Short for 'blemish balm' or 'beauty balm', a BB cream is designed to be an all-in-one solution to a number of skincare needs. So whether you can't go without your moisturiser, primer or foundation, and perhaps most importantly, sun protection, a BB cream can cover all these bases. BB creams are particularly useful for those with oily or combination skin as they help to reduce unwanted shine and clogged pores.
In this guide, we'll tell you the points to consider when finding the perfect BB cream for you, before introducing some of the best BB creams for oily skin to buy in the UK from top drugstore brands such as Garnier, to the top BB creams from Clinique, and The Body Shop. Moreover, we have partnered with Makeup Artist Marie Dancer for reviews and fact-checking the article so that we can deliver good, reliable information to our users.
Quick List - Top BB Creams for Oily Skin
Erborian
Create Baby Smooth Skin With This BBC Cream Infused With Plant and Herb Ingredients
La Roche Posay
Moisturises and Evens Out the Skin Tone with an SPF Protectant Formula
Pupa
A Long-Lasting Tinted Solution That Will Have You Covered All Day
Garnier
An Affordable, Popular BB Cream to Gently Blur Your Complexion
As a professional make-up artist of ten years, Marie's job has taken her all over the UK working at top events, on TV shows and making up beautiful brides. For all her clients she loves emphasising their natural beauty by creating a flawless base that still looks like skin.
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As a professional makeup artist of ten years, Marie's job has taken her all over the UK, working at top events, on TV shows and making up beautiful brides. For all of her clients, she loves emphasising their natural beauty by creating a flawless base that still looks like skin.
Find out more about Marie and what are her favourite makeup products are through her Instagram! She even shares some industry tips on makeup application too. And if you're interested in getting your makeup done by Marie, you can contact her via her email found at the top of her page.
It is easy to think that just because oily skin is associated with excess moisture, dry skin is never a problem. Keeping your face hydrated can still be a struggle. The last thing someone with oily skin wants is a BB cream that completely dries out their skin as, in the long run, this can often lead to more oil.
The best-case scenario is a BB cream that is moisturising but not oil-inducing. Look out for ingredients like hyaluronic acid (also known as sodium hyaluronate), aloe vera, glycerin, or other beneficial fatty acids which are extremely hydrating but avoids being heavy. This allows you to maintain a natural look without being in constant fear of the next angry blackhead. After all, who doesn't want peachy, glowing skin?
We got you covered with more ways to achieve a flawless complexion - browse our favourite CC creams!
Although it might be stating the obvious, it is worth noting: if you're wanting to combat oily skin, an oil-free formula is the answer. BB creams will normally state whether they are oil-free or not, quite clearly, and the majority of the products made for skin that is prone to grease won't have oils in them.
Oil-free is better for greasier skin because it is non-comedogenic: in other words, it means pores aren't blocked. Oil-laden products with ingredients like petroleum or natural oils - whilst good for hydrating dry skin - are often thicker and will clog up pores, leading to more oil and spots.
In an ideal situation, BB creams would prevent all excess oil and breakouts in the first place. Sadly, bad skin days happen no matter what products you use, so you want to know that your cream has you covered - literally. BB creams are generally lighter than foundations, one of the reasons why they are so good for oily skin.
You may still prefer to have a bit more coverage than just a tinted moisturiser, and a fuller, more foundation-like look is available. However, bear in mind that this could also clog up the skin more. As with so many things when it comes to oily skin, it is about finding a balance. Ideally, you want to find the lightest BB cream with the best coverage as this will help keep your skin feeling light and fresh all day long.
Check out our picks for the best face powders in the UK to help you achieve even more perfect coverage!
It is often assumed that, because oily skin leads to excessive shine, the BB cream you choose should have a completely matte finish. However, this is not the case, and a BB cream which is too matte could end up clogging pores.
Look for words like 'dewy' and 'glow' to make sure you still have a fresh and gentle shine. These also tend to be lighter and therefore less likely to encourage excessive oil production. Many BB creams aimed at oily skin are mattifying in order to control shine, but don't feel like you have to settle for dull skin.
Another great benefit of using a BB cream is that a lot of them contain SPF. The addition of sun protection prevents longer-term skin damage, often difficult to detect. Normal suncream can be a bit of a tricky one for those with oily skin as the thicker formulas are often a recipe for a break-out disaster. Thankfully, because BB creams tend to be lighter than suncreams, they don't have the same clogging effect.
It is important to note that if you're going somewhere very sunny or will be exposed for long periods of time, you should still apply proper suncream as the light coverage of a BB cream won't always do the trick.
Here are our best facial sunscreens to protect your skin!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Erborian BB Crème | ![]() | Create Baby Smooth Skin With This BBC Cream Infused With Plant and Herb Ingredients | |
2 | La Roche Posay Hydreane BB Cream | ![]() | Moisturises and Evens Out the Skin Tone with an SPF Protectant Formula | |
3 | Pupa Professionals BB Cream + Primer | ![]() | A Long-Lasting Tinted Solution That Will Have You Covered All Day | |
4 | Garnier Classic Perfecting Care All-in-1 BB Cream | ![]() | An Affordable, Popular BB Cream to Gently Blur Your Complexion | |
5 | Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint | ![]() | A High End, Multi-Tasking Product for a Year Round, Sun-Kissed, Bronzy Glow | |
6 | Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream For Oily Skin | ![]() | An Oil-Free Formula With a Matte Finish at an Affordable Price | |
7 | REN Satin Perfection BB Cream | ![]() | A Cruelty-Free, Light BB Cream That Leaves Your Skin Silky Smooth | |
8 | Pixi by Petra Beauty Balm | ![]() | High Level Coverage Comes With Added Moisturising Power and a Dewy Finish | |
9 | Clinique Dramatically Different™ Moisturising BB-gel | ![]() | Naturally Perfects and Evens Out the Skin Tone with up to 8 Hours of Oil-Free Hydration | |
10 | The Body Shop Fresh Nude Tinted Beauty Balm | ![]() | A Light BB Cream to Provide a Natural Glow and Prevent Shine |
Although the bottle might be small, a little goes a long way where this BB cream is concerned. Made from a combination of plant and herb ingredients that soothe and nourish skin, it produces what it calls a 'baby skin effect'. This means clear, blemish-free, non-oily skin.
The product has the added benefit of coming in a wider range of shades made to blend to a bigger variety of skin tones. It's easy to apply and blend with its airiness preventing any chance of blocked pores. With SPF included, this BB cream really does do it all!
This BB cream, specially formulated with dry skin in mind, works to moisturise the complexion as well as smoothing over any uneven areas and textures. This means helping to create a more flawless base with adequate hydration and a reliable coverage.
It offers plenty of coverage whilst nourishing the skin, leaving it looking fresher and more even. And though it has a moisturising effect, it does not leave behind any unwanted greasiness. It is also hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, great if your skin is sensitive as well as acne-prone.
This cream doubles up as a tinted moisturise and a primer and manages to combine the best of both. The tinted moisturiser aspect leaves skin feeling protected and soft, with a bit of colour to help conceal blemishes.
This harmonises perfectly with the primer qualities which help to smooth your skin's texture whilst evening out skin tone. The oil-free formula is pretty light, but not too light and it comes in exciting luxurious packaging!
Garnier's BB cream has been around for a few years and is a popular choice, with good reason. The price makes this product accessible, although this accessibility is let down by the lack of shades, with not that many options available.
Oily skin is left matted but not to the point of dryness and skin imperfections are gently blurred. Whilst it is not the longest-lasting of the bunch, it is a solid option for daily use when a light touch-up is all that's required.
One of the biggest advantages of this product is that it is able to warm up the complexion all year round, helping you to achieve a subtle but healthy glow no matter the season. At the same time, it is also able to revive dull complexions, as it is enriched with nourishing, radiance boosting ingredients.
This product has a multi-tasking formula that does so much at once: it covers imperfections while brightening and improving the appearance of skin tone, maintains moisture on the skin, and defends skin against damaging UVA/UVB rays with an SPF 20 protection.
If matte is what you want, matte is what you'll get with this product. Its main goal: to fight shine. It is specially designed with oily-skin in mind, meaning it has an oil-free formula that doesn't block pores.
It also has a nice wide range of shades making it a more inclusive product than others on this list. The biggest downside of this product is its lack of SPF, something which is a given for many BB creams, and it also lacks that more luxurious finish that some of the other creams promise.
As the name suggests, this BB cream leaves your skin looking and feeling satin-smooth. REN as a company don't use any animal-tested ingredient or harsh chemicals, so you know that when you are using this product, you are being kind to the environment as well as your skin.
This product is let down by its lack of colour choices, and its lower SPF means that it is not the best for extended sun exposure. If, however, your skin does match the light-medium colour, it will help to make your skin look clear and youthful with its anti-ageing properties.
This BB cream acts more like a foundation and properly covers skin as opposed to just touching it up. Its finish is still dewy, though, so just because it is a little heavier on the face doesn't mean that it mattifies and dries. This cream also has soothing properties which can help to relax and calm temperamental skin.
Its high coverage is perfect if that's what you're looking for in a BB cream, although it does leave your skin more prone to build-up and the following break-outs. It also lacks any SPF so watch out for those rays!
With a unique moisturising gel formula, this BB cream from Clinique promises to hydrate the complexion for up to 8 hours. Meanwhile, the oil-free formula helps to stop excessive shine in its tracks, keeping the skin looking fresh and feeling comfortable.
We think this BB cream is great for all skin types. The swirls on the camouflage print on the bottle indicate the lightest to deepest skin tones suitable, making it easy to help you find your perfect shade match. The only downside, however, is that it does not have sun protection.
This cream clears your skin without eradicating its natural glow. It promises anti-shine protection as well as long-lasting moisture. As a lighter cream, coverage may not be as extensive as you would wish and the 'glow' can veer into shiny territory.
As with all The Body Shop products, this BB cream is an ethical choice with its cruelty-free policy. It also has SPF 20 included, keeping your skin protected, although it's unfortunately not oil-free.
BB creams were developed into the product we know by South Korean cosmetics companies and first appeared on Western shop shelves in the early 2010s. They act as a 3-in-1 primer, moisturiser, and foundation product, simplifying skincare routines and giving various benefits to the skin. They tend to give sheerer coverage than a foundation, resulting in a more natural finish.
Everyone's skin naturally produces oil, otherwise known as sebum, and it plays an important role in protecting and hydrating your skin. However, when your body produces excessive amounts of oil it can lead to problems such as clogged pores and acne. But fear not! BB creams can help both prevent and cover this up, coming to the rescue for those who suffer from excess facial oil.
You may also be wondering - what's the difference between BB creams and CC creams? Well, both usually have similar advantages, but a CC cream focuses on "Colour Correction", fighting redness and an uneven skin tone. Nevertheless, a good BB cream does the same job, so the two are pretty similar overall. However, for the sake of this article, we'll be focussing on BB creams only.
Written and Researched by Emma Cramp
No. 1: Erborian |BB Crème
No. 2: La Roche Posay|Hydreane BB Cream
No. 3: Pupa|Professionals BB Cream + Primer
No. 4: Garnier |Classic Perfecting Care All-in-1 BB Cream
No. 5: Guerlain|Terracotta Joli Teint
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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