Thanks to those “Koreanovelas” and the rising popularity of Korean skincare products, BB Creams now have a huge following across Asia.

Their popularity owes to their skin-rejuvenating properties and natural-looking skin coverage.

Originally formulated in Germany, BB Cream or Blemish Balm is a cream-based cosmetic item. Due to its key ingredients that conceal blemishes and repair and rejuvenate skin, it was initially used by dermatologists to help laser-surgery patients protect, soothe and refine highly sensitive skin while providing light coverage for post-laser scars, acne and other blemishes.

The widest variety available is found at Watson’s Beauty nationwide.

Skincare benefit: The great thing about BB cream is that it is not just a tinted moisturizer, it is also a treatment with anti-inflammatory properties that soothe irritation, reverse damage due to age, sun and environment, and protect against the sun with SPF. Yes, that means it aids in skin whitening/brightening as well.

Beauty Wise: It acts as a light to medium coverage foundation and concealer to blur imperfections. It’s also a skin-tone corrector for those with a lot of redness and sickly, deep yellow undertones, so skin will look perfectly even-toned in its brightness and natural instead of chalky or pasty.

Minuses

The downsides of BB cream are:

1. If you have a tendency toward oily skin, you will shine in no time. Watson’s Pure Beauty has come up with a Whitening Powder Foundation with SPF 40 for retouch and oil control, which should work with BB cream to help you achieve lighter, even-toned skin faster.

2. Most BB Creams have a very strong pink tone which looks ashy on tanned skin. Lancome’s BB Base SPF 50 has a mauve tint that neutralizes deep browns and yellows but is most expensive at P2,950.

Watson’s BB Creams include:

1. Pure Beauty Jasmine water SPF 30 (P299)—It provides a seven-in-one effect, such as whitening, wrinkle repair, UV-blocking function, intensive moisturizing; skin-elasticity booster, and excellent coverage for skin imperfections.

2. Pure Beauty Soothing BB Cream (P199)—Best for red, sensitive skin, as well as for skin irritations. It’s really an antiseptic with natural botanical ingredients that help aid in good skin tone, repair damaged skin and supply nutrients to the skin.

3. Purederm Magic BB Cream with Skin Conditioning (P699) has whitening, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits. It also provides richer moisturizing for more mature skin.

4. Gluta and Placenta BB Cream by Glorious Skin (P169)—It comes pretty close to a matte finish, so it is okay for oily skin and boasts of having two potent whitening ingredients that provide the user with a no-makeup effect. Meant to be used as foundation, it has whitening properties but lacks SPF, so an SPF Powder like Etude House SPF 50 or Pure Beauty’s Powder Foundation SPF 40 is recommended.

5. TonyMoly Phytoncide BB Cream (P1,158)—Concentrates on pore minimizing, whitening and anti-aging.

6. Dream Girl Faith BB Cream (P194)—Made for teens as a one-stop foundation, concealer and soothing moisturizer.