What I got from The Face Shop’s Oil Free BB Cream

Last Monday, while shopping for a client’s order from The Face Shop (TFS), I chanced upon TFS’s sale rack. Their Clean Face Oil-Free BB Creams were 50% off! A BB Cream for only PHP 150.00 is a hard thing to resist. So I got one!

This BB Cream is supposed to contain Chamomile extract to calm irritated skin. The main ingredient is something that’s codenamed as “Quick n’ Clear Complex” which treats oily skin quicky and effectively.

I was excited to try the BB and thought that if this turned out to be good, well, I’d push this to clients who are in need of oil-control BBs below the PHP 500.00 price range.

So I used this for four days straight, with no change in my skincare regimen. And this is what I have to say:


The only thing I got from TFS’ Oil Free BB Cream is a bad case of breakouts. Okay, so that might be an overstatement. But I have not had a pimple for quite a few months and my skin is far from oily. It's winter here, which means my skin is at its driest and most behaved condition i.e. not much oiliness. So when I suddenly get two, big, cystic pimples three days after using this BB cream I cannot help but curse myself for being such a cheapskate and falling for the 50% discount thing.

Too bad, because, honestly, the coverage is pretty good. It definitely had more coverage than the Lioele Waterdrop Aqua Makeup that I normally use (the Lioele Waterdrop is more like a tinted moisturizer than a foundation/ BB cream). But there is something in the TFS’ formulation that’s making my skin act up. Vitamin E, perhaps? After the two pimples popped, I tried the BB for another day and I noticed that my cheeks were starting to get itchy too so I stopped. Sad, it would have been great if it worked ---Another good BB Cream at an extremely affordable price. But it was not to be ☹

For me at least, this BB does not live up to its promise.

P.S. Do not misunderstand, I am not saying pointblank that TFS Oil-free BB Cream causes pimples. It might work for others, but there is something in it that has triggered my long dormant acne. As is always the case with cosmetics, different strokes for different folks. In my case, this supposedly oil-free BB triggered the oil and acne machine in me and now I have to wait for the two pimples to dry out and be gone :-(