If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission. Learn more about our policies and reviews.
Color control or complexion corrector creams are a fairly new addition to the makeup world, making their first appearances across the globe between 2010 and 2013. As the products developed, they were designed with increased benefits for specific skin types and age groups, incorporating sun protection and moisturizing care. There’s no more need to apply moisturizer, sunscreen, anti-aging serums, and foundation in four different steps with four different products. A complexion corrector cream offers all of this in one product with many other benefits, including nourishing vitamin and mineral enrichment, collagen-building formulas, skin hydration, and oil control. We’ve rounded up our favorite CC creams in 2024 for various skin tones, degrees of sun protection, and skin types. Check them out below.
Highly Rated CC Creams of 2024 in Detail
IT Cosmetics Cream — Best Overall
Key Features
- Available in 12 different shades and different sizes
- Comes in a tube with a dispenser nozzle
- SPF 50
- Infused with anti-aging ingredients
- Provides clinically tested hydration
IT Cosmetics offers a range of CC Creams in 12 different shades to suit all skin tones from light to dark and everything in between. The color-correcting cream serves as a full-coverage foundation, as well as a hydrating serum, and provides incredible sun protection with an integrated SPF 50 sunscreen. This award-winning formula is infused with anti-aging ingredients including hydrolyzed collagen, peptides, antioxidants, vitamins, and hyaluronic acid. Plus, this all-in-one application reduces the appearance of imperfections, acne scarring, wrinkles, redness, and dark circles for a fresh and radiant complexion.
Physicians Formula Cream — Best Cream for Anti-Aging
Key Features
- SPF 30
- Hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin
- Light to medium skin tones
- Anti-aging ingredients
Physicians Formula color correction and care cream is ideal for light to medium skin tones. The cream has an SPF 30 for increased protection and high-quality skincare. The anti-aging formula integrates micro color-correcting pigments, moisturizer, and foundation into one cream for a flawless-looking complexion. Physicians Formula products are hypoallergenic, made without harsh additives or irritants, and safe for users with sensitive skin. You’ll be sure to minimize the appearance of dark circles, wrinkles, blemishes, age spots, redness, discoloration, fine lines, and signs of fatigue with this luxurious hydrating CC cream.
Latorice Cream — Best for Acne-Prone Skin
Key Features
- Dewy finish
- Buildable coverage
- Hydrating formula
- Includes mushroom makeup sponge
- Conceals dark spots, redness, and smooths uneven skin-tone
- Oil control capability
This mushroom head foundation is not only a wonderfully moisturizing product but is also fun to apply. The mushroom makeup sponge offers an easy and waste-free application to hide blemishes, dark spots, and smooth uneven skin tones. The non-irritating hydrating formula is ideal for acne-prone skin and nourishing properties promote skin elasticity and firming. Wash the sponge with water before use to allow it to become soft for even application.
Olay Cream — Best for Light or Medium Skin Tones
Key Features
- SPF 15
- Formulated with seven vitamins and antioxidants to hydrate, nourish, and smooth
- Light coverage
- Suitable for light to medium skin tone
Olay is known for its high-quality beauty products and this Total Effects 7-in-One CC Cream is no different. The cream provides SPF 15 sun protection while offering light coverage, nourishing, and hydrating your skin. Olay's non-greasy CC creams absorb quickly to freshen, brighten, soften and smooth your complexion. It is ideal as a moisturizer and foundation combination. Apply it alone for light cover or build on it with your regular foundation. The formula is thoughtfully designed with seven vitamins and antioxidants, including vitamin B complex.
Erborian Cream — Best for Oily Skin
Key Features
- Available in 3 shades for fair to deep skin tones
- SPF 25 and dermatologically tested
- Available in a tube with dispenser nozzle
- Enriched with highly beneficial herb Centella Asiatica
Erborian CC cream is a dermatologically tested cream enriched with Centella Asiatica which is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, soothing, hydrating, photoprotection, and anti-redness benefits. The multi-purpose color-correcting formula conceals imperfections with encapsulated pigments to enhance and smooth your natural complexion. The SPF 25 formula is available in 3 shades: Clair for light or fair skin tones, Dore for medium and olive skin tones, and Caramel for tan to deep tones. Use the cream on its own as a light cover or as a moisturizing and protective base under your regular foundation for fuller coverage.
Buyer's Guide: Find The Perfect CC Cream For Your Face
With so many different creams, moisturizers, serums, gels, bottles, tubs, and tubes in the cosmetics aisle, things may feel a little confusing in the world of skincare. The great thing about all these options is that no matter what your complexion, age, skin color, or skin type, there is a product out there to meet your needs.
As makeup knowledge and manufacturing evolves, there are continuously new products being developed that enhance skin hydration, moisturizing, anti-aging, and offer a host of improved benefits. They also simplify your skincare routine by combining all these benefits into just one or two products and better yet, you get variations according to your preference.
That is exactly what CC cream is all about. You get to choose the coverage, sun protection, and hydration level that suits your skin best. In this guide, we’ll help you choose the right CC cream for an enhanced and beautifully radiant complexion.
What Is CC Cream?
CC cream is a multipurpose color correction cream designed to serve as both a makeup and skincare product in a single formula. Depending on the brand's specific ingredients, CC creams can be used as a moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer, skincare treatment, mattifying agent, and sunscreen.
BB Cream vs CC Cream
If this sounds very similar to BB cream, well, it’s because it is. There are, however, some subtle differences.
Beauty balm, or blemish balm, is largely used as a skincare treatment and additionally offers light coverage. This means you can use it to cover minor blemishes for a ‘barely there’ makeup look, while still giving your skin the nourishing treatment it deserves. The end result: a glowing finish and radiant complexion that still looks very natural. Although BB cream ingredients largely depend on the specific brand formula, they may contain beneficial additions such as vitamins, antioxidants, peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, zinc oxide, and licorice root.
These ingredients, amongst others, hydrate dry skin, moisturize, brighten, and firm skin. Many products offer some light sun protection, however, the degree will vary from brand to brand. Therefore, it is advised to use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to protect your skin.
CC cream is very similar but offers a higher level of coverage. Besides all the skin health benefits, color control cream is formulated to conceal redness, dark eye circles, hyperpigmentation, acne scarring, and uneven skin tone. It also brightens dull or dry skin.
In addition to the benefits of BB cream, CC cream also incorporates anti-aging formulas with ingredients that decrease the appearance of wrinkles and age spots and includes sunscreen. The whipped texture offers a smooth application and matte finish.
CC Cream vs Foundation
Foundation is available in a large variety of colors to match various skin tones from very light to deep shades. It's specifically formulated to even out your skin tone and cover imperfections, such as redness and hyperpigmentation. Compared to CC cream, foundation offers a much thicker level of coverage and is heavier. It also doesn’t contain skincare ingredients, so it is not meant to be used as a moisturizer or sunscreen. Foundations are available in liquid, cream, powder, mousse, and sticks and come in different finishes including dewy, satin, and matte.
What to Consider When Choosing CC Cream
CC creams for your skin type
- Oily Skin: CC cream is a better option for oily skin than BB cream. When choosing the best CC cream for oily skin, check the formula for oil-free, mattifying ingredients that may include silica, charcoal, and colloidal clay.
- Acne-Prone Skin: The lightweight texture of CC cream is less likely to cause breakouts than BB creams, which can sometimes be a little heavier. If you are prone to acne, look for an oil-free cream with ingredients such as tea tree extract, colloidal clay, and salicylic acid.
- Dry Skin: If you have dry skin, BB cream is likely a better option for you with its hydrating formula. Check the ingredients for moisturizing agents such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol. If CC cream with more coverage and sun protection are a must for you, make sure you opt for a product formulated for dry skin specifically.
Color shade
Choosing the right coverage shade is important whenever applying color to your face or your neck. This applies to CC cream as well. Contrary to popular belief, your forearm is darker than your face and therefore not the ideal place to color-test. The best way to find the right shade is by applying a small amount at the center of your face and blending it outwards towards your cheek and jawline.
You can also mix colors to create a shade for yourself. This is ideal if you need to adjust your CC cream to a lighter or darker shade depending on the season and amount of time you’ve spent in the sun. If you are unsure between two colors, opt for the lighter one since adding bronzers or foundation will even it out.
Coverage
Compared to foundation, CC cream only provides a light cover. This is perfect if you want your natural complexion to shine through but would like to hide minor imperfections at the same time.
Skin needs
As opposed to foundation, CC cream is a wonderful all-in-one option offering excellent skincare benefits. If you spend a lot of time in the sun, opt for at least an SPF 30 or higher product. Also look out for anti-aging formulas containing hyaluronic acid, Vit C, and omegas.
