Hot Trend Alert: BB to CC creams

If a year ago I’d mentioned that BB Creams were the next big thing in beauty, I would have been met with blank stares. But at my recent CEW Mentoring talk, BB Creams were the trend people really wanted to know about.

But are BB Creams a trend you should be addressing? Or is it a flash in the pan?

Let’s look at the facts.

BB Creams, or Blemish Balm creams, were cult products first used by South Korean actresses and the trend rapidly spread to Japan then South East Asia before being taken up by cosmetic brands in Europe and the US. They’ve really started to take off in the UK this spring, with launches from many leading brands, including Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Dior and Origins.What’s different about them? Essentially, they are multi-functional skincare products, a little like tinted moisturisers but with more features, such as the ability to cover like a concealer. Women love them because they don’t need to worry about forking out on a complicated skincare regime. Plus there’s the kudos of buying into a premium brand without spending a fortune on multiple products.

BB Creams as a category are still evolving and any company serious about skincare should be adding one to their line-up.

So what’s next after BB Creams? Look to Korea again, and you will find that CC Creams are starting to bubble up. CC is the shortener for Colour Control or Completely Correction, but I’m sure that copywriters are having a field day dreaming up new terms. DD Cream anyone?

BB trend alert:

The one to watch is Lab Series BB Tinted Moisturiser, the first BB Cream to tackle the tricky men’s sector. It’s a shame they’ve called it a tinted moisturiser, because that might scare a lot of men off, but I like the idea that they are introducing colour to men through skincare. And that could be another new trend in the making.

Look out for a future blog where we hope to have an interview with future trends guru, Antoinette van den Berg, who has an uncanny knack of predicting the right trends years before they happen {including men’s cosmetics}.