My Skin Looks Good? Oh, It's Just This BB Cream I'm Obsessed With (2024)

Ask any member of Cosmo's beauty team what their favorite BB cream is, and they'll name-drop this one from Kosas. "This creamy formula has a shocking amount of coverage for something that feels so serum-like on my face," says beauty editor Beth Gillette. "I dab it on my face with a beauty sponge, and it's glowy but not too oily."

I've quickly become a loyalist, too, and I tend to avoid any sort of base makeup. I adore that it can be smoothed on exactly like a moisturizer, doubles as skincare, and provides the most natural coverage to even out any redness. It's essentially like a real-life filter too, since the finish is so glowy. Plus, it has the largest shade range of any BB cream on this list, so everyone can experience the magic.

• Key ingredients: Copper peptides, zinc, saccharide isomerate
• Size: 1 oz
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 24

Glowing customer review: "I used this for the first time in almost 100° weather, and it was amazing. My skin stayed fresh, my rosacea didn’t react, and I didn’t have any caking, streaking, or pilling."

My skin goes haywire as the seasons change, resulting in splotches, dry patches, and peeling (wtf skin??). Because of this, it's near impossible to wear any sort of face makeup without caking, but I think my skin has stayed near flawless this year, thanks to this hydrating BB cream.

Dr. Jart's supercharged BB cream rolls skincare benefits, makeup, and SPF 40 protection into one convenient formula (FYI, though, you def should still wear a dedicated sunscreen every day). It feels slightly cooling upon application and seamlessly blurs out imperfections to even out my skin tone and cover imperfections (I'm looking at you, chin acne), leaving my complexion looking velvety-smooth and soft.

• Key ingredients: Glycerin, niacinamide, mineral & chemical sunscreen
• Size: 1.35 oz
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: "This product looks insanely skin like and natural and it’s so easy to blend. It left my skin so hydrated and like I wasn’t wearing anything at all, it just looks like I have perfect skin. I do like a longer wear so I always go in with a good powder and setting spray to keep it locked in all day but I really dont mind having to do that. I rarely sing the praises for a product like this but it’s just that good."

If you want the benefits of a BB cream but also a teensy bit more coverage, this hybrid BB cream-foundation gives you the best of both worlds. The buildable formula provides medium to full coverage and beautifully blurs imperfections for a smooth soft-matte finish. It does this while also flooding skin with moisture courtesy of avocado and mango. It's actually one of Gillette's favorite formulas for hot and humid weather, since the whipped texture has such a featherweight feel on her skin while completely hiding any zits or acne scars.

• Key ingredients: Japanese white rose stem cells, avocado & mango hydro-blend
• Size: 1 oz
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 18

Glowing customer review: "Using it everyday covers all the imperfections and not heavy like foundation just apply it with hands and you are good to go blends easily and does the job. It really speeds up my getting ready process."

Ahhhhh, old reliable! How I love you so! This drugstore BB cream is one of the first makeup products I ever fell in love with. Fifteen years later, it's still one I find myself regularly grabbing because it's so simple yet does so much. The eight-in-one (!!) formula hydrates, brightens, blurs, smooths, evens out skin tone, protects with SPF 30, and enhances glow, all while being 100 percent oil-free. Oh, and it's under $10, so it's essentially a steal.

• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, aloe leaf extract, sunscreen
• Size: 1 oz
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 5

Glowing customer review: "I’ve been using this as my makeup base for a year now and I’m not stopping anytime soon. It’s lightweight, has the perfect amount of coverage to even out my complexion, sunscreen protection, and layers nicely with blush and contour. And affordable!"

I'm all for simplifying my skincare routine, and MDSolarSciences makes it easy with their SPF 50-infused BB cream. Consider it sunscreen from the future because it's nothing like the goopy, white-cast-ridden formulas we're used to. Instead, it feels completely weightless, smooths onto my skin like butter, and imparts a gorgeous sheer tint that blurs and brightens skin on contact. I especially like wearing this after getting minimal sleep because the caffeine and niacinamide in the formula depuff my skin and reduce redness. It's my secret for faking a full eight hours with practically no effort.

• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, caffeine, sunscreen
• Size: 1.23 oz
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: "This product is AMAZING! I love it x1000. I have fair sensitive skin and need SPF. I use this after I put on a light moisturizer. This product works like a sunscreen AND light foundation. My face never feels greasy or gooey and the coverage provides a light fair tint that never stings my eyes."

Anastasia Beverly Hills reimagined the BB cream you know and love, made it a solid, and put it into a convenient stick. Simply swipe the travel-friendly stick on your face, then blend with your hands for sheer, glowy coverage. Despite being jam-packed with eight hydrators (including fatty acids, hyaluronic acid microspheres, coconut oil, and shea butter), it feels undetectable on your skin for comfortable all day wear.

• Key ingredients: HA+ microspheres, peptide complex, fatty acids
• Size: 0.63 oz
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 16

Glowing customer review: "I love how dewy this foundation stick is. It’s light, buildable coverage, and it’s packaging reminds me of a deodorant stick but like in the best way possible because it’s so easy to use. It doesn’t really have a scent, which I like since I have sensitive skin. Overall, I highly recommend!!"

If your face is prone to turning into a vat of cooking grease, this BB cream can help keep shine at bay while also enhancing skin's hydration levels and, you know, evening out your complexion too. Amazonion clay helps absorb oil and enhances the longevity of this medium-coverage BB cream, while hyaluronic acid in the formula prevents your skin from drying out. The natural matte finish looks so much like bare skin that people won't even guess you're wearing any face makeup.

• Key ingredients: Amazonian clay, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E
• Size: 1 oz
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 15

Glowing customer review: "Glides on like silk, perfect matte medium coverage that looks like skin. I’ve tried so many drugstore and fancy formulas and nothing beats this!!!"

South Korea invented BB creams, so obvi, K-beauty brands like Erborian have their formulas on lock. This little tube contains a tone-evening base that's comprised of countless natural ingredients like ginseng, licorice root extract, and wild yam (just to name a few), that enhance your skin's radiance, smoothness, and hydration. The light coverage is buildable and imparts such a natural, fresh look on my skin.

• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, ginseng root extract, licorice root extract
• Size: 1.5 oz
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: "Stays on skin for whole day! Amazing coverage but natural at the same time. I’ve got two shades and I mix them together to get right color for my skin. Does not get into the pores! Very light on the skin but does the job. Recommend 👍🏻. Will buy again."

Okay, so technically this isn't a BB cream, but it functions super similarly, and it's the GOAT for color correcting. There's a reason it's remained a best-seller all these years. The serum-based full-coverage formula instantly camouflages virtually every skin concern, including acne scars, wrinkles, dark circles, and large pores. Like, it's basically just a foundation when it comes to coverage, but doesn't feel like one at all. And the skin-loving ingredients (like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin E) seriously help hydrate and soothe.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin E
• Size: 1.08 oz
• Finish: Natural (but there are matte and glowy versions as well)
• Shades: 22

Glowing customer review: "Forever and always will be my favorite foundation. This is your sign to try IT. It may be a CC cream but it’s full-coverage, honey! I recommend to all clients and all have said they love it too. Honestly looks great on all skin types. I have tried the most expensive to the cheapest foundations and NOTHING COMPARES TO IT."

The label on this foundation may say CCC cream, but it's actually a BB & CC cream hybrid that color corrects, moisturizes, and evens out skin town all while giving you a facial-level lit-from-within glow. For those who want to look dewy all damn day, a pea-sized amount (really, that's all you need) evens out discoloration and hides dark circles. Blend it out with your fingers or a sponge for a sheer look, or with a brush to increase the coverage.

• Key ingredients: Chrysanthemum flower extract, camelia leaf extract, jasmine flower water
• Size: 1.08 oz
• Finish: Satin
• Shades: 14

Glowing customer review: "I'm obsessed! This is great for evening skin tone and adding a bit of coverage for a great no-make-up-make-up look. I use it daily and never break out from it."

BB creams are much lighter than standard foundations and typically provide sheer to light coverage—enough to even out skin tone and cover up minor blemishes while still giving the illusion of your naked skin. BB creams are also stellar multitaskers compared to foundations, as many formulations have makeup, skincare, and sun protection benefits (but remember: They should not replace your daily sunscreen—you need that too).

Foundation, however, is meant to be have a more opaque look. It has more coverage, which usually means it feels heavier on your skin. Previously, foundations rarely were meant to also incorporate skincare benefits like hydration and smoothing, but now many offer that up too, just like a BB cream.

Look at the shade range.

Compared to other types of face makeup—namely foundations—BB creams lack when it comes to shade offerings. Many brands only offer four to five options that adjust to match your skin tone, but even then, there aren't that many choices for those with deeper skin tones (which is pretty disappointing, tbh). We appreciate the brands that prioritize range, like Kosas, who made sure to create 24 shades of BB Burst, which is one of the reasons why it earned the best overall title.

Consider the coverage.

While BB creams are known for their sheer to light coverage, there are some formulas that are buildable. A variety of the BB creams on our list range from light coverage (I'm lookin' at you Maybelline Dream Fresh Skin Hydrating BB Cream) to medium and full coverage (hi, One/Size Turn Up the Base Beauty Blur Balm Hybrid Foundation). Think about what you're trying to conceal. If you have some serious discoloration or scarring that you want to cover, opt for something with a bit more coverage. Truly, it all comes down to personal preference, though.