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Best CC creams that help to blur blemishes and reduce redness

Nail the natural make-up look with these tried and tested colour correcting heroes

Lauren Cunningham
Monday 25 March 2024 10:48 GMT
<p>Layer them under foundation, with concealer, or alone for subtle coverage </p>

Layer them under foundation, with concealer, or alone for subtle coverage

Our Top Picks

A CC cream stands for a colour correcting cream. These are either an absolute necessity or an unwanted extra step in any beauty lover’s daily routine. While beauty balms (aka BB creams) act as a "skincare and make-up hybrid with added sun protection" – as expertly described by one of our reviewers – its sister product, CC cream, provides more coverage and really targets uneven skin tone.

Our tester is a CC cream lover, falling in love with the product after pairing back her everyday make-up from a full face of foundation to just a light touch of coverage to even out skin tone and texture. And CC creams do exactly that, blurring imperfections and correcting colour through clever skin-adapting pigments that contrast on the colour wheel – green pigments combat redness, for example.

Simple to use either as an everyday base under foundation for a smoother finish, with concealer or on its own for a very subtle layer of coverage, CC cream is a must-have for nailing for the “no make-up, make-up” look.

So, with options from It Cosmetics, Chanel, Erborian and more, take a look below to see what really was the best of the bunch.

How we tested the best CC creams

CC creams are one of the easiest products to use and, depending on the thickness of the cream, can either be applied with the fingers, as you would a moisturiser or a make-up sponge – we used the EcoTools bioblender sponge (£5, Boots.com). Our tester applied each one in the morning and considered how they glided onto the skin, the coverage, how wore throughout the day and any skincare benefits too.

The best CC creams for 2024 are:

  • Best CC cream overall – It Cosmetics your skin but better CC+ illumination: £29.70, Lookfantastic.com
  • Best budget buy – Essence magic all in one face cream: £3.60, Notino.co.uk
  • Best for fuller coverage – Chanel CC cream: £50, Chanel.com
  • Best for moisturising – Clinique superdefense CC cream: £22.50, Allbeauty.com
  • Best for redness – Erborian CC red correct: £41, Amazon.co.uk

It Cosmetics your skin but better CC+ illumination

It Cosmetics your skin but better CC+ illumination indybest.jpg
  • Best: CC cream overall
  • Number of shades: 20
  • Size : 32ml
  • Why we love it
    • Subtle micro light-reflecting pigments
    • Looks fresh and healthy
    • Natural look
    • Full of skincare goodness

We’ve been using this CC cream for a couple of years now. And if everyone from strangers on the street to professional make-up artists stops to ask what exactly has made your skin look that good, then you know it’s got to be something special.

What makes this CC cream so great is the subtle micro light-reflecting pigments that illuminate the face, giving a dewy glow that looks fresh, healthy and natural without the use of glitter or highlighter-style shimmer. Hydrolysed collagen, peptides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a handful of vitamins and antioxidants are also included, taking this CC cream into the skincare realm, providing it with great hydration and anti-ageing properties that also work to give your skin a more balanced appearance (and it has a great SPF50 protection too).

It is slightly more pigmented than some of the other options, so be sure to apply with a damp sponge for even coverage.

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Essence magic all in one face cream

Essence magic all in one face cream indybest.jpg
  • Best: Budget buy
  • Number of shades : One
  • Size : 30ml
  • Why we love it
    • Super affordable
    • Adapst skin tone
    • Blurs
    • Hydrates
    • Matte finish

This isn’t strictly a CC cream, but it is an all in one formula which does include CC properties, and at £3.60 it’s a huge steal. This cream adapts to your skin tone before blurring imperfections and hydrating the skin, all while offering a tinted sheer coverage – quite impressive for just one product. At first, the cream comes out a cement grey, but don’t be alarmed. Once worked in (ideally with the fingers) the pigments release, turning into a more natural skin tone match – our tester did find it slightly orange on her very pale skin, but for anyone with a slightly warmer skin tone, this shouldn’t be a problem. Unlike most of our dewy finish options, this one is matte, lightweight and has an SPF10 included.

  1. £3 from Notino.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Chanel CC cream

Chanel CC cream  indybest.jpg
  • Best: For fuller coverage
  • Number of shades : Seven
  • Size : 30ml
  • Why we love it
    • Beautiful packaging
    • Higher coverage without cakiness
    • Moisturising
    • SPF

Chanel is a regular go-to for any luxury beauty lover, and it’s easy to see why. The packaging alone is beautiful, but the actual products deliver great results, and this CC cream is no exception. Not only did it correct colour, but it has a thick and creamy consistency not common among CC creams, which, when combined with the stronger pigment, delivers a higher coverage without the cakiness or cracking often associated with foundations, while still covering dark circles, pores and blemishes.

Hyaluronic acid is a key ingredient for providing moisturising and anti-ageing properties, and murunga plum, rich in vitamin C, works to give the skin a natural glow. It also has an SPF of 50, meaning it works as a great alternative to heavy make-up or foundation in the summer months. Apply with a sponge over fingers for even coverage.

  1. £50 from Chanel.com
Prices may vary
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Clinique superdefense CC cream

Clinique superdefense CC cream indybest.jpg
  • Best: Moisturising CC cream
  • Number of shades: One
  • Size : 40ml
  • Why we love it
    • Lightweight
    • Moisturises
    • Evens red tones
    • SPF
  • Take note
    • Only one shade

Whether you have dry skin or just need an extra boost of hydration in the morning, this CC cream from Clinique does the trick. Lightweight enough to be applied simply with the fingers, as with a regular moisturiser, this CC cream gives a light coverage for a gentle glow that soothes redness and creates a more even skin tone.

Our tester used concealer over the top on any blemishes and under-eye circles, and that was enough to look fresh-faced and glowing within minutes. As with all Clinique products, the science behind it is pretty impressive, with light scattering colour correcting optics neutralising complexion and aloe barbadensis leaf water, hyaluronic acid, trehalose and sorbitol all working to hydrate the skin and protect it against humidity. It also contains SPF30 for some everyday sun protection – of course, we would recommend adding a higher factor sunscreen spray on top in the summer. But, if going out and about, we would put this in place of our morning moisturiser. Who doesn’t love reducing their morning routine?

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Erborian CC red correct

Erborian CC red correct indybest.jpg
  • Best: For redness
  • Number of shades : One
  • Size : 45ml
  • Why we love it
    • Great for red toned skin
    • Moisturises and plumps skin
  • Take note
    • Only one shade

Korean skincare brand Erborian may not be a brand you’ve already heard of, but it is starting to make subtle waves in the beauty community. This CC cream is tailored towards reducing redness, meaning it uses a high amount of green pigments to colour correct, which then adjusts to your skin tone. Glycerin, tiger grass extract and vitamin E deeply moisturise and plump the skin, giving long-lasting hydration and soothing qualities. For anyone looking to subtly reduce redness, this is a great option, and it also works well under foundation, smoothing and blurring the skin in preparation for fuller coverage. It has an SPF of 25, and for anyone looking to try the brand that isn’t in need of any redness combatting, the regular CC cream is just as great (£41, Lookfantastic.com).

  1. £41 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Kiko Milano skin trainer CC blur

Kiko Milano skin trainer CC blur indybest.jpg
  • Best: For blurring pores
  • Number of shades : Four- Light, medium, neutral and dark
  • Size : 30ml
  • Why we love it
    • Reduces appearance of pores
    • Velvety texture
    • Smells great too

Skin trainer is a strange name for a CC cream, or any beauty product to be honest, and although this product won’t teach your skin how to do tricks, it does reduce the appearance of pores a lot. With a velvety texture that has just a hint of colour, this is the best CC cream to use under foundation for a flawless skin texture. It blurs imperfections, spreads the light across the face for an instant glow and smooths out pores for a glass-like finish. Interestingly, it has a great smell too, so if you like to give your products a good sniff, then you won’t be disappointed. Apply with fingers over the face, focusing on any areas with visible pores, such as the nose and cheeks.

  1. £19 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Morphe hint hint skin tint

Morphe hint hint skin tint indybest.jpg
  • Best: For foundation lovers
  • Number of shades: 20
  • Size: 30ml
  • Why we love it
    • Great selection of shades
    • Light and not cakey despite higher coverage
    • Subtly evens skin tone
    • Lasts all day

Anyone looking to work their way down from full foundation coverage to a barely-there au naturel look should make this Morphe skin tint their first port of call. Similar to a foundation in consistency, packaging and application (with a damp sponge), it’s lighter in texture, doesn’t cake or crease too much and has just enough coverage to subtly even out skin tone. It’s not exactly a colour corrector, as there are no colour combating pigments that work to neutralise any red, blue or purple, but it is a great option for those after an in-between of a CC cream and foundation. Water, sweat and transfer-resistant, it lasts all day and melts into the skin beautifully. And in 20 shades, there’s more variety than most CC creams.

  1. £16 from Morphe.com
Prices may vary
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CC cream FAQs

What is CC cream?

CC cream stands for colour correcting cream, it helps skin battle imperfections- particularly skin tone issues such as redness or hyperpigmentation. It is also closer to a skincare product than other makeups, usually hosting a whole bunch of moisturising, blemish-fighting and sun-protecting properties. These properties, and the fact that they are usually more lightweight and have less coverage than regular foundations, make CC creams a great summertime makeup swap.

How do you use CC cream?

Many people looking for a lighter alternative to foundation may want to use CC cream as a replacement. If you prefer more coverage, you may choose to use CC cream as a primer before applying foundation. While many CC creams come with built-in SPFs and moisturising benefits, we would advise still using additional moisturiser and an SPF spray over the top as many do not have a very high level of the sun-battling ingredient.

The verdict: CC creams

We’re truly in love with the It Cosmetics CC cream, and while there were a great number of steady rivals, none quite gave the same illuminated, flawless finish. But, if we had to pick a very close second, then Chanel or Clinique would win a silver medal.

For those looking to add a base for foundation, Kiko Milano is hard to beat, and anyone on a tight budget won’t be disappointed with Essence.

To stay hydrated and glowing, read our review of the best foundations for mature skin

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