Garnier Skinactive BB Cream Spf 15
49/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Garnier SkinActive BB Cream is a tinted moisturizer with SPF 15 from a single older-style filter, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate. It has a matte finish, is lightweight, does not sting, and leaves little to no white cast, and it performs excellently as a makeup base. It is low on pore-clogging risk. With weak protection and a score of 49.0/100, it works as a light BB cream but is not a substitute for a dedicated sunscreen.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Weak
10
- +17.1 Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate at #7, UV filter
- ×0.6 Almost no UVA1, poor aging protection
☢️
Health safety
High
64
- +100 Starting score
- −36 Octinoxate at #7 (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Low
70
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −12 6 declared fragrance allergens
👻
White cast
Low
99
- +100 Starting score
- −2 Titanium Dioxide as pigment (CI 77891) at #36
- +1.4 Tinted formula, pigment masks the cast
🔥
Eye sting
Low
63
- +100 Starting score
- −11 Octinoxate at #7, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −10 Volatile alcohol at #5
- −8 Fragrance
- −8 5 declared fragrance allergens
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
96
- +100 Starting score
- −6 Cetyl Palmitate at #9, wax film
- −1 Hydrogenated Polyisobutene at #13, heavy oil
- +2.8 Volatile alcohol at #5, evaporating texture
- +0.6 Volatile hydrocarbon at #3, flashes off
🍄
Fungal acne
Medium
50
- +100 Starting score
- −50 3 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Cetyl Palmitate, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate)
👕
Fabric stains
Medium
60
- +100 Starting score
- −40 Iron-oxide pigments at #37, makeup-like collar marks (washable)
💧
Moisture
Light
LightNourishing
- ← 13 Volatile alcohol at #5
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Nylon-12)
- ← 9 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 10 Glycerin at #4, the anchor humectant
- → 2 Sodium Hyaluronate at #35, hyaluronic family
✨
Finish
Matte
MatteDewy
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Nylon-12)
- ← 9 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- ← 3 Volatile alcohol at #5
- ← 3 1 dry-touch emollients reduce greasy shine (Isononyl Isononanoate)
💄
Makeup base
Excellent
PillsPrimer
- → 2 Primer-style base, volatile silicones and dimethicone slip
- → 10 Quick-setting carrier (alcohol at #5), fast, even canvas
- → 3 1 soft-focus powders in moderation
- → 3 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- ← 0.5 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate)
- ← 1.5 Humectant syrup tackiness (partly offset by the base)
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
- +4 1 water-locking waxes
Full ingredient list (39)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, ↑ / ↓ give the direction, and ← / → shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
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1 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- matte ← 3 dry-touch emollient, anti-shine
-
Volatile hydrocarbon, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 7 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 7 volatile carrier, flashes off
-
4 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 10 → nourishing the anchor humectant
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Volatile alcohol, a drying solvent that can sting eyes
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 24 feeds malassezia
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Legacy UV filter (Octinoxate)
- ↑ 17.1 UV protection
- ↑ 11 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 6 wax film
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
- ↑ 4 wax water lock
-
10 Nylon-12
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Volatile silicone, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 2 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 2 volatile carrier, flashes off
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 1 heavy oil
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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17 Fragrance
Fragrance
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
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21 Linalool
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
-
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
-
23 Limonene
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
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24 Caffeine
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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27 Geraniol
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Supporting ingredient
-
30 Citral
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Film former, locks the formula onto skin for water resistance
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Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 2 → nourishing hyaluronic family
-
Colorant or pigment
-
37 Ci 77491
Colorant or pigment
- ↑ 40 makeup-like collar marks (washable)
-
38 Ci 77492
Colorant or pigment
-
39 Ci 77499
Colorant or pigment
Does Garnier SkinActive BB Cream leave a white cast?
It generally leaves little to no white cast and has a matte finish. As a tinted BB cream it is designed to blend into the skin.
Is Garnier SkinActive BB Cream good under or as makeup?
Yes, it performs excellently as a makeup base and is low on pore-clogging risk. It is lightweight with a matte finish.
Is the SPF 15 enough for sun protection?
Its protection is rated weak at 49.0/100, since it relies on a single older-style filter at SPF 15. It works as a light BB cream but is not a substitute for a dedicated sunscreen.