Switch up your regular makeup routine for a more naturally radiant look by switching to CC cream. It’s perfect for days when you want lighter coverage, or you can use it as a primer.

The benefit of CC cream is that it works both harder and smarter for you. Often, they contain extra nourishing ingredients to boost your hydration and sun protection to prevent damage from harmful UV rays. Plus, they use color-correcting technology and pigments to even out skin tone, cover blemishes, and diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s a great alternative or addition to your foundation for an easy, glowy, radiant look.

1. Physicians Formula Super CC

Put your best face forward with the Super CC Cream from Physicians Formula. It contains micro color-correcting pigments and anti-aging ingredients to even out skin tone and to reduce the appearance of fine lines, age spots, and dullness. Plus, you’ll get a good dose of moisturizing elements, as well as SPF 30 that protects your skin from additional sun damage. The formula is lightweight and blends easily, making application quick and straightforward, leaving your skin feeling smooth and youthful.

2. Chanel CC Cream

Chanel’s CC Cream packs a punch in correcting signs of aging and proving beautifully light coverage. It is infused with extracts from the murunga plum, a native Australian superfruit. This plant is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants for improving texture and glow while protecting the skin from free radicals. The broad-spectrum sunscreen component covers you for both UVA and UVB damage. Meanwhile, the addition of hyaluronic acid draws moisture to the skin for a plump, youthful look. With continual use, your skin will look younger, healthier, and more radiant.

3. Lancome UV Expert Mineral CC Cream

Enjoy 24-hour hydration with this CC cream formula from Lancome. It contains SPF50 physical sunscreen, as well as mineral filters for full-coverage color correction. Improve your skin texture, minimize pores, balance uneven skin tone, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, all in one easy step. It also has an antioxidant complex, vitamin E, and mint-extract to add additional environmental protection, hydration, and an energizing feel.

4. Giorgio Armani Prima Color Control Glow Moisturizer

Giorgio Armani brings cutting-edge technology and the expertise of makeup artist Linda Cantello together in this Prima Color Control Glow Moisturizer. Enjoy long-lasting hydration from vitamin E, moringa oleifera extract, and adenosine. When it comes to coverage, the five shades adapt to the skin’s color to enhance the natural luminosity while hiding blemishes and fine lines. Plus, added menthol-based ingredients leave you feeling refreshed and awake, ready to tackle the day ahead.

5. Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue

If you’re looking for a CC cream that does more for you, the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue is an excellent option. You’ll not only get radiant coverage but sun protection and long-lasting skincare benefits. The oil-free, water-infused formula keeps the skin hydrated for up to 12 hours after application, and with continual use, can boost the skin’s overall hydration. Made with 97% naturally derived ingredients, the gel-cream texture feels light and smooth on the skin. Lastly, there are 20 flexible shades to choose from, which naturally adapts to your skin tone.

6. Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream

Get glowing skin by using Clinique’s Moisture Surge CC Cream. The oil-free formula provides a shot of hydration, so your skin looks good from the inside out. Next, it instantly color corrects to diminish any redness, dullness, or imperfections, giving you a healthy vibrance. A sun protection factor of 35 prevents additional damage from harmful UV rays, yet the formula is lightweight and feels beautiful on the skin. Use it on its own for an easy, glowy vibe, or add additional foundation for a full-coverage look.

7. Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream

You’ll be feeling and looking fresh as a daisy with Supergoop’s Daily Correcting CC Cream. It contains brightening ingredients such as apple extract and mica, which reflects the light to give you a youthful, glowy look. Vitamin C and alpha-hydroxy acids keep the skin smooth, while sodium hyaluronate is a humectant that draws moisture into the skin, keeping you hydrated. Wear this CC cream daily to minimize skin discoloration, dryness, fine lines, and blotchiness. Plus, the SPF 35 UV protection is mineral-based, rather than chemical, making it suitable for sensitive skin types.

8. Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting CC Cream

Nourish, hydrate, and protect your skin all in one step by using Olay’s lightweight Total Effects Tone Correcting CC Cream. It feels light on your skin while still providing a heavy dose of beneficial ingredients. There are seven vitamins and antioxidants for extra protection, including vitamin B3 and VitaNiacin Complex II, both of which improve the skin’s appearance and repairs the barrier. It also corrects your skin tone, diminishes fine lines, and minimizes the pores. You can use this product in place of both your moisturizer and foundation, as well as sunscreen, thanks to the SPF 15.

9. IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream

Choose from eleven different shades in IT Cosmetics’ inclusive CC+ Cream range. This foundation replacement corrects any color imbalances and pigmentation issues, as well as hydrates and protects your face from the sun and environmental aggressors. It was developed in collaboration with plastic surgeons to ensure you get the most benefit. It’s chock full of active ingredients, including niacin, peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, and hyaluronic acid, as well as antioxidants and minerals. Combined, these ingredients hydrate, reduce the appearance of acne scarring and wrinkles, evening out skin tone, tackling dark under-eye circles, and minimizing large pores. The result is a flawless, radiant complexion that won’t crack or crease, leaving you feeling beautiful and confident.

10. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular CC Cream

Fruit stem cells and vitamin C come together in this lightweight CC cream. You’ll enjoy beautiful tinted coverage that easily replaces your foundation when you feel like a more natural look. It also reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while evening out skin tone and texture. Plus, you need not worry about sun damage, with broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection from UVA and UVB rays. There are seven shades to choose from, ranging from Natural Glow to Deep Glow.

11. Pacifica Store Ultra CC Cream

Enjoy medium coverage with the Ultra CC Cream from Pacific Store. This illuminating formula contains coconut water, kelp, and ginseng for a light, smooth finish that rehydrates your skin. The color correcting minerals even out your skin tone and hide any blemishes, while the SPF 17 physical sunscreen protects your skin from UV damage. Plus, its vegan, cruelty-free, and comes in a 100% recyclable container.

12. Cle Cosmetics CCC Cream Foundation

Cle Cosmetics adds an extra element to their CCC cream — a color control and change cream. This product can replace both your primer and foundation, as well as sunscreen, thanks to the powerful SPF50. It offers more substantial coverage than regular CC creams and matches flawlessly to your skin using unique Micro Capsule Technology. Plus, it comes in ten different, inclusive colors, so no matter your skin tone, you can rock a dewy, moisturized complexion all day long.

13. Honest Beauty Clean Corrective with Vitamin C

Protect and hydrate your skin while looking fabulous. The Honest Beauty Clean Corrective cream is a six-in-one formula that primes, perfects, protects, blurs, brightens, and moisturizes. It boasts vitamin C to improve skin tone, as well as an antioxidant blend to protect from environmental damage. Physical sunscreens also shield your skin from sun damage, with a sun protection factor of 30. Plus, it provides blue light defense and is vegan and cruelty-free.

14. Almay Smart Shade CC Cream

Embrace smoother, beautiful skin with Alamy’s Smart Shade CC cream. It features color correction technology that reduces imperfections, discoloration, and dullness while providing a boost of hydration. It also adjusts to your natural skin tone. Meanwhile, the SPF35 protects your face from the sun’s damaging rays. Lastly, the hypoallergenic, fragrance-free formula also makes it great for anyone with more sensitive skin.

15. black Up Matifying Tinted Moisturizer

This mattifying tinted moisturizer from black Up is designed specifically for black women and people of color with darker skin tones — a segment of the beauty market often left out of CC cream shades. You can use it on its own as a lightweight foundation or put it to work as a primer. In one simple step, it evens out skin tone, targets dark spots and excess sebum, and improves the natural radiance of the skin. Plus, it adds a boost of hydration to keep your skin feeling smooth and supple.

FAQs

What is the best CC cream?

The best CC cream will combine high levels of hydration and protection, as well as match your skin tone. You want both sun protection in the form of sunscreen and protection from environmental aggressors by including vitamins and antioxidants. Look for brands like Physicians Formula, Supergoop!, and IT Cosmetics. If you have darker skin, look for inclusive brands such as IT Cosmetics, black Up, and Cle Cosmetics.

What is the between BB cream and CC cream?

The BB stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. It's very similar to CC cream in that it combines the benefits of skincare with makeup to give you light coverage for a simple, natural look, or as a primer. You'll enjoy hydrated, illuminated skin with regular use. This most significant difference is that it doesn't provide comprehensive coverage, so if you need more, then a CC cream or foundation will be the better option.

What is CC Cream?

CC cream stands for color corrector or complexion corrector cream. It's a lightweight alternative to foundation or can be used in conjunction with it, as a primer. It often contains nourishing ingredients to boost hydration, sun protection elements, and color-correcting technology. It's the best of both worlds, combing skincare and makeup into one fantastic product.

Do you use a primer with CC cream?

You can use a primer in addition to CC cream, but it's not always necessary. Primer acts to fill in and smooth out imperfections but doesn't necessarily provide additional benefits such as moisturizing or sun protection. Meanwhile, CC cream corrects discoloration and smooths out the skin, while giving that extra protection. If you have heavy acne scarring or deeper wrinkles, a primer will still be beneficial. However, if you're looking to even out your complexion and increase hydration, the CC cream will be sufficient by itself.

How to Use CC Cream?

CC cream stands for color corrector or complexion corrector cream. It's lighter weight than foundation but provides more coverage than BB cream. All you need to do is substitute it for your foundation in your makeup routine, or use it as a primer. Start with a cleansed, toned, and moisturized face. Then using a beauty blender or your fingertips, apply the liquid all over your face, ensuring you're fully smoothed out around the edges, building up the coverage as you desire.

When to Use CC Cream?

You can use CC cream on the days where you're not vibing a full face of makeup but still want some coverage. It's great when you're running behind schedule or just a bit time-poor. You can also use it as a primer under your regular foundation. CC Cream eliminates steps in your makeup routine, such as using a separate sunscreen, color corrector, and foundation, which can save you time in the morning.