Best CC cream 2022: Conceal, colour correct and reduce redness

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

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, and for anyone after a less dewy look, the regular IT Cosmetics your skin but better CC cream is exactly the same formula minus the shimmer (£33, Lookfantastic.com).

Best: For fuller coverage

Rating: 9/10

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.

Best: For moisturising

Rating: 9/10

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?

Best: For redness

Rating: 9/10

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 (£39.50, Lookfantastic.com).

Best: Budget buy

Rating: 7/10

This isn’t strictly a CC cream, but it is an all in one formula which does include CC properties, and at £3.95 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.

Best: For blurring pores

Rating: 9/10

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.

Best: Subtle glow

Rating: 8/10

This CC cream has only grown in popularity since it launched, and since testing it, we understand the hype. It’s definitely a less-is-more kind of product – upon application, its stark peachy orange colour is a bit surprising, but it doesn’t take long for it to fade to a subtle shimmery glow once blended with the fingers. With a matte finish that works to reduce shine while moisturising, it’s incredibly subtle, taking any pastiness away from the skin, reducing pores and blurring imperfections at the same time. Our tester did add some concealer over the top to really cover any blemishes and under-eye bags, but it’s a great light base to start with, and it has an SPF protection of 20, plus a high UVA rating of PA+++ for easy everyday wear.

Best: For older skin

Rating: 9/10

Sitting in between a CC cream and a foundation, this lightweight medium coverage skin tint is packed with skincare ingredients working to improve skin quality from the inside out, while also providing a layer of coverage on the outside. Ingredients such as avocado and borage seed oils moisturise, while vitamin E works to reduce UV damage, a key component in premature ageing of the skin. After one application with the sponge for a more even coverage, fine lines were reduced and the skin looked healthy, dewy and radiant while still natural at the same time.

Best: For foundation lovers

Rating: 8/10

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.

Best: Two-in-one

Rating: 8/10

Olay is a household brand that we’ve all probably tried at least once or at least spotted in your mum’s bathroom cabinet. But, there’s often a reason why certain brands stand the test of time, and Olay has garnered a lot of attention from this CC cream.

Combining a moisturiser serum with a sheer foundation, giving it the signature swirl pattern, the hydrating formula works in three phases. Phase one protects from UVA and UVB rays with a broad spectrum SPF, phase two provides an anti-ageing serum, and phase three evens skin tone with a sheer foundation. And while it instantly minimises the appearance of dark spots and imperfections, ​​it actually works to even skin tone over time and reduces fine lines and wrinkles thanks to a cocktail of core ingredients. For a lighter coverage with similar ingredients, take a look at the Olay total effects 7in1 CC face cream (£14.99, Superdrug.com).