Our top pick? Laura Mercier’s Natural Skin Perfector >
BB creams, or beauty balms, serve as comprehensive skincare routine. They are virtually an all-in-one solution for a perfect everyday look with minimal effort. These creams provide moisturization, priming, light coverage, anti-ageing benefits *and* UV protection.
Their CC cream counterparts offer enhanced coverage but less focus on skincare benefits. The opposite is true for tinted moisturizers which prioritize skincare over coverage. French BB creams stand out in terms of quality – from packaging to ingredients – reflecting the quintessential French simplicity and efficacy in skincare and makeup products.
However, choosing the right product depends on your financial capacity, objectives, and skin type. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 best French BB creams (along with the best French CC creams and tinted moisturizers) considering these variables for your convenience.
#1 — Our Favourite French BB Cream
The secret to perfecting the ‘barely-there’ makeup look is a good BB cream. With a high-quality beauty balm, you can bypass all the preliminary steps such as moisturizing, priming, applying sunscreen and foundation. This product allows you to leap directly to achieving immaculate skin every morning.
Laura Mercier, an emerging brand we’ve featured in our 2024 roundup of Best French Makeup Brands, is our top pick. Although it’s technically classified as a ‘tinted moisturizer’, Laura Mercier’s Natural Skin Perfector embodies the essence of a true beauty balm.
This versatile fusion of skincare and makeup subtly masks flaws while offering minimal coverage. Its hydrating complex and antioxidant-rich formula improve your skin over time, not forgetting its broad-spectrum SPF30 protection – all in one product! We’re *quite* taken with this French BB cream; if there were a rank higher than favourite, this would certainly receive it.
#2 — Most Popular French BB Cream
Okay, we’ve taken a few creative liberties in this article. The product we’re discussing is strictly French Canadian rather than French, but trust us, there’s a good reason for it! Marcelle’s BB Cream Golden Glow has been embraced by countless women worldwide who are now loyal users of this product and they’ve never regretted their decision.
In fact, they have left glowing reviews all over the internet! The formula of this cream is oil-free, gluten-free and hypoallergenic and offers a plethora of benefits that are so extraordinary that without its massive fanbase and impressive reviews you might have doubted its effectiveness.
From the first application of the BB Cream Golden Glow you can anticipate:
- A smooth, dewy complexion;
- Hydrated and soothed skin;
- Evened tone & lightly masked imperfections;
- Shine completely under control;
- And a radiant, healthy glow due to light-reflecting pigments.
It even comes in a universal shade which means no need to worry about finding ‘your’ shade to reap the full benefits of this magnificent product. This is truly an essential item for your beauty regimen.
#3 — Best Overall French BB Cream
Bourjois, a French makeup brand that may not be as well-known but is making significant strides on the international scene, is no mere happenstance. The advent of BB creams, a relatively recent trend birthed from K-Beauty, was bound to be led initially by smaller, more nimble brands.
Bourjois’ Healthy Mix BB Cream stands out as the topmost French BB cream due to its *superior* performance across all metrics. It shines in the role of a foundation, providing a stunningly natural and fresh look. Its ultra-light formula is not only moisturizing and hydrating but also enriched with vitamins that enhance radiance like no other product. Each application promises a vibrant, alert and fatigue-free appearance accompanied by an enticing fruity fragrance.
#4 — Best Luxury French BB Cream
Considering that beauty balms allow you to eliminate 90% of your current beauty regimen, we strongly suggest redirecting that recently liberated budget directly into the finest, most opulent BB cream available. Your search ends with the epitome of indulgent luxury, Lancome’s Hydra Zen BB Cream.
Fortified with Lancome’s unique ‘Neurocalm’ technology, this anti-stress, soothing tinted cream offers multiple benefits in one application – it hydrates, protects, harmonizes, enhances glow and masks skin flaws. A radiant natural layer of mineral pigments provides a consistent, even and naturally luminous complexion. You simply cannot find a superior French BB cream without compromising in some aspect or another.
#5 — Best Budget French BB Cream
Contrary to the common belief that inexpensive cosmetics and skincare are synonymous with inferior ingredients and adverse skin reactions, French beauty labels debunk this myth. Take, for instance, L’Oreal’s Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream. This product proves that you don’t need to break the bank to enjoy *premium* benefits.
For a modest price, it offers everything its pricier counterparts do: hydration, moisturization, protection and soothing of your skin; an even complexion with corrected blemishes; and a perfect, natural-looking finish.
#6 — Best French Pharmacy BB Cream
The skincare products from French pharmacies are renowned for their gentle and straightforward approach, making them suitable for all skin types. Whether your skin is dry, sensitive, oily or prone to problems, the simple yet effective formulas from these French brands offer an easy way to achieve a radiant and healthy glow without a hefty price tag.
One such product is Yves Rocher’s BB Peau Parfaite – a standout in our 2024 list of Best French Skincare Brands. This BB cream stays true to the ethos of pharmacie products with its natural ingredients and rigorous dermatological testing. It offers six main benefits:
- instant hydration;
- perfect complexion balancing;
- refreshing effects;
- immediate texture smoothing;
- revival of complexion radiance for a natural look;
- and enhancement of the skin’s natural beauty.
This lightweight, melting beauty balm from France allows you to effortlessly enhance your skin in one easy step.
#7 — Best French Tinted Moisturizer
As introduced earlier, tinted moisturizers essentially serve as beauty balms but with a greater focus on skincare benefits and offering lighter coverage. If you’re seeking less coverage but still desire to merge skincare routines while achieving a glowing complexion, you might prefer these over a BB cream.
Sisley’s Phyto-Hydra Teint is an exemplary product of the new generation of tinted skincare. It integrates the efficacy of daily skincare with a touch of color in its all-in-one formula. With its ‘Beauty Booster’ complex and ‘Healthy Skin’ cocktail of powerful active ingredients, it hydrates, perfects, and safeguards your skin.
For more skincare-centric face creams like this one, refer to our post on the best French moisturizers.
Keywords: Best French BB Cream. Tone: professional.
#8-10 — Best French CC Creams
The term ‘CC’ in ‘CC cream’ denotes either colour correcting or complexion correcting. They typically offer slightly more coverage than BB creams but are less dense than foundation, making them ideal for individuals with yellowish skin or age spots.
Whereas BB creams are primarily aimed at preventing skin blemishes and promoting skin health, CC creams are specifically engineered to prime, conceal, and correct colour. Top-notch CC creams often accompany the best BB creams as sibling products.
Noteworthy examples include Bourjois’ 123 Perfect CC Cream (sister to 3) and Lancome’s UV Expert Mineral CC Cream (sister to 4). These all-in-one, colour-correcting, full-coverage CC Creams come with a physical sunscreen and provide round-the-clock skin hydration for a radiant finish.
We affectionately refer to them as skin-smoothing elixirs in a bottle. Another premium option is By Terry’s Cellularose Moisturizing CC Cream which promises an immediately unified, smooth, radiant, plump complexion that progressively improves with each use.
If you’re seeking something beyond a CC cream such as an actual concealer and none of these options appeal to you, do explore our best French concealer recommendations!
Conclusion,
The French BB creams listed in this article are among the highest quality products available on the market. These creams offer a wealth of benefits including hydration, sun protection and a flawless complexion. Each product is unique, offering different features to cater to various skin types and preferences.
So why wait? Discover the transformative power of these best French BB creams and elevate your skincare routine today.
