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There’s no better feeling than finding a makeup product that cuts down your prep time in front of the mirror each morning. And let’s be real: These days, the simpler the routine, the better. That’s where BB creams come into play.
Short for beauty balms, BB creams combine the moisturizing benefits of skincare with sheer coverage to help prime, even, and enhance skin tone all at once. TBH, with the right BB cream, it might not even feel like you’re wearing makeup at all—that’s how amazing they are. And the best part? You can find some of the top formulas—including ones that cater to a variety of skin types, concerns, and tones—in the aisles of your local drugstore.
Ready to meet your new beauty BFF? Keep scrolling for the best drugstore BB creams money can buy.
Best Overall
Maybelline New York Dream Fresh BB Cream
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Makes skin look radiant
Calms redness
Lightweight, gel texture
Not for acne-prone skin
Who else recommends it? StyleCraze, Allure, and Oprah Daily all picked the Maybelline New York Dream BB Fresh Cream.
What do buyers say? 85% of 26,400+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
Navigating the beauty world can be tough, which is why it’s always best to opt for oil-free formulas to prevent unwanted T-zone shine from ruining your glam. Maybelline’s Dream BB Fresh brightens, smooths, and hydrates the skin using its oil-free, water-gel SPF 30 formula. With its coverage falling on the medium side, this BB cream perfects the skin in one simple step and adjusts to your skin tone to create a natural-looking finish while also minimizing pores, replenishing hydration, reducing redness, and boosting radiance in areas that may need it.
Price at time of publish: $9
Coverage Level: Medium | Finish: Natural | Shades: 5 | Size: 1 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No
Best Budget
e.l.f. Cosmetics BB Cream with SPF 20
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Courtesy of elf cosmetics
Inexpensive
Makes skin look dewy
SPF 20
Can oxidize
For less than $10, this BB Cream offers the complexion-enhancing effects as its higher-priced counterparts without breaking the bank. Formulated with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing aloe, and hydrating jojoba oil, this affordable BB cream nourishes and hydrates to keep skin looking dewy. Its weightless, semi-matte, and easy-to-blend formula provides the perfect wash of color that hides imperfections and boosts radiance, creating that perfect no-makeup makeup look instantly. It also comes equipped with broad-spectrum SPF 20 to ensure that your skin stays protected from harmful UV rays while you’re wearing it.
Price at time of publish: $10
Coverage Level: Light | Finish: Dewy | Shades: 1 | Size: 1 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Dry Skin
NYX Professional Makeup Bare With Me Tinted Skin Veil
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Courtesy of Ulta
Hydrates skin
Lightweight
Nice shade range
Small bottle
Those with dry skin often rely on their moisturizer or primer for a hydrating boost, but that was before NYX’s Bare With Me Tinted Skin Veil came along. Designed with dry skin types in mind, this lightweight skin tint delivers up to eight hours of uninterrupted hydration using a powerful blend of aloe and cucumber extracts. Its weightless formula blends effortlessly into the skin, imparting a dewy glow that doesn’t mask your natural texture.
Price at time of publish: $13
Coverage Level: Light | Finish: Satin | Shades: 12 | Size: 0.9 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Oily Skin
COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream
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Courtesy of CVS
Won't aggravate acne-prone skin
Matte without being cakey
Blends easily
Not hydrating
Oily skin types and mattifying complexion products go hand-in-hand, and there’s no product better at soaking up oil and keeping shine at bay than CoverGirl’s Clean Matte BB Cream. This BB cream-foundation hybrid delivers a natural matte finish with its water-based formula, which seamlessly blends into the skin with ease and erases any traces of blemishes and uneven texture. Worried about it clogging your pores? Don’t be! It’s oil-free, meaning that it helps stop breakouts without comprising coverage and effectiveness.
Price at time of publish: $7
Coverage Level: Light | Finish: Natural | Shades: 6 | Size: 1 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Acne-Prone Skin
L'Oréal Paris Magic BB Anti-Redness
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Courtesy of Ulta
Covers redness
Blends in seamlessly to skin
A little goes a long way
May not replace foundation
There’s nothing worse than when a pimple comes out to play. While it may feel like you need to pile on hundreds of layers of heavy foundation to effectively cover up breakouts, choosing a color-correcting product, like L’Oreal Paris’ Magic Skin Beautifier BB Anti-Redness, can help tone down blemishes and reveal a more even complexion without feeling like you’re wearing any makeup. Its green hue may be a little intimidating at first, but it’s formulated with color-transforming beautifying beads that work to neutralize the look of redness in the skin and blend to match your skin tone, making it perfect for masking pesky breakouts and unwanted discoloration.
Price at time of publish: $12
Coverage Level: Light | Finish: Natural | Shades: 1 | Size: 1 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: No
Best for Sensitive Skin
Burt's Bees BB Cream
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Courtesy of Burt's Bees
Skin feels soft and hydrated
Byrdie Clean
Lightweight
Limited shade range
Trying new complexion products can be very daunting to those with sensitive skin, especially when there are so many makeup ingredients out there that don’t agree with their skin type. But now, there are products like Burt’s Bees’ BB Cream that are formulated with natural, gentle ingredients and still deliver flawless results. This BB cream’s star ingredient is noni extract, which is rich in antioxidants and minerals. It’s also super hydrating and nourishing, so it'll leave your skin feeling soft and supple once applied.
Price at time of publish: $15
Coverage Level: Light | Finish: Natural | Shades: 2 | Size: 1.7 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best with SPF
Pūrlisse Perfect Glow BB Cream SPF 30
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Amazon
Lightweight
SPF 30
Matte without looking too dry
Wide shade range
Expensive
When it comes to sunscreen, experts recommend opting for formulas that offer at least SPF 30 protection. This BB cream checks that box and delivers the same skin-perfecting benefits as your go-to foundation—just without that caked-on feeling. Formulated with the brand’s Asian Herb Extracts Complex, the Perfect Glow BB Cream leaves a matte-yet-dewy finish that looks natural and hides any signs of blemishes and redness to create a smoother and brighter complexion. It’s also available in 11 shades (ranging from Deep to Fair) to represent.
Price at time of publish: $36
Coverage Level: Medium | Finish: Matte | Shades: 11 | Size: 1 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Glowy Skin
Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream
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Courtesy of Pacifica
Gives skin a glow
Hydrating formula
Vegan and Byrdie Clean
Few shades available
If you’ve been searching for a product that will give you that lit-from-within-glow, then look no further than Pacifica Beauty’s Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream. This vegan BB cream turns up the light on your skin to create a natural-looking radiance while diminishing the appearance of blemishes, pores, and lines by evening and priming the skin. The product is available in three shades and is designed to blend into a variety of skin tones thanks to the brand’s shade-matching technology. Not only is this a great BB cream for those looking to brighten things up, but its hyaluronic acid and coconut water-infused formula is also excellent for drier skin types.
Price at time of publish: $16
Coverage Level: Sheer | Finish: Dewy | Shades: 3 | Size: 1 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Dark Spots
Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Cream SPF 30
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Courtesy of Amazon
Covers discoloration
Makes skin glow
Blurs pores
Few shades available
Sometimes dark spots and sheer coverage don’t always mix, but that's not the case with Physicians Formula’s Super BB Cream. Formulated with color-correcting technology, this affordable product camouflages dark spots and visible discoloration to deliver a brighter and more even complexion. By combining the benefits of a moisturizer, foundation, and sunscreen, Physicians Formula’s Super BB Cream simplifies your glam routine and gives you the necessary hydration, coverage, and protection to have glowing, dewy skin. Its formula also contains antioxidants, which not only help boost radiance in the skin but also keep it protected from environmental stressors.
Price at time of publish: $16
Coverage Level: Sheer | Finish: Dewy | Shades: 2 | Size: 1.2 fl. oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
What to Look For in Drugstore BB Creams
Coverage
BB creams do not typically provide the coverage that foundations do, but they still offer varying levels of coverage. Look for a drugstore BB cream that gives you the amount of coverage you prefer. It should be enough to hide blemishes while still allowing your natural skin to show.
BB creams can boost radiance, smooth texture, conceal pigmentation or blemishes, and hide fine lines. However, their coverage will not look cakey or hide more prominent skin issues entirely. Choose a coverage level that suits your current skin condition and preference.
Skin Type
Knowing your skin type will help you make the best decision when looking for a drugstore BB cream. If you have blemish-prone or oily skin, you’ll want to avoid any BB creams that block pores or contain oil. A mattifying BB cream would be a better choice for this skin type.
If you have sensitive skin, look for a drugstore BB cream with minimal ingredients and avoid any additives that might aggravate or dry out the skin. Mature skin types will do best with a BB cream that provides moisture and the addition of skin-loving ingredients such as nourishing plant extracts and oils and antioxidants.
Texture and Finish
Look for a drugstore BB cream that leaves your skin looking exactly like you want it to, whether that’s a matte look, dewy glow, or natural radiance. BB creams also come in different textures and can be hydrating or lightweight. Choose a texture and finish that appeals to you.
How We Researched
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
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