blemishes, primes the skin, includes SPF, and often contains antioxidants.

CC Cream for Color Correction: A "Color Correcting," or CC cream, is specifically formulated to address issues like redness, sallowness, or dark spots. It typically offers more coverage than a BB cream (medium to full) and contains light-diffusing particles to instantly neutralize and even out skin tone.

What Is BB Cream?

BB cream is short for “beauty balm” or “blemish balm.” These all-in-one products, which gained popularity in Korea, usually offer a combination of SPF protection, anti-aging, and skin-soothing benefits. 

BB creams are lighter than your average foundation. They help smooth your skin’s complexion by concealing blemishes and imperfections while also priming and moisturizing the skin.

How To Use BB Cream

It’s important to know that BB creams aren’t formulated with enough broad-spectrum sunscreen to provide adequate sun protection (it’s simply an added bonus of most formulas!). So, don’t swap out your daily sunscreen in favor of a BB cream. 

BB cream should be the last step of your base makeup routine. Start with a moisturizer, then your favorite broad-spectrum sunscreen, then layer on a BB cream. Be sure to reapply your SPF throughout the day (at least every two hours) to help keep your complexion protected against the sun’s rays. 

Craving a little more coverage? You can always apply concealer and powder on top of a BB cream. 

If a BB cream sounds right for you, we recommend trying the L’Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream. The sheer, lightweight formula features color-adjusting pigments that effortlessly blend with your skin tone, in addition to vitamins C and E.

What Is CC Cream?

While BB creams and CC creams are similar, there’s one key difference that makes them completely unique from one another: CC creams, also known as color-correcting creams, are generally meant to reduce the look of redness or discoloration.

A CC cream typically has more coverage than a BB cream because their primary purpose is color correction. They’re great if you want to combine the skincare benefits of a BB cream with the flawless coverage of a foundation.

How To Use CC Cream

Similar to BB cream, you should apply CC cream after you apply your moisturizer and sunscreen. (And remember to reapply sunscreen throughout the day to protect your skin!). Then, follow up with the rest of your makeup routine. 

Some of our favorite CC cream formulas include the IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum With SPF 40 and the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream Natural Matte Foundation with SPF 40. While the former delivers a dewy finish, the latter — though equally lightweight — offers a natural, soft-focus look that’s especially ideal for oily or combination skin (or anyone hoping to combat midday shine). Both options, however, help even out your complexion while adding an extra layer of sun protection and skin-loving benefits.

What Is Tinted Moisturizer?

Tinted moisturizer, in essence, is exactly what it sounds like — a moisturizing cream that has a subtle tint to it. They’re easy to apply with your fingers, a brush, or a sponge and are a reliable go-to for no-makeup makeup days.
 
The upside to tinted moisturizers is that they offer barely-there coverage with a lightweight feel and help make your skin tone appear more even. Due to their lighter coverage, however, tinted moisturizers may not completely hide blemishes and imperfections.

How To Use Tinted Moisturizer

You can apply tinted moisturizer on top of a regular moisturizer and sunscreen. A traditional moisturizer typically has more hydrating ingredients than a tinted moisturizer, so you won’t want to skip it. 

For a true skincare-first approach, we love the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Sunscreen for Face SPF 50. It acts as a tinted moisturizer by providing light, blendable coverage that evens skin tone while offering robust sun protection, making it perfect for daily use — especially for sensitive skin.

Should You Use BB Cream, CC Cream, or Tinted Moisturizer?

If you’re debating whether BB cream or CC cream is better, or if a tinted moisturizer might best suit your needs, the perfect product for you depends on the look and feel you want to achieve. From evening out skin tone to delivering hydration or anti-aging benefits, each product is tailored to address specific skincare needs and enhance your natural beauty. 

Choose BB Cream For:

• Hydration and light to medium coverage 
• SPF and antioxidants
• Potential skin-soothing and anti-aging properties

BB cream is ideal for individuals seeking a multi-tasking product that offers light to medium coverage with added skincare benefits. It is particularly great for those with normal-to-combination skin, providing a balanced blend of coverage and skincare in one convenient formula.

Choose CC Cream For:

• Color correction and a more even appearance 
• Medium to full coverage 
• Potential anti-aging and hydrating ingredients 

If you’re deciding between CC cream and BB cream, remember that the former tends to offer more coverage. This is why CC cream is ideal for individuals with uneven skin tone or concerns like redness and dark spots. Additionally, CC cream is particularly well-suited for normal to oily skin types, as it isn’t too heavy. 

Choose Tinted Moisturizer For:

• Hydrating and moisturizing the skin 
• Lightweight coverage 
• A natural-looking, sheer finish 

Tinted moisturizer helps boost hydration, making it a great choice for people with a dry to normal skin type. It also helps give skin an even-looking yet natural look that’s great for everyday wear.

If you still aren't sure whether to pick BB cream, CC cream, or tinted moisturizer, we recommend looking at specific products and seeing which one's benefits best match your needs. While there are general benefits for each type of formula, individual products may have attributes that sway you in one direction or the other. And remember: No matter how lightweight the formula, all three can be applied in thin layers to build coverage where needed, allowing you to customize your finish. It’s just one of the key reasons these multitaskers are so beloved.  

BB creams, CC creams, and tinted moisturizers, however, aren’t the only effective way to conceal and treat all in one. Tinted serums are an evolution of BB cream with a thinner consistency while still packing active skincare ingredients such as hyaluronic acid or niacinamide. They too deliver a dewy, ultra-natural finish. We recommend L'Oréal Paris True Match Nude Plumping Tinted Serum. 

Tinted sunscreens are another popular alternative for those primarily looking for sun protection but who also want a hint of coverage without a white cast. The La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Sunscreen is available in four flexible shades, each offering a soft, blendable tint that leaves a subtle glow — all while delivering broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.