BB CREAMS – WHAT ARE THEY? ARE THEY A BEAUTY “MUST HAVE?”

Have you seen BB Creams advertised lately and wonder what they really are?

 

 

In short:

 

·         Originally developed in Germany and named Blemish Balm, these creams rapidly became extremely popular in Europe.  The popularity then caught on in Asia.

·         In Asia skin discolouration, from brown spots to red marks left over from breakouts is called a blemish (where as in Australia we think of blemishes as pimples or breakouts). The BB Creams in Asia claim to do anything from sun protection and moisturising as well as whitening & preventing breakouts, to supplying skin with anti-ageing ingredients such as antioxidants. The Asian BB Creams have a thicker texture and higher levels of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide for sun protection, and are intended to leave a white cast on the skin. They also are often formulated with antioxidants and skin-lightening ingredients because the marketing for these products in Asia is mostly about lightening the skin.

·         The American markets quickly caught on to this new phenomenon.  In western countries, BB Cream now stood for Beauty Balm.  The list of claims these cream say they do range from creating a flawless complexion to reducing pore size (which is impossible to do), healing breakouts, controlling oil, and lightening dark spots.... hmmm a little unbelievable?

So what is in these creams?

Despite the excitement the marketing companies have drummed up, it is NOT a must-have.  Most creams sold in western countries are little more than tinted moisturisers with sunscreen.... which we have had available to us for over 10 years.

In our fast-passed lives – we like to go for products that are convenient.  Using a moisturiser that has a tint and a SPF is really appealing. 

I have looked into the ingredients list of a lot of these products and the verdict is not great.  Most are showing up as highly synthetic. 

Not only that, but any active ingredient that they claim to use is normally in such low quantities that it could not make an impact on the skin.

Do your own research

A lot of skin types will develop redness in their skin from using such highly synthetic products. 

If you are using a BB cream or tinted moisturiser with SPF at the moment, do a test. Try using a good quality natural skin clinic prescribed moisturiser, plus using a skin clinic prescribed mineral makeup with an SPF for 2 weeks and notice what kind of changes and improvements you see in your skin.

If you love a trend and want to give one a go (plus you might like convenience),  Aveda do a great tinted moisturiser - which will be better & more active than any mainstream synthetic BB cream.   Enjoy!