Fall in Love with These BB Creams for Mature Skin That Give a Natural Finish (2025)

Lately, have you found that full-coverage foundation tends to settle into fine lines or feel too heavy on your skin? It's enough to give up on foundation entirely—but then you do still want something to even out your skin tone and make your skin appear healthy and radiant. What you need is a BB cream. Also known as beauty balms, BB creams are sheer, easy to apply, and most formulas double as skincare.

We group BB creams into the same category as skin tints, tinted moisturizers, and CC creams—and, as you'll see in this story, we've included some of each because they're all very, very similar. The slight difference between them, if there is any? "Tinted moisturizers are typically the lightest coverage of the bunch and focus more on hydration with a tint of pigment," explains Neil Scibelli, a celebrity makeup artist based in New York City. BB creams typically have more coverage and contain skincare benefits beyond hydration. "A BB cream can replace foundation, especially if you're looking for a lightweight formula or a multitasker," says celeb makeup artist Erica Taylor. It's an ideal choice for summertime, when we all prefer something lightweight and easy. CC creams, which stand for “correct and cover,” tend to have the most coverage since their mission is to cover things up (they also have skincare to help treat things like dark spots). "CC creams are great for someone looking to neutralize redness or hyperpigmentation," Scibelli says.

What to consider when choosing a BB cream

What makes BB creams particularly great for mature skin is that they have skincare and hydration built in, says Taylor. This makes them less likely to sink into or pile up on texture like wrinkles, scars, and rough skin. And their light coverage looks natural. "Keep an eye out for ingredients that help plump and hydrate the skin, such as hyaluronic acid, squalane, ceramides, and peptides," Taylor says. "I would avoid mattifying or blurring ingredients like silicones, which tend to be drying." Ahead, we've tested and gathered expert-approved BB creams that are the perfect fit for mature skin types.

The experts:

• Neil Scibelli, a celebrity makeup artist based in New York City
• Erica Taylor, a celebrity makeup artist

Consider this is the OG of lightweight skin tints. Technically, it's called a tinted moisturizer, but it's worth mentioning because this formula "really made lightweight moisturizing makeup mainstream," says Taylor. And it's still a top favorite. It comes in 20 shades, has sheer coverage, and contains macadamia and kukui seed oils to hydrate and tamarind seed extract for antioxidant protection. Oh, did we also mention it has SPF?

While you might associate Anastasia Beverly Hills with all things brows (she is Oprah's go-to, after all), the brand recently expanded into complexion with its latest beauty balm stick. It's a travel-friendly and easy-to-apply option infused with hydrating skincare to give a radiant-looking complexion. It contains hyaluronic acid microspheres, peptides, fatty acids, coconut oil, shea butter, marula oil, and jojoba seed oil, but it isn't greasy or heavy. It's weightless and smooths onto the skin effortlessly, delivering sheer to light coverage.

If you don't like the feeling of makeup sitting on your face, you'll love this gel cream. It's light and refreshing and offers a smooth and natural finish. Scibelli loves it for its nourishing ingredients: "It's packed with hydrating ingredients, like sodium PCA, but it also has collagen-supporting copper peptides in it, so it works great for mature skin." Shop it in 24 shades with cool, warm, neutral, and olive undertones.

"I love this SPF option, which acts as a BB cream and comes in four tinted shades," says Scibelli. While many mineral-based sunscreens can get chalky, these blend into the skin nicely and have skin-blurring effects, he explains. You also get double protection from the sun's rays and other environmental aggressors thanks to vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects skin.

Scibelli and Taylor are big fans of this formula, which comes in 20 shades. It offers the benefits of makeup, skincare, and SPF all in one. The vegan formula contains hydrating hyaluronic acid to plump, olive-derived squalane to moisturize, and mineral-based sunscreen to protect against sun damage. The finish is dewy, perfect for those who love a glow.

This affordable drugstore pick comes out white, but as you work it into the skin, you'll burst tiny beads of sheer pigment. "It's lightweight, hydrating, and contains brightening antioxidants, like vitamin C," says Taylor, who is a L'Oréal Paris makeup artist. It comes in two flexible shades, fair and deep, that you can use to prime, correct, or even out skin.

As we get older, skin can sometimes begin to look dull or sullen. Get back to that lit-from-within, dewy-dumpling, healthy-looking radiance with this BB cream. Available in 14 shades, it has medium coverage to help conceal the look of discoloration, redness, and uneven tone. It also contains sunflower seed oil to hydrate, grapefruit extract to brighten and minimize the look of large pores, and apple extract, which gently exfoliates the skin to unveil a radiant complexion.

This K-beauty staple has gone viral for its ability to effectively and effortlessly cover up uneven skin tone and texture. It has a light but buildable coverage with a velvety matte finish that isn't uncomfortable or too drying, thanks to ginseng, an ingredient known for its soothing and moisturizing benefits. It's great for all skin types, but those with oily or acne-prone skin will appreciate its long-lasting staying powers and non-shiny finish.

While technically a CC cream, this multifunctional formula deserves a spot on this list and in your routine. You can customize the coverage to your liking: You can make one pump spread over your entire face, offering light coverage, or do a few pumps for a more foundation-like finish. Taylor loves it for mature skin because it's hydrating and gives a soft glow. It contains plumping hyaluronic acid, soothing green tea extract, and brightening niacinamide.

Our beauty team is dedicated to finding you the best of the best formulas. We spoke with professional makeup artists to learn about what to look for in a BB cream for mature skin and got their go-to recommendations. We also researched and tested top-rated and brand-new formulas that hit the market to help you find the best products out there.