BB, CC, and DD Creams: What do These Letters Really Mean?

Whenever you get a chance to set a foot on a cosmetic shop, you’ll automatically be bombarded with a wide and seemingly unending array of flesh-colored fluids. Aside from those concealers, these are BB, CC, and DD creams. They all look the same because they contain a tinted moisturizer and a standard foundation, but how exactly do they differ? Here is a breakdown for you.

A tinted moisturizer basically is a moisturizer. The name explains it all. It adds a bit of color with a moisturizing effect. And while all products of this kind are being used by most women, the new creation of alphabet creams – BB, CC, and DD – are becoming a trend in the market.

BB Creams, originating from Asia, have been popular almost anywhere in the world. They provide skin benefits such as SPF and antioxidants. Lighter compared to a foundation, but heavier compared to a tinted moisturizer, all brands contain the same effects in terms of serums, but if you are in need of enough protection from the sun, BB creams are used less on the face as they are tinted, thus, lesser sun protection.

CC Creams, also known as “color correcting” are made to address common problems like redness and other causes of discoloration in the face. The dissimilarity between CC and BB Creams is subtle. While BB Creams are like lighter foundation packed with a few skincare advantages, CC Creams are lighter on the skin, whipped, fluffy feel, a somewhat improved version of the BB Cream.

And finally for DD creams: this “Dynamic Do-All” cream is like a BB/CC hybrid. It was poised to launch five years ago as a “Daily Defense” cream. What made it different is that it is not for facial application, but rather as a heavy duty cream for the body and foot.