La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream in Light Review, Swatches and Photos

La Roche-Posay recently launched their BB cream and I was sent a tube of this brand new product from LR-P to sample and review. 

Here's some background info on the La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream. From the press material:

Need to camouflage redness, calm skin and restore its comfort, freshness and radiance? 

These are all priorities when skin is naturally sensitive – or sensitized by treatments at your dermatologist’s office!

They are also the vocations of Blemish Balm Creams, originally dermatological creams designed for post- laser use. Hydreane BB Cream fulfills these vocations to perfection; specially created for the most delicate and unpredictable skin thanks to its concentration of La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water...

Hydrates for 12 hours

Hydreane BB Cream embodies all the thermal hydration and comfort of the Hydreane range for all sensitive skin types. The La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water is combined with a hydration complex based on glycerine and sodium hyaluronate, vegetal oils (passion flower, apricot kernel, maize, bran, rice) and Shea butter.

Soothes

When you apply Hydreane BB Cream, skin breathes a sigh of relief, regaining its freshness and “calm” thanks to the naturally soothing effects of La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water. It is a pure, soft water thanks to its near-neutral acidity level (pH) and its ideal balance of mineral salts and trace elements which respects the physiological balance of sensitive skin.

Strengthens

Hydreane BB Cream is not just another “BB”: first and foremost, it is a dermatological skincare product. The naturally high selenium content of La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water aids skin’s defense mechanisms against the free radicals that can cause manifold skin deregulations.

Unifies and illuminates

Hydreane BB Cream contains a unique “BB” pigment dosage. The perfect combination of pigments to suit all skin tones, correct imperfections and instantly unify the complexion. Its rich, almost creamy texture melts into skin without ever caking.

LR-P's BB Creams contain their Thermal Spring Water (found in all of their skin care products) which hydrates and soothes sensitive skin. The LR-P press information wants to make it clear that their BB Cream is not makeup, it's skincare. This is in essence what the very first BB Creams intended (the article here gives one of the best historical backgrounds of the BB Cream that I've yet found) although their arrival to North American brands has touted their makeup properties more than their benefits for their skin. LR-P's BB Cream is "100% skincare and 100% makeup".

The La Roche-Posay BB Cream comes in two shades - Light and Medium - will be released in early March and will retail for approximately $29 CDN for 40 mL. 

Unfortunately, having only two shades is very limiting if you have a skintone that does not fall under the "light" and "medium" categories. Of course, as this doesn't have a lot of pigmentation, it will likely fit more skintones than a foundation or even a tinted moisturizer. It's best, if you're interested in this product, to test it before you buy it. 

The tube I was sent was surprisingly small, definitely smaller than other products (my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Vichy BB Cream and Garnier BB Cream) in my makeup kit. But 40 mL is the same volume as all of the others (the Garnier BB Cream has no size on the tube and there's no info on the website) so it's simply the packaging that is the visible difference. 

Here it is in my hand to show the size. With it being this small, it's easy to carry with you during the day or when you travel.

Some packaging photos:

Basic instructions on the back of the tube. The only warning is to avoid the eye area.

I received the Light BB Cream.

And here it is on the back of my hand. To my naked eye, the cream looks quite pink but it didn't come across in these photos. I was a little alarmed to see how pink it was since my skin has a lot of pink undertones and why would I want to add more? I normally wear something that has more yellow to counter the pink of my skin.

The texture is light, cool and refreshing to massage into the skin. The BB Cream is fragranced, which is too bad since it's meant for sensitive skin and fragrance can be irritating to those with allergies. It's not an overpowering fragrance, however, and if you're not bothered by it, you'll be OK.

Here it is partially worked into the skin on the back of my hand. The skin on my hand is more yellow toned and less pink than the skin on my face, so you can see that the BB Cream is slightly darker (on the right side of the photo)

Here it is almost completely worked into the back of my hand. 

And here is it completely worked into the back of my hand. 

To compare, here is the hand with the BB Cream on it and my other hand, which is bare.

Hand with BB Cream applied.

Hand without BB Cream applied.

Clearly, the BB Cream evens out my skintone, fades discolouration (the pink) and adds slight colour. It also gives a healthy, moisturized glow. Quite impressive. 

Here it is applied to my face. I'm not wearing anything else apart from a serum underneath the BB Cream. 

It provides me with some coverage and certainly brightens my skin, making it look smooth and healthy. It feels great on - slightly cool when first applied - and it applies easily. You can use a brush or your fingers to smooth it into the skin.

My skin is oily, so anything with colour that I put on my skin will get sucked up by the oil within a few hours of application. I need to wear a primer to help prevent this but found applying a primer on top of the LR-P BB Cream streaked it a bit. 

I like the way my skin feels with the BB Cream. It definitely makes it feel smooth, soft and hydrated. It keeps my skin feeling great all day and even after I wash my face at night, it feels more hydrated. As an all-day moisturizer, it's very good. I haven't worn it long enough to see a major difference in my skin but in the short time I've worn it, it's been very impressive.

Personally, I need something that has more pigmentation, as I hate layers and layers and layers of product on my face and my skin is quite pink and it's hard to make it match the skin on my neck with is quite fair and yellow-toned. 

If you're looking for a BB Cream that is gentle, soothing, healing and excellent for your skin, this would be a good one to try. If your skin is sensitive and you're OK with fragrance in your skincare, you might want to take a look at this one as well. 

It is on the lower-mid-range price of BB Creams available in Canada and in line with the other LR-P products. It does exactly what it claims to, so there's value in that.

$29 CDN, 40 mL

La Roche-Posay products are available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Plus, Pharma Prix and London Drug stores across Canada. You can use the search function on the La Roche-Posay website (bottom left) to find the nearest location to you. 

Grade: A