Garnier’s Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream: Not So Perfect

The people at Garnier Canada recently sent me a very small sample of their new BB Cream. BB Creams, also known as Beauty Balms or Blemish Balms, work as an all-in-one primer, sunscreen and for many brands, a tinted moisturizer, is the latest import from Asia and first written about at DelectablyChic! back in December. While they’ve been in Asia for several years, they’ve been hitting store shelves in droves since the beginning of 2012. Garnier is just the latest addition.

Sample sent by Garnier

What the BB Cream looks like on my hand

Garnier’s BB Cream promises to correct, protect, even, hydrate and brighten one’s skin with ingredients that include caffeine, mineral pigments and Vitamin C. However, based on the sample I had, it didn’t fulfill those five points. I found the product to be a bit on the watery side and did not cover as well as other BB Creams that I’ve used. As you can see from the images below, I don’t look too different before and after using the product. In fact, it was a bit more watery than a lot of the competition. The shade was okay – I was sent, medium light, blended into my skin, but it was more like a regular moisturizer and sunscreen than a BB Cream. In addition, the SPF level was only 15, significantly lower than many other brands, which often use 25 as standard. Finally, this product only comes in two shades – medium-light and medium-dark. While the product works for me and does a good job adjusting to certain skin tones within range, I can’t help but wonder how it would work people who are very fair or very dark.

Without BB Cream:

With BB Cream (and a bit of lip gloss):

I think Garnier needs to work on improving the product a bit. This is, as far as I can tell, their first entry into colour cosmetics. While many BB Creams come from skincare lines rather than colour lines, most have developed a formula that consists of one shade that works on everyone and definitely something that is more concentrate. There is a good point about Garnier’s BB Cream, however – it lacks the powdery feel that some brands I’ve tried have.

About Cynthia Cheng Mintz

Cynthia Cheng Mintz is the founder and webitor-in-chief of this site and the petite-focused site, Shorty Stories. She has also written for other publications including the Toronto Star and has blogged for The Huffington Post. Her first novel, Aspirations, was published in 2007. Outside of writing, Cynthia researches and advises philanthropic ideas for family funds and foundations and also volunteers.