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Byrdie / Chloe Jeong
When it comes to applying a full face of makeup, foundation is far from your only option. There are tinted moisturizers, BB creams (aka beauty balms), and liquid skin enhancers. Then you've got CC cream, which falls somewhere in the middle.
Byrdie Researched & Approved
Providing full coverage without any creasing or caking, the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ is our favorite pick. For a more affordable option, try the Cosmetics Camo CC Cream from e.l.f, which features a diverse shade range and also contains SPF.
CC is short for color-correcting, but what does this mean exactly? "CC cream specifically targets areas that are more problematic, such as redness or discoloration,'' explains celebrity makeup artist Nydia Figueroa.
If you love multitasking makeup products as much as we do, this foundation alternative might be right up your alley. In addition to blurring blemishes and adjusting for uneven skin tone, Figueroa says, "It can also be used to protect the skin from sun damage, fine lines, and age spots."
With this in mind, we recommend formulas containing SPF—extra points for antioxidants like vitamin C and niacinamide that target hyperpigmentation.
Scroll down to find the best CC creams for every skin tone and budget.
Best Overall: IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+
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Courtesy of Amazon
Contains SPF
Breathable
Resists creasing and caking
Limited shades
Who else recommends it? Women's Wear Daily, US Magazine, and Good Housekeeping all picked the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream.
What do buyers say? 86% of 20,800+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
"IT Cosmetics CC cream is a favorite of mine because of how versatile it is and also how high the SPF is," Figueroa tells Byrdie. "It provides full coverage, anti-aging [benefits], and hydration and works beautifully with people of all ages and skin tones."
Byrdie senior email editor Karli Bendlin raves about this pick, but she's far from its only stan. Often touted as the best CC cream, we appreciate that it offers full coverage without sacrificing breathability and leaves a stunning natural finish that plays well under other makeup.
Coverage: Full | Shade Range: 12 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
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Byrdie / Tembe Denton-Hurst
Best Budget: e.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream
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Budget-friendly
Contains SPF
Hydrating
Diverse shade range
Somewhat thick
Sometimes referred to as a budget-friendly dupe of IT CC Cream, e.l.f.'s Camo Cream works to hydrate your skin with hyaluronic acid while leaning on niacinamide to boost your complexion. More to the point, it provides buildable medium-to-full coverage and leaves a natural finish in its wake.
Coverage: Medium/full | Shade Range: 16 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Drugstore: Physicians Formula Super CC+ Cream SPF 30
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Budget-friendly
Color-correcting pigments
Very blendable
Limited shades
Super CC Cream calls on yellow, green, and pink pigments to correct for discoloration. The fragrance-free formula is also gentle enough for sensitive skin.
Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 2 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1.2 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Splurge: Clé de Peau Beauté UV Protective Cream Tinted SPF 50+
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Nordstrom
Contains SPF
Luxurious texture
Resists creasing and caking
Pricey
Limited shades
From the luxury beauty counter, we're big fans of Clé de Peau Beauté UV Protective Cream. In addition to offering SPF 50 protection, the creamy, dreamy texture delivers full coverage and a seamless natural finish.
Coverage: Full | Shade Range: 4 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1.2 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No
Best Buildable: CLE Cosmetics CCC Cream SPF 45
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Courtesy of Neiman Marcus
Buildable coverage
Contains SPF
Fragrance-free
Not ideal for oily skin
If you like buildable coverage, this K-beauty concoction is your best bet. The SPF 50 formula starts out white, then blends into a complexion-matching hue, and leaves behind a delightfully dewy skin finish.
Coverage: Buildable | Shade Range: 10 shades | Finish: Dewy | Size: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No
Best With SPF: Supergoop! CC Screen 100% Mineral CC Cream SPF 50
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Courtesy of Supergoop!
Contains SPF
Diverse shade range
Boosts radiance
Not ideal for dry skin
From everyone's favorite sunscreen brand, this mineral-based CC cream provides SPF 50 protection, plus complexion-boosting benefits. We like that it comes in 15 shades, blends effortlessly, and works well under other makeup.
Coverage: Medium | Shade Range: 15 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1.6 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Blurring: Erborian CC Cream
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Courtesy of Sephora
Contains SPF
Blurs blemishes
Hydrating
Limited shades
Pricey
We can't get enough of Erborian CC Crème. In addition to blurring blemishes, it's chock full of hydrating ingredients like centella asiatica (cica) and glycerin to provide a bouncier, healthy-looking complexion.
Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 3 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1.5 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
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Byrdie / Ashley Rebecca
What Our Testers Say
"This CC cream was so lightweight, I forgot I was wearing makeup several times throughout the day." — Ashley Rebecca, Product Tester
Best Moisturizing: Olay Total Effects Tone CC Cream
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Courtesy of Amazon
Contains SPF
Moisturizing
Boosts radiance
Limited shades
This CC cream is everything you love about an Olay moisturizer with the blurring benefits of an SPF foundation. While you're wise to wear proper sunscreen underneath, it provides a layer of SPF 15 protection.
Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 3 | Finish: Dewy | Size: 1.7 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No
Best for Mature Skin: Hey Honey Trick and Treat CC² Active Moisturizing Cream
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Ulta
Moisturizing
Helps regenerate skin
Diverse shade range
No SPF
Hey Honey CC² Cream contains naturally antibacterial bee propolis and a moisturizing blend of skincare ingredients to regenerate and plump up mature skin.
Coverage: Buildable | Shade Range: 5 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Sensitive Skin: Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen
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Credo Beauty
Contains SPF
Soothing
Diverse shade range
Reviewers note it clings to dry patches
Reactive skin? You can't go wrong with Tower 28. The brand's tinted sunscreen offers broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection with non-nano zinc oxide while soothing your stressed complexion and camouflaging uneven texture.
Coverage: Buildable | Shade Range: 14 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Shade Range: Huda Beauty GloWish MultiDew Vegan Tint
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Sephora
Diverse shade range
Hydrating
Fragrance-free
No SPF
GloWish MultiDew comes in an impressive 13 shades, ranging from extra-rich to medium to fair. This fragrance-free tinted moisturizer is infused with plant-derived squalane to moisturize the skin and provide a radiant, dewy finish.
Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 13 | Finish: Radiant/dewy | Size: 1.35 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best K-Beauty: Pūrlisse Youth Glow Vitamin C CC Cream
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Amazon
Contains SPF
Hydrating
Boosts radiance
Limited shades
If it's a dewy complexion you're after, you can count on this Korean CC cream to deliver. Pūrlisse Youth Glow goes on like a moisturizer, boosts radiance with vitamin C, hydrates with hyaluronic acid, and provides SPF 50 protection.
Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 4 | Finish: Dewy | Size: 1.4 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Hybrid: PÜR 4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20
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Amazon
Contains SPF
Hydrating
Diverse shade range
Not long-lasting
"When I want to achieve beautiful, natural coverage, this is the product I reach for," says Figueroa. "It acts as a hybrid primer, moisturizer, foundation, and sunscreen all in one!"
Coverage: Buildable | Shade Range: 13 | Finish: Dewy | Size: 1.7 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Multi-Use: Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer
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Courtesy
Multi-use product
Resists creasing and caking
Diverse shade range
Unhygienic container
Small amount
The Sensual Skin Enhancer can be used as a foundation, color corrector, under-eye concealer, you name it. This iconic multi-use product goes on super-smooth, offers buildable coverage, and resists creasing throughout the day.
Coverage: Buildable | Shade Range: 16 | Finish: Natural | Size: 0.3 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Final Verdict
The best option overall is IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, a makeup artist-approved formula that provides full coverage and SPF 50 protection while quenching the skin. On a budget? Your best bet is e.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream, a hydrating, radiance-boosting formula that offers buildable coverage and SPF 30 protection.
Meet the Expert
Nydia Figueroa is a celebrity makeup artist and beauty educator with over 15 years of industry experience. In addition to offering professional makeup services, she works as a beauty director at Miss New Jersey Earth and Fashion Gxd Magazine. Nydia's work has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, as well as in publications such as Allure and Nylon.
What to Look for in a CC Cream
Creamy Texture
Figueroa says that since CCs are intended to offer more coverage than other similar products, it’s best to choose one that has a slightly richer, creamier consistency.
SPF
A CC with SPF is not an absolute must (so long as you’re getting your sunscreen elsewhere), but it’s always an added benefit when you can combine the essential sun protection step of your skincare routine with your makeup routine. If your CC cream doesn't have SPF, however, we recommend applying a powder sunscreen underneath it—this will protect your skin from the sun without compromising the color and coverage of your CC cream.
Shade
While you do have a bit more wiggle room with a CC cream than a foundation when it comes to finding the right match, more and more formulas now come in a wider range of shades to make it easier to find the right hue for you.
Why Trust Byrdie?
Theresa Holland is a beauty aficionado and commerce writer specializing in cosmetics. For this story, she interviewed a professional makeup artist for product suggestions and insight into formulations, then considered dozens of CC creams from myriad brands and retailers. From the above list, she has personally tried IT Cosmetics, e.l.f., Kevyn Aucoin, Pūrlisse, Supergoop!, and Physicians Formula. Theresa has been contributing to Byrdie since 2020, where she covers makeup, skincare, and wellness products.
According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find any CC creams from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com and we will evaluate the product ASAP.
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