What is the Best Cruelty-Free BB Cream? Top Vegan BB Creams for 2020

BB (beauty balm) creams first took off in Asian beauty markets, but they’ve taken over western markets as well since they made their debut in 2011. As the years have gone on, these creams have become one of the top beauty products in the world, and many people are curious as to what exactly they are, how they improve skin, and importantly, whether any brands are vegan and cruelty-free. 

BB aims to be an all-in-one product that combines sunscreen, moisturizers, tints or foundations, anti-aging creams, and full coverage makeup. A high quality product will indeed cover all of these, making it an excellent choice to invest in; rather than having six or seven beauty products, you can just put on BB cream, apply the rest of your makeup, and head out the door. 

However, if you adhere to a vegan lifestyle, you need to take care to ensure the BB creams you’re investing in are cruelty free. Beauty products in particular are unfortunately well known for being tested on animals, and some ingredients used can be derived from animals. As with many beauty trends, it’s important to conduct research and ensure that you’re indeed investing in the best vegan BB creams. 

Top 5 Vegan BB Creams

Andalou Naturals Perfecting BB Beauty Balm **TOP PICK**5 out of 5 stars
Pacifica Beauty Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream4.8 out of 5 stars
NYX Professional Makeup BB Cream4.7 out of 5 stars
purlisse BB Tinted Moisturizer Cream 4.6 out of 5 stars
Bella Terra Cosmetics Mineral BB Cream 4.5 out of 5 stars

Features to Consider for Vegan BB Creams 

In order to find the best product for you, consider these features: 

  • Whether it’s true BB cream. Many brands loosely label their products as “BB creams” even when they’re nothing more than a tinted moisturizer or primer. A real BB cream will contain ingredients that hydrate and rejuvenate your skin, but also provides buildable coverage that you can wear as a beauty product on its own. 
  • What type of skin you have. There are many different skin types, and understanding your own is essential when it comes to beauty products. The first thing to know is your shade, so you can match it to the product and invest in something that won’t change the color of your skin. This can be difficult, especially if you shop online and can’t simply try out samples to find your match. Often, a product looks different once it’s on your skin than it did in the advertisement or packaging. The best thing to do is to stick with the shade that you’ve traditionally used, or watch YouTubers who try out different colors of the product. The second thing to know is to understand exactly what type of skin you have: normal, dry, oily, or combination. Does your skin tend to be red, and is it sensitive? Understanding what type of product you need will help you invest in the best one, especially if you’re sensitive and need gentle BB creams. 
  • Whether it has the bunny symbol of being cruelty free, and other certification of being vegan. There is a difference between the two: a vegan product means there are no animal products included in the ingredients (like beeswax or carmine), while cruelty free means that the product was not tested on animals whatsoever. To verify your BB cream fits both, look for symbols on the packaging that will confirm: a bunny trademark and big green V.

Keep in mind that your skin type may ultimately determine whether a product works for you or not. For example, people who have dry skin tend to deal with chalky and flaky skin, especially during the winter, and their complexion will be dull or red. In this case, you need a BB cream that combats red patches and is very hydrating; your pores will already be very small, so you don’t need to worry about that. 

If you have oily skin, you’ll be prone to acne and have very large pores, as well as shiny skin. You’ll need different results from your product than people who have dry skin. On top of this, people with combination skin will have both dry and oily symptoms. Determine which type you are first–then think about what kind of BB cream you need. If you have sensitive skin, you’ll especially need to watch out for harsh ingredients like chemicals, and in your case, GMO free, fragrance free, mineralized, and vegan products will be especially beneficial for you. 

The Best Vegan BB Cream List


Andalou Naturals Perfecting BB Beauty Balm 

This beauty balm from Andalou Naturals perfects and softens your face with a natural tint that additionally contains SPF 30. It brightens dull, dry skin to provide a smoother and more ageless look. With ingredients that are sourced from nature, this balm supports healthy, younger-looking, and more even skin. In fact, it’s the first BB cream that’s specifically age-defying by using fruit stem cell science, featuring a super fruit blend that’s certified organic and full of antioxidants. This blend includes apple, grape, sea buckthorn, rosehips, goji, black elderberry, bilberry, bearberry, aronia, and acai to repair and encourage healthy cells. The antioxidants provide revitalizing and reparative support to help diminish and smooth out fine lines for a more youthful look. Each one of the company’s personal care products, such as toners, moisturizers, serums, and creams, use this natural antioxidant defense. Andalou Naturals supports Superior Source Ingredient Standards; all ingredients used are natural, organic, fair trade, sustainable, gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, and cruelty free. You can feel good about using this age-defying, natural BB cream that moisturizes and perfects.

thumbs-up-icon

Pros

  • Uses super fruit blend that provides antioxidants 
  • Fair trade, sustainable, and cruelty free 
  • Age-defying cream that smooths and softens skin for a youthful look 

thumbs-down-icon

Cons

  • Very thick and difficult to spread on skin 
  • Some users had difficulty getting the pump to work


Pacifica Beauty Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream 

Pacifica’s BB Cream is 100% cruelty free and vegan, and functions as an excellent multitasking beauty cream that perfects your skin and illuminates, primes, and hydrates, giving you a soft glow–hence the name. With specialized mineral pigments, this cream uniquely adjusts to your skin tone, so the single shade it’s available in works for many different people. You’ll get a sheer finish and light formula that allows you to either go for a light coverage, or build coverage as you need it. It’s completely free of any ingredients you wouldn’t want on your skin or face, such as phthalates, gluten, animal ingredients, or parabens, and instead is infused with plant stem cells, kelp, hyaluronic acid, and coconut water. Consider this BB cream a moisturizing tint that’s sheer and smooths, with additional benefits to leave a bare skin finish behind. As it adjusts to match your skin tone and you build up to just the right amount of coverage, the cream can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores, and help even out skin tone. Many people use this BB cream in place of several other beauty products, as it’s a true multi-tasker.

thumbs-up-icon

Pros

  • 100% vegan and cruelty free 
  • Minerals automatically adjust to your skin tone so you get the perfect match 
  • Sheer finish that’s buildable and reduces lines and pores 

thumbs-down-icon

Cons

  • Has an odd shimmer to it many users disliked 
  • Has a chalky texture and is difficult to apply smoothly 


NYX Professional Makeup BB Cream 

NYX’s BB Cream provides you with coverage and makeup that’s on a professional level. This cream helps you to perfect the “no makeup” look, and is so sheer that it can help smooth your wrinkles and minimize pores without the need to put on several different products. Many users wore it by itself, but it also works excellent as a primer for foundation. You can also build the BB cream to achieve the perfect coverage you need. Specially formulated with zero oil ingredients, this cream instead is infused with minerals and ginseng root extract to help hydrate your skin and smooth your complexion overall. Worn alone, it brings just a touch of color that’s lightweight and a perfect match for your tone. You can apply it directly to your face, use a beauty blender, or use a brush. Ingredients include hydrolyzed wheat protein, zinc oxide, propylene glycol, ginseng root extract, sodium, benzyl salicylate, phenoxyethanol, and glycerine. Overall, this is perfection in a tube; the BB cream is lightweight yet performs beautifully and not only hydrates, but primes your skin for any other type of product you may need. 

thumbs-up-icon

Pros

  • Can be used alone, but works great as a primer 
  • Features minerals and ginseng root extract instead of oils 
  • Helps achieve a “no makeup” look 

thumbs-down-icon

Cons

  • Not gluten free 
  • Some users felt that the formula was greasy and worsened their lines and wrinkles 


purlisse BB Tinted Moisturizer Cream 

This BB cream from purlisse functions as a tinted moisturizer that helps to even your skin tone and smooth the texture of your skin, no matter what skin type you are. Additionally, it contains SPF 30, and it also functions as a broad spectrum, effective sunscreen that protects you from the sun’s damaging rays. With a beneficial yet gentle formula, this moisturizer that’s non-comedogenic and contains SPF can be used daily. It’s high quality, hypoallergenic, and won’t worsen any symptoms of rosacea like many other BB creams do; its tinting is anti-redness and provides long-lasting coverage. This everyday cream provides coverage that looks completely natural, perfects and improves your skin, and has a flawless finish. It’s easy to see why it’s top rated. You can use it either by itself or underneath foundation if you need extra coverage. With natural antioxidants such as artemisia and soothing chamomile, on top of other safe and pure ingredients, you can feel good about using this BB cream. Sugar maple restores a natural glow, and there are no parabens. Overall, purlisse’s award-winning BB cream is cruelty free, vegan, and all natural.

thumbs-up-icon

Pros

  • Contains antioxidants to smooth skin and sugar maple to restore glow 
  • Award winning and top rated 
  • Contains SPF 30 and protects your skin from the sun effectively 

thumbs-down-icon

Cons

  • Product tends to dry out quickly 
  • Difficult to get the correct shade 


Bella Terra Cosmetics Mineral BB Cream 

This mineral beauty cream from Bella Terra is 3-in-1: it’s a tinted moisturizer, mineral makeup foundation, and sunscreen with natural SPF. Perfect for any skin tones from light to dark, this cream is easy to build up so you get the coverage you need, and it’s hypoallergenic. It allows you to blend away any blemishes so you can erase fine lines, dark circles, scars, and acne. If you’re looking for something that lasts all day, is great for all skin types, contains natural mineral ingredients, and is lightweight yet moisturizing, this BB cream is the one for you. It provides a youthful, fresh glow and is very gentle. The natural mineral ingredients are 100% pure and include magnesium, zinc, mica, and hydroxatone. There are no parabens, preservatives, additives, talc, or toxic chemicals, and you won’t be left with an oily, heavy, or cakey feel. On top of all this, you’ll get SPF 15 and protection from both UVB and UVA light. Only high quality, pure ingredients and minerals are used so the overall health of your skin is improved and you get a dewy, perfect complexion. Hypoallergenic and fragrance free, this cream is absolutely not tested on animals and is made here in the USA.

thumbs-up-icon

Pros

  • 3-in-1 beauty product 
  • Contains natural mineral ingredients 
  • Includes SPF 15 so your skin is protected from the sun 

thumbs-down-icon

Cons

  • Is a thick cream 
  • Some user’s faces felt oddly tight when they used this product 


Conclusion & What is the Best Vegan BB Cream

If you’re looking for an all-in-one beauty product that truly hydrates and perfects, invest in BB creams that are cruelty free and vegan. First, figure out your skin tone and type so you can find a product that matches your needs, and make sure, especially if you adhere to a vegan lifestyle, that you invest in a product that shows symbols on its packaging that it is indeed vegan and cruelty free. In the end, it can be easy to find your perfect BB cream, and keep in mind that everyone is different. As long as you conduct research and are careful, you’ll be able to find an excellent product to invest in. Be sure to check out one of our favorites, Andalou Naturals (CHECK BEST PRICE HERE).