The blemish balm cream, commonly known as bb cream, has been a cult favorite in other Asian countries particularly Korea, Singapore and Taiwan (reviews here). If my research’s right, I think it originated in Korea and has been carried out by several brands including BRTC, Misscha, TFS and Skinfood to name a few. Many have claimed that this so-called miraculous cream does wonders on their skin, making it clear, supple and youthfully glowing.
Since I drool over Korean porcelain skin a lot, I’ve managed to grab one as soon as possible. I scoured Korean brands available here in the local market like The Face Shop and Skinfood but to no avail. Skinfood, however, told me that this new product of theirs would be launched soon and they’d contact me as soon as it’s available. So, I waited for the Skinfood SA’s text until last Saturday, she told me that the product has arrived and is now ready for purchase!
I was so giddy, I immediately ran to SM Megamall after work. And, finally, I got ahold of this precious Skinfood Ginkgo BB Cream! Skinfood is tad pricier than TFS, but what the heck, it’s still relatively cheaper compared to MAC.

So, I shelled out about PHP 1,150 for this baby. I got myself some freebies like the black sesame hot mask (which is worth the love[!]), 2 pcs of veggie moisturizer and a cutesy minibag. Due to my exhilaration and undue excitement, I immediately tested it the day after.
The consistency is like your regular liquid foundation although it works more as a base (or tinted moisturizer perhaps) due to its sheer color payoff. I noticed its creamy consistency as I apply it. It’s kinda comparable to your ordinary pearl cream. Anyways, my skin looks smooth and glowing after the application! It’s soo nicey! But, after a while, my skin gets oily na so I use a blot paper and MAC Blot powder to ward off the greasiness.
So, I have a super duper oily skin and I can’t say that I’m gonna recommend it those who have the same skin type as mine plus the zits. Skinfood BB Cream contains natural, herbal ingredients such as green tea, ginkgo leaf, vitamin B and lecithin which have nutritional benefits to the skin. It claims to correct skin tone and turn it into a healthy and radiantly looking one. It’s suitable for all skin types. But, the word moisturizing may alarm some since a person like me who possesses a cursed, oily skin type may find it too much for my overreacting sebaceous glands to handle. But, I am so insistent to use this regularly. I think the herbal extracts helps my skin look healthier, not dull or livid. I pair this up with Smashbox Anti-shine as a primer before slathering the bb cream to control my skin from getting oily in a jiffy.
I’ve already used it for 3-4 days or so, and so far, I didn’t notice any major breakout. My skin looks okay. Pores are much less noticeable than before (although, admittedly, they are still visible if you take a deep look at it ). I’m beginning to convince myself that this is truly a holy grail product. heh heh.
#1 by euni on October 28, 2007 - 3:19 am
oh, i love The Skin Food! I bought the black sugar mask from them and it does wonders. But I’ve never seen their products sold in new york so I’m gonna have to wait until one of my friends visit korea.
I think BB creams were first made in germany, but they became widely popular in Korea first.
#2 by roanne on October 30, 2007 - 9:11 am
hi euni!
Oh, yeah, I saw this particular German brands w/c’s a BB cream.
I guess I hafta research for that.
#3 by kt on December 7, 2007 - 3:51 pm
are u using shade 1 or 2? im tempted to try this but idk which shade to get.. cuz i heard shade 1 is really really light, then i also heard that its for yellow undertones and the other shade is more pinkish
so im confused!
#4 by roanne on December 10, 2007 - 11:47 am
Hi kt!
I think it’s #1.
It suits my skin tone well. I’m NC30 in MAC.
#5 by isha on January 1, 2008 - 11:15 pm
recently bought the same thing last week. really nice prod huh? but i was actually gonna buy the aloe variant, which was not available. after 3 months pa daw? it has spf and is better in controlling oil, according to people from cozycot. bought mine at trinoma,sabi ng SA after 3 months pa daw dating ng aloe. anyway, i got #2, although i have yellow undertones. di ko kasi nabasa kagad na #1 for yellow undertones, but #2 suits me well naman. since it blends on my skin naman
try the lime secret base, really nice too..gives a shimmery effect,nice
#6 by roanne on January 2, 2008 - 10:20 am
Oh, I haven’t checked cozycot for a while but the aloe variant sounds promising.
Haha, the lime secret base smells good as well. I didn’t get it though coz I’m using Val’s Satin Sun to give the shimmery oomph I want.
#7 by isha on January 2, 2008 - 12:14 pm
yes, it does sound promising.. the lime secret base that i got was the white one. the SA told me the other one (the beige bottle) suits tanned skin more. so i opted for the white one
have you tried the rice concealer? nice coverage and is easily blendable. nakakaloka naman price ng skinfood dito pinas, pero ang c-cute kasi ng packaging.
#8 by ciana on December 26, 2008 - 12:59 pm
hii(:
i was wondering if you have any reviews on BRTC bb cream
#9 by roanne on December 26, 2008 - 11:51 pm
Hi Ciana.
You can view more of BB Cream Reviews on Cozycot.com’s forum.
#10 by Ran on March 1, 2009 - 3:30 pm
i love bb creams! so good. i tried missha and skin food so far. i like skin food better. i have the aloe shade #1. (i’m nc25) i like the smell. people told me i was weird for liking! i dont know why. anyway it was 15-16 dallors + free shipping on http://www.skintouchx.cc.cc cheapest site i seen so far. a bit late on the shipping though. took 2weeks and 2days? but it could’ve been because of valentines and all.
#11 by roanne on March 2, 2009 - 3:50 pm
Hi Ran. Thanks for the link. Hmm… where are you located anyway? If you’re from the Philippines, you could easily get one from Skinfood at major malls within the metro, instead of waiting and paying extra for shipping fee.
#12 by kimi on July 29, 2009 - 7:31 pm
P1150? how big is that?
i saw some at multiply that sell at around 750-800 only. anywaay, have you tried other bb cream lines? i heard the mushroom something is better.
#13 by roanne on August 1, 2009 - 9:32 am
I believe skinfood has only one size. No, I haven’t tried others yet.
I’m actually amid exploring other brands such as BRTC and Missha.
#14 by evelyn on August 16, 2009 - 1:55 pm
i have been using BB cream for more than a year, everytime i go to korea, i make sure that i bought supplies, it made my skin look better and clearer, i love the smell too, i tried all, missha, face shop and its skin, but i love best is the etude, it smells good too and in korea it is not that expensive,
#15 by roanne on August 18, 2009 - 12:48 am
Hi evelyn. I believe so!
BB creams are really much cheaper in Korea. Glad your skin loves it!
#16 by gugoo01 on December 7, 2009 - 2:44 am
hi roanne.. r u still using skinfood bb cream? did it really improve ur skin??? thanks..:) planning to buy skinfood products
coz garnier doesn’t work for me…
#17 by roanne on December 8, 2009 - 10:13 pm
Hi Gugoo. I’m not religiously using it now. Well, it improves the skin tone as soon as it’s applied–thus, making it look brighter and the pores look less visible. I’m not pretty sure if the effects last, since I wasn’t able to use it for a very long time. But, IMHO, I don’t think it’s a cure of breakouts should you have one. Hope this helps!