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Some CC creams are just glorified tinted moisturisers, but we found the ones whose ingredients really do work over time to improve the skin's condition, while also transforming complexions instantly to blend away redness, pigmentation and signs of tiredness.
From Bourjois good value 123 Perfect to Bobbi Brown's version with SPF 35, we've tried them all so you don't have to.
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Show all 10 10 best CC creams No7 Youthful CC Cream The sheer, barely-there coverage from No7 creates an evened-out complexion, while the SPF 15 ensures you're protecting against further ageing and skin damage. Clinical results show that the appearance of fine lines are reduced in just 4 weeks – quite a claim, but I noticed a definite improvement in just a couple of weeks.
£14.50 for 40ml, boots.com
10 best CC creams Ole Henriksen Perfect Truth CC Creme A hard-working vitamin C-packed multi-tasker, this reduces discolouration and fine lines, and brightens and minimises pores, all while boosting collagen. It has a very sheer texture, but instantly illuminates and improves radiance and clarity over time. Most CC creams smell faintly of foundation, so this one sold me on its zesty citrus scent.
£29 for 30ml, lookfantastic.com
10 best CC creams Soap and Glory Make Yourself Youthful CC Superfluid This puts your complexion into soft focus mode. Anti-oxidant vitamin C and SPF 15 ensure it's caring long term for your skin too. Founder Marcia Kilgore honed her skincare expertise giving facials to the A-list (Uma, Demi and Madonna were all on her table), so when creating Soap & Glory she wanted high-end products at high street prices. As Kilgore says: “I implemented every last iota of my complexion chemistry savvy to ensure Soap & Glory customers get the most bang for their beauty budget.”
£14 for 30ml, boots.com
10 best CC creams Bobbi Brown CC Cream SPF 35 Available in three nude shades from pale to dark, each one contains colour correcting pigments to neutralise redness and sallowness, light diffusers to blur away imperfections and enhance radiance, and SPF 35 to protect skin from further damage. My olive toned skin can look sallow and slightly grey when I'm tired (yes, that would be most of the time!), and this sorts it out in a flash.
£29 for 40ml, bobbibrown.co.uk
10 best CC creams Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream Three colour corrective pigments in this cream combat the main areas of complexion imperfections; anti-fatigue apricot counteracts grey under the eyes and around the mouth, green for areas of redness, and white for dark spots or hyper-pigmentation. I especially like this one for being so lightweight, but super hydrating and with an SPF 15 too. Comes in four easy-to-blend shades.
£9.99 for 30ml, boots.com
10 best CC creams MAC Prep + Prime CC Creme This brand new CC cream doesn't come in your usual skin tone shades. Instead, you decide on your skin issue and go for one of the three solutions. “Adjust” is a peachy beige that creates flawless barely-there make-up, “Neutralize”is pale yellow and combats redness, “Illuminate”'s sheer lavender tone brightens dull skin, and apricot “Recharge” adds warmth to darker or olive skin tones. All four even, brighten and protect the skin with SPF 30. But if you prefer a powder product, they all come in a loose and pressed powder too. Genius.
£23 for 30ml, maccosmetics.co.uk
10 best CC creams Olay Total Effects 7 in one CC Cream Seven beauty treats in one suits-all corrector that works instantly and over time: brightening, nourishing, exfoliating, pore refining, tone enhancing, line minimising and subtle firming. I think that pretty much covers all possible complexion imperfections.
£14.99 for 50ml, boots.com
10 best CC creams Cover FX CC Cream Time Release Tinted Treatment Available in a whopping 12 shades and including a built-in primer and SPF 30, this is great when time isn't on your side, as it creates a glowing flawless base immediately ready for a quick slick of mascara and gloss. And the best bit? The anti-ageing ingredients are on time release – so your skin is continuously being treated for eight hours.
£35 for 30ml, harveynichols.com
10 best CC creams L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique CC Cream Colour Correcting Beautifier Anti-Dullness Possibly the longest product name ever invented, so no explanation needed, except that this does exactly what it says on the tube! It's ever so slightly mauve, which means it neutralises dull, yellow skin tones. Just like purple shampoos knock out brassiness from highlights and give you zingy, clean blonde, this creates a fresh dewy glow and even skin texture. It combines SPF 12 with 24 hour hydration and is keenly priced. Ticks all my boxes.
£9.99 for 30ml, boots.com
10 best CC creams Origins Smarty Plants CC Skin Complexion Corrector If you're prone to combination complexion problems, this one's for you. It minimises oil and visibly shrinks pores, while smoothing away fine lines, hydrating, colour correcting and boosting radiance. Origins pulls out all the stops when it comes to skincare technology; their new 'intuitive delivery system' releases age-fighting antioxidants from Green Tea and vitamins C and E, when the skin is exposed to pollution, ozone and UV.
£28 for 40ml, origins.co.uk
Verdict
I was sold on the lightweight texture and subtle zesty scent in Ole Henriksen's Perfect Truth, which transformed my skin as soon as I applied it and definitely improved it in just two weeks. If like me, you're not so keen on a liquid base, you'll love MAC Prep & Prime CC as it's also available in a loose and pressed powder formulation. Soap & Glory's Superfluid gets great results at a competitive price.
Buy now
1. No7 Youthful CC Cream, £14.50 for 40ml
2. Ole Henriksen Perfect Truth CC Creme, £29 for 30ml
3. Soap and Glory Make Yourself Youthful CC Superfluid, £14 for 30ml
4. Bobbi Brown CC Cream SPF 35, £29 for 40ml
5. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, £9.99 for 30ml
6. MAC Prep + Prime CC Creme, £23 for 30ml
7. Olay Total Effects 7 in one CC Cream, £14.99 for 50ml
8. Cover FX CC Cream Time Release Tinted Treatment, £35 for 30ml
9. L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique CC Cream Colour Correcting Beautifier Anti-Dullness, £9.99 for 30ml
10. Origins Smarty Plants CC Skin Complexion Corrector, £28 for 40ml
