BB creams are now an increasingly common category of products at the intersection of makeup and skincare – credited with their creation is the Korean beauty industry, where light coverage products with skincare properties are very common. Few people know, however, that the world’s first BB cream was developed just across our western border, in Germany, back in 1967 by Dr Schrammek.
Dermatologist Christine Schrammek, PhD, formulated the Blemish Balm cream at her clinic in response to the needs of her clients, who wanted concealing products to deal with redness, blemishes or uneven skin tone, but at the same time to be gentle and nourishing enough to use after in-office treatments (especially after the Green Peel procedure, also created by Dr. Schrammek). At the time, there were no such solutions on the market, and combining makeup with skin care was an innovation. It wasn’t until a few decades later that the BB cream trend made its way to Korea, and became very popular there.
What is a BB cream? The acronym can be expanded in many ways – Beauty Balm, Blemish Balm, etc. However, the simplest definition is really just a lightly coverage product with skin care properties, usually calming. Dr. Schrammek’s creams focus on this very aspect – the ingredients like panthenol, minerals and soothing botanicals are known from many pharmacy products for regeneration – and offer effective color correction of redness. There’s even a Snow version without pigment to be used at night.
Indeed, I’ve seen their effects on myself – I’ve used both versions of Dr. Schrammek’s BB cream (the original Blemish Balm and Perfect Beauty Fluid), not only on my own post-treatment reddened skin, but also on my friend’s sunburned face – they did a good job of color-correcting redness, on top of reducing irritation.
I can’t pick a firm favorite, because they behave similarly on my skin, but on warm days I prefer the slightly lighter original Blemish Balm. The Perfect Beauty Fluid version, on the other hand, offers a bit more coverage. Both are best applied with my fingers, gently patting in, but a sponge will do the job too. Due to the fact that the formula has been virtually unchanged for more than 50 years, it’s a bit thicker than currently fashionable BB creams – worth keeping in mind – but it’s not a problem. You can also use them as spot concealers, or as a colour correcting treatment under your regular foundation. Very versatile!
In my opinion, when choosing a product, it is best to be guided by the shades, which differ between versions. You can also mix them easily, even between different versions – the lightest shade is Ivory from the Perfect Beauty Balm version, the deepest is Blemish Balm’s Dark Brown, and my most matching shade is Light Blemish Balm which I can mix, for example, with a small Blemish Balm in the shade Honey for darkening. Honey is also my main color after self-tanner. You can see swatches of each shade on Dr. Schrammek’s website.
This post is a part of a paid partnership – sponsored by Dr Schrammek.
