The Best BB Creams for Sensitive Skin – Women’s Concepts
We have narrowed down the best BB creams for sensitive skin. From sheer to full coverage, natural to matte finish, there’s a product for everyone’s needs, so you can easily find your perfect BB cream match.
Since the no-makeup makeup look hit its stride, BB creams (short for beauty or blemish balms) have become one of the most sought-after beauty products. They are perfect for providing light coverage while infusing skin with nourishment, hydration, and protection against free radicals, like UV rays. BB creams are considered the perfect combination between foundation and skincare that even tone, nourish, repair, and plump skin while giving a fresh appearance without ever feeling heavy.
As with other cosmetics, sensitive skin might find it challenging to put their hands on a BB cream that’s gentle enough for them. Hence, we decided to pull out the best BB creams for sensitive skin that will blur imperfections, add hydration, and reinforce skin without irritation, redness, or dryness.
Is BB cream good for sensitive skin?
When skin is sensitive, choosing a BB cream can be a double-edged sword as you wouldn’t want to bother your skin more, dry, or irritate it. BB cream stays in contact with your skin the entire day, so it should include calming ingredients, humectants to increase water levels, moisture trappers to prevent dehydration, and skin-replenishing agents. Also, if it contains antioxidants, SPF, and barrier strengthening actives, you know you found the best BB cream for your sensitive skin.
How do I apply my BB cream?
On cleansed skin, layer your serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen, then follow with BB cream. Apply your BB cream with your fingers or a wet beauty sponge, dotting onto cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose, then blend outward. And if you set it with an organic setting powder, you can enjoy flawless skin long after the sun goes down.
The best BB creams for sensitive skin
Without further ado, here are the best BB creams for sensitive skin with gentle and non-irritating formulas that make the complexion appear like a perfect canvas while protecting and hydrating it.
Purito Cica Clearing BB Cream
- Shades: 6
- Coverage: Medium
- Finish: Silky
- What else: Free of alcohol and fragrance, K-beauty, cruelty-free and vegan
This is the best BB cream for sensitive skin because it is filled with calming and protecting natural extracts, such as Centella asiatica, adenosine, vitamin E, asiaticoside, and madecasosside. All these actives are gentle enough for reactive skin and work synergistically to reinforce the barrier and reduce redness and itchiness. The lightweight texture blends effortlessly, allowing for an easy and fast application that ends with a pinch of glow and a flawless finish.
bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Gel Cream
- Shades: 20
- Coverage: Medium
- Finish: Matte
- What else: Alcohol- and fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, natural and clean formula, cruelty-free
bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Gel Cream is made with 98% naturally derived ingredients. As the perfect balance between tinted cream and moisturizer, it loads many skin-loving ingredients to comfort and energize skin while leaving behind even tone without ever settling into fine lines. Squalane and trehalose protect against moisture loss, the mix of plant extracts decreases redness, while amino acids and sodium hyaluronate make the skin appear plump. Plus, it protects against sunbeams with SPF 30, which also makes it an ideal BB cream for bothered skin.
Jane Iredale Dream Tint Lightweight Moisturizer
- Shades: 7
- Coverage: Sheer
- Finish: Natural
- What else: Vegan, cruelty-free, without alcohol and fragrance, hydrating formula
Jane Iredale Dream Tint Lightweight Moisturizer is the best BB cream for sensitive skin that wants a clean formula that soothes and moisturizes. It’s rich in hydrating algae extract and packs a mix of plant extracts for antioxidant defense while giving a soft-focus effect that helps diminish large pores and wrinkles look. Additionally, this BB cream assures no hydration is lost due to sealers like jojoba esters and shea butter. And lavender oil is a star for speeding up skin healing, calming, and reducing redness — ideal for problematic skin.
Erborian BB Cream Clair
- Shades: 4
- Coverage: Medium
- Finish: Matte
- What else: Cruelty-free, alcohol-free, fragrance-free
This BB cream is where makeup meets skincare and is gentle enough for sensitive skin due to the delicate formula filled with nature-derived ingredients. In addition to concealing imperfections, this BB cream has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, thanks to licorice root and purslane extracts. The lightweight, breathable formula makes it the perfect BB cream for sensitive skin with large pores, and the SPF 20 is a bonus.
Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream
- Shades: 7
- Coverage: medium to high
- Finish: dewy
- What else: K-beauty, not cruelty-free
K-beauty fans, this BB cream might be to your liking. It provides long-lasting moisture and calms irritated skin with squalane, algae extract, and ceramides and ensures SPF 42 with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide while concealing uneven tone and texture. Despite the full coverage it can provide, Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream never feels heavy but lightweight and pampering when layered, and reviewers with problematic skin said they are super happy with the purchase. P.S.: This BB cream contains mineral oil, so steer clear if you’re sensitive to it.
Pur-Lisse BB Tinted Moist Cream
- Shades: 11
- Coverage: Medium
- Finish: Matte
- What else: Alcohol- and fragrance-free, vegan and cruelty-free, oil-free
This BB cream is ideal for sensitive skin prone to breakouts that craves a gorgeous matte finish without the shine. It provides mineral SPF 30, thanks to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which also acts as an anti-inflammatory and sebum regulator. We like that the formula is oil-free and contains a blend of Asian plants to nourish plus bacillus ferment (good bacteria) to smooth and strengthen the skin’s microbiome.
Dr. Jart Premium BB Beauty Balm SPF 40
- Shades: 3
- Coverage: light
- Finish: dewy
- What else: Not cruelty-free, free of alcohol, contains fragrances, provides anti-aging benefits
This beauty balm works incredibly well for reactive skin because it does it all: moisturizes, perfects, and protects from sun damage with SPF 40. Rich in niacinamide, the BB cream performs great at hydrating, while the blend of plant-derived oils nourishes and locks moisture — perfect since hydration loss is a common issue of reactive skin. At the same time, the BB cream corrects redness and evens tone, making your skin look flawless with just a pea size amount.