The one silver-lining of signing on to take Accutane (an oral retinoid pill prescribed to treat acne) was the excuse it gave me to go on a skincare shopping spree.
While on the medication, you need to be very careful with what you put on your skin. It’s not only more reactive and dry but also more sensitive to the sun, making SPF a must. I needed to scrap any products containing harsher ingredients like vitamin c, salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide and get as much hydration and sun protection through my beauty routine as possible.
This inevitably led me to TikTok, where fellow Accutane-takers shared their beauty hauls, and I discovered a go-to product that I’ll keep using long after I’m done with my pills: the M Perfect Cover BB Cream by Korean beauty brand Missha. Even if you’re not on Accutane and you're looking for a moisturizing, medium-to-full-coverage base-layer that’s safe for sensitive skin, this product can give you just that.
MISSHA MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++(50ml)
Pros
Moisturizes and plumps skin- Evens out skin tone
Cons
- Feels tacky when used without powder
How I Used Missha’s TikTok-Famous BB Cream
One thing about me is that I am a BB cream girl. Though I also own Chanel and Dior foundations, I opt for a BB cream pretty much daily because skincare-makeup hybrids tend to be gentler on my face while still providing adequate coverage for my skin. They also feel more accessible and simple for everyday wear compared to a full-blown foundation.
I applied Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream after my moisturizer and sans primer with a foundation brush, though I’m sure a sponge or beauty blender would also work great. It took the tiniest bit of finessing to buff out across the skin, which I didn't mind. However,
I have tried to apply it with my hands, and don’t recommend that method since the cream is a little thick and harder to blend with just your fingers (likely because of the mineral sunscreen). The brand recommends setting the cream with powder. It doesn't take much, and sometimes I set it using a powder brush with just the residue of my Laura Mercier translucent setting powder to lock everything in. Skipping this step left a tacky feeling on my skin, so I recommend it.
Before Missha, Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream was my go-to. I really like both formulas, but Missha’s is thicker, has more coverage, and is more moisturizing whereas Covergirl’s is more lightweight and doesn’t have the same lasting power.
Missha lands somewhere between a BB cream and foundation to me, in a good way. For a BB cream, it provides your skin with a lot of coverage and stays put, which is something I don’t get out of other similar products. It easily covers up any redness or discoloration on my face for a moisturized, glowy look. As I deal with the "purging" phase of Accutane with my skin seeing more blemishes, flakiness, and texture, I really love that this cream smoothes over my imperfections without making them worse.
Before (left) and after (right) using the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream.
Why Missha’s M Perfect Cover BB Cream Is Worth The Buy
The cost of the product is why I ordered it in the first place. At such a low price point, I didn’t have much to lose, I figured. It turns out, though, I had a lot to gain. My Amazon package got delivered right before I headed on a beach vacation, where I’d be spending hours sweating under the sun.
It Evens Out My Skin Tone For All-Day Coverage
Though I also packed another SPF BB cream (that cost about four times the price), I found myself grabbing my Missha tube most days. It was the perfect quick-apply before heading to the beach to balance out my skin and provide additional sun protection over sunscreen. When it was time to get cleaned up and head to dinner, it sat beautifully under a heavier makeup look, even allowing my super dry skin to tolerate my favorite Makeup By Mario powder blush. Whether I applied it casually for the beach or incorporated it into a fuller look, this BB cream impressively outlasted the heat.
It Has SPF
While I also use moisturizer with SPF in it (or, in the case of being directly out in the sun, actual sunscreen), the SPF 42, PA+++ rating for this BB cream gives me an extra sense of safety. Its main sun-protecting ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the two most common physical sunscreen ingredients. “These work by creating a physical barrier on the skin's surface to reflect and scatter UV radiation from the sun as well as absorbing UV,” explains Heather Rogers, MD, a Seattle-based dermatologist. "Both their safety and effectiveness are well-documented," she says. Plus, they’re typically considered to be more gentle on the skin and less likely to cause irritation.
One downside? They tend to leave a white cast behind and may clog pores, according to Dr. Rogers—two things I didn’t notice with this product. What I did notice was that my skin felt totally protected from the sun. I didn't burn or even get a tan, which is a win when you're avoiding the sun at all costs for Accutane.
It's Moisturizing
Missha’s M Perfect Cover BB Cream also has hyaluronic acid, which is where it gets its moisturizing properties from. This buzzy skincare ingredient is super-hydrating, safe to use on various skin types, and even has anti-aging properties.
By the time I got back from vacation with the Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream cemented into my everyday makeup routine, I noticed I was getting a lot of compliments about my skin—and I don’t think it was just the Accutane’s doing. Thanks to this BB cream, my skin felt hydrated and plump.
The Bottom Line: Is Missha’s M Perfect Cover BB Cream Worth It?
Yes, the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream is worth it. It’s a low-stakes buy for a $9 tube that has nearly 1.7 ounces of product. But even if it did cost more, it’d still be worth hitting add to cart. As someone who has been using BB creams for years, Missha’s stands out because of its coverage, how long it lasts, and how gentle it is on skin.
That said, Missha currently offers just seven shades, so it could be hard to find one that works for you. In some cases, you can blend them out if they’re a little too light or dark. (I originally purchased—and got away with—No. 25 warm beige, even though No. 21 light beige ended up being a better fit.) Still, even the deepest shade may not be accessible to many people with darker skin.
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Olivia Luppino
Editorial Assistant
Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health where she covers health and fitness. She previously wrote for The Cut, POPSUGAR, and Salon and has written about everything from New York Fashion Week to dating app trends to the United States Women’s National Soccer team (a.k.a. her heroes). When she isn’t writing, Olivia is likely catching up on Bravo shows or running late to barre class.
