How To Create A Flawless Face Using Alphabet Creams

Korean skincare brands have set the bar high for creating a flawless face in little or no time at all. BB, CC and now DD creams have been causing a stir in Korea for quite some time. Now East meets West with the alphabet cream buzz having expanded from Korea, to the States and all around the world. It started at BB, but just what IS the BB in BB cream and why should we buy into it? Remember to take our personalised beauty quiz so that we can help find you the right products!

The BB cream as we know it stands for blemish balm although you may hear it referred to as a beauty balm too. Dermatologist Christine Schrammek developed the first BB cream in 1950s Germany for patients that had undergone skin peels and facials making it the original product for colour correction. The cream was designed to soothe the skin and hide redness with its tinted colour.

A few decades later, beauty balms moved to the forefront of Korean skincare brands and became any Korean celebrity’s holy grail for a flawless face. As always, once the States heard about the craze, they wanted in. Major brands caught on and quickly created BB creams in several shades so we can all benefit from their wonders.

We are starting to wonder if the answer to 'What is the BB in BB cream?' should be 'Brilliant Buy' instead. Like the beautifying lovechild of a great foundation and multi-functional skin care product, BB creams are innovative because they serve as a moisturiser, primer, sun protectant, foundation and anti-ageing cream all in one - a total time saver! Not to mention cost efficient. Because the climate in Korea can become particularly humid, the dewiness a tinted moisturiser provides is not ideal. With lazy summer days ahead, there could not be a better time for you to start investing in this revolutionary product which prevents shine. We think the only sticky thing that should be around this time of year should be ice cream..

Then there are CC creams. These are also known as complexion/colour correction creams, which are designed to target uneven skin tones and are less general than a beauty balm. Redness, dark spots or dull skin? A CC cream may be just what you need. For heavier coverage than a BB cream and a feel that is more lightweight, a colour correction cream is a militant approach to a flawless face. Use it alone or as a primer.

Next up are your DD creams. These were originally announced as daily defence products, which were to be specifically very heavy duty body and feet creams. Instead, they were launched as dynamic do-all creams with a stronger focus on anti-ageing than its sister creams. Over time, the application of DD cream supposedly helps with fine lines and wrinkles while providing colour correction too. As DD creams are relatively new, these claims remain to be seen.

So we have broken down the difference between BB, CC and DD creams so that choosing the right alphabet cream should be as easy as B, C, D. We recommend you make a little extra room for one or more of these alphabet creams for certain days, but do not necessarily ditch your usual products all together.