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If you want that “your skin but better” look, get a CC cream. They typically offer more coverage than BB creams, but they’re still very lightweight and especially helpful if you’re trying to conceal redness or unevenness in your skin tone. (We get into more detail on the differences between BB and CC creams here.) Another plus is that most CC creams are formulated with SPF, hydrating ingredients like squalene and hyaluronic acid, and sometimes anti-aging and protective ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin C, and retinol. With so many options to choose from, picking the right one for your skin type is tricky. To help, I spoke to six makeup artists and beauty writers for their recommendations on the very best CC creams, from drugstore picks to radiant and matte finishes.
Update, August 8, 2024: Replaced the CC cream for mature skin with one available in more shades; added the Lumene and Tarte CC creams; updated prices and checked stock for all other products.
Best CC cream overall
IT Cosmetics’s CC cream hits the nail with coverage and skin benefits. It offers medium to full coverage with a shine-free natural finish and is formulated with high SPF content, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and antioxidants for extra moisture and anti-aging benefits. With SPF 50 (one of the highest on the list), this could double as a makeup base and sunscreen, which is what beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton sometimes does. And on top of its sun protection and hydrating ingredients, it’s made with soothing vitamin E and colloidal oatmeal. Four experts brought it up for its impressive ingredient lineup and that it works with all skin types. While full coverage, the formula is still lightweight, according to makeup artist Anabelle LaGuardia. It comes in a wide range of 24 shades.
Best less expensive CC cream
E.l.f.’s Camo CC Cream is less than a third of the IT Cosmetics’ price and was also praised by four makeup artists I spoke to. Like the above, it offers full coverage with a natural finish. The main difference is that it’s made with a lower SPF content (so you may want to wear sunscreen with this formula), and its benefits are focused on extra skin hydration. Its active ingredients are vitamin B5, tremella mushroom, and hyaluronic acid. For the price, though, this is still an excellent natural-looking, moisturizing formula. It comes in an even wider range of 60 shades.
Best for oily skin and acne-prone skin
Dermablend’s oil-free CC cream is a favorite of beauty writer and consultant Kristina Rodulfo, who has acne-prone skin and has never broken out from wearing this formula. It’s full coverage, so you only need a little bit to cover dark spots, redness, or unevenness, but it never feels cakey. It contains antioxidants like baicalin, niacinamide, vitamin E, and caffeine to defend against free radical damage and aging. Similar to the It Cosmetics formula, this has SPF 50, but it only comes in 13 shades.
Best CC cream for mature skin
Celebrity makeup artist T. Cooper likes Toty’s CC cream for mature skin, because it’s made with the patented PLE FernBoost Technology, green tea, and vitamin E, which all help to prevent photoaging. On top of that, it has an impressive SPF 50 for lots of sun protection, and it comes in 12 shades. “The formula evens out skin tone beautifully and lasts all day,” Cooper says.
Best radiant-finish CC cream
This CC cream is a favorite of Strategist contributor Garrett Munce, who’s tried dozens of tinted moisturizers and says this blends in the most effortlessly. Its encapsulated formula comes out white and blends to match with your skin tone, and it is made with calming centella asiatica. It offers a more radiant finish and comes in three shades.
Best less expensive radiant-finish CC cream
I’ve been testing this CC cream from Finnish drugstore beauty brand Lumene for a couple of weeks, and I’ve been really impressed by the quality, especially given its affordable price. It’s incredibly lightweight and smooths out my pores, and it has a slightly dewy, radiant finish. I’ve worn it on its own and on top of moisturizer, which creates an even dewier look. It’s made with antioxidant-rich lingonberry and hydrating Arctic spring water, and it now comes in ten shades. The one potential downside is that it’s SPF 20 — lower than most of the other CC creams on here — but it’s still a great moisturizing formula at a decent price.
Best matte-finish CC creams
On the other side of the spectrum is a matte finish. Rudolfo prefers IT Cosmetics’s matte CC cream, because it’s shine-free without feeling or appearing dry or cakey (a common problem with matte foundations). Instead, the formula offers moisturizing and full coverage. Air Licium and lentil-seed extract work to blur, reduce shine, and minimize pores, while hyaluronic acid hydrates and prevents dry patches. It’s made with SPF 40 (slightly less than the best overall pick from IT Cosmetics) and comes in a wide range of 30 shades.
Tarte’s blurring CC cream also has a matte finish. Even though it’s lightweight, Cooper says it offers an impressive amount of coverage. It’s made with moisturizing prickly pear, brightening licorice, and calming vitamin E. It does have SPF 15, but you may need to wear sunscreen with this on sunnier days.
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