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You’ve seen the reviews. Cult favourite, dermatologist-recommended, perfect for mature skin—at least on paper. But I’ve tested the it Cosmetics CC Cream through humid days, dry winter patches, and rushed mornings… and let’s just say, it wasn’t the skin-loving experience I’d hoped for.
In this blog post, I’ll talk about what went wrong, how it performs on my mature and combination skin, and whether this really lives up to its claims—or just its marketing.
What the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+ claims
Color-correction meets skin-loving hydration and protection in this CC cream. Diffuse skin imperfections with a full-coverage foundation that won’t crease or crack. It’s truly your one step for instant complexion perfection!
Facts about the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+
Prize and size
One tube contains 32 ml and is available for 47 € on the website here. The tube comes with a pump and a holographic glittery packaging.
Right now there are 30 shades available, ranging from very fair to very deep, something that was apparently worse when they launched. My store only carried around a third of the available colors, the rest could only be ordered online, which might be a problem if you want to get color matched.
I wear the shade Light, which is a good match for my skin, but leaning on the lighter side.
Texture and smell
Now I don’t know why I had the misconception that this would be a medium to light coverage foundation. I mean, it literally says “Full Coverage Cream” on the label. Still I somehow expected a lightweight texture and was surprised by the substance this has when pumped on the back of your hand. There is a noticeable fresh and citrussy scent I didn’t find unpleasant.
How to best apply the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+
As always with base products I tried different methods of application: Fingers, sponge and a variety of brushes. Let’s rank them from worst to best, so you don’t waste your time:
Fingers did not work for me at all, despite it being the method I am the most familiar with. When I started wearing makeup, there were no fancy brushes or Beautyblenders available to us, applying foundation with your fingers was the way to go. Yes, it is messy, but it also has some advantages – you have control over the amount of pressure, the warmth of your hands will help the foundation blend in with your skin, it is actually something I still quite like. With the it Cosmetics CC Cream though it didn’t work at all, my fingers seemed to just push the product around, when I touched an area I had already applied a layer to it would lift off again, so no matter how hard I tried, the result always looked patchy, with quite heavy coverage in some areas an none in others.
Sponge, in my case a Beautyblender knock off from my drugstore that I find works just as well, was better in terms of giving me a lighter coverage, but had the same issue with sometimes lifting off product in areas where I had previously applied it. That could be avoided when being very careful, but still required more effort than I like in the mornings.
From the brushes I have tried a dense foundation brush worked best. I don’t own the one it Cosmetics sells to go with their foundations, but have some that are shaped similar and really worked best for applying it, giving me an even, but quite opaque coverage.
Coverage of the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+
I touched on it before – I expected a light to medium coverage, which this absolutely isn’t. It is what it says on the tube, full on coverage that hides every blemish and patch of hyperpigmentation I have. When applied with a damp beautyblender you can bring it down a little, allowing some skin features to shine through, but as mentioned before was trickier to apply.
Now I don’t wear full coverage on a daily basis anymore, especially as with this one I feel like you can see that I am wearing a layer of foundation if I don’t go back in with contour and blush to bring some shape to the face. That is an effort I usually reserve for big events, not something I am willing to do on a daily basis. Absolutely personal preference though, if you want full coverage, you will certainly get it here.
Weartime of the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+
My main problem with this product though is that I simply can’t get it to last a decent amount of time. While it looks good directly after application, it starts breaking down around my nouse and mouth within the first two hours, something that gets even more noticeable through the high coverage it has.
And that is on a good skin day. If I had dry patches, something that might happen now that I am older during the winter months, it would immediately cling to them and emphasize their texture.
After four hours, the breaking down will have spread to my whole face, with the CC Cream looking crusty and patchy everywhere. I have tried different products underneath as well as setting it with powder, but the result was always more or less the same.
For reference, my skin is combination with a t-zone prone to oiliness during the summer months and prone to dryness around nose and mouth due to my Tretinoin in winter, so it might work differently for you. I also didn’t test it with a dedicated primer as I don’t use them, just with my sunscreens underneath that I use with every other foundation in my stash as well.
Ingredients of the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+
aox|h, Aluminum Hydroxide emo|h|vc, Magnesium Sulfate vc, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate emu, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2–3, Cyclohexasiloxane emo|solv, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer vc, Hexyl Laurate emo, Calcium Stearate col|vc, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Ethyl Hexanediol solv, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Limonene 
perf|solv, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil perf, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1–2, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Phenoxyethanol pres, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil perf, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Adenosine cci, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil perf, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil surf|perf, Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil, Linalool perf, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil perf|amic, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0, Citral perf, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Hyaluronic Acid sii|h, Colloidal Oatmeal so|aox|emo|abrasive/scrub, Hydrolyzed Collagen emo|h, Steareth-20 emu|surf 1 2, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate aox|pres, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract aox|so, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract perf, Chlorhexidine Digluconate amic|pres, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Silk Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk h, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Potassium Sorbate pres, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 cci, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 cci, Citric Acid buff, BiotinHover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
As the alleged skin beneficial ingredients are one of the main selling points here, let’s take a closer look – despite me thinking that your really shouldn’t rely on your foundation for that.
The first thing I want to talk about is the SPF 50+, which will be provided by different ingredients depending on which shade you get according to their website. The lighter shades (Fair, Fair Warm, Fair Ivory, Fair Porcelain, Fair Beige, Fair Light, Light, Light Neutral, Light Cool, Light Medium, Light Medium Warm, Medium, Medium Tan, Neutral Medium, Medium Cool, Tan Warm, Tan, Neutral Tan, Tan Rich, Rich, Rich Honey) use a mixture of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide for that.
The deeper shades (Tan Cool, Neutral Rich, Rich Cool, Deep, Deep Honey, Neutral Deep, Deep Bronze Deep Mocha, Deep Cool) don’t use Zinc Oxide, and Titanium Dioxide only in a much lower concentration, but Homosalate, Octisalate and Octocrylene instead, presumably to prevent white cast. (More info: The difference between organic and anorganic sunscreen filters)
And while both will provide the claimed SPF , I don’t think you will get it in real life. The amount you would need to use is much higher than the amount of product you’ll need for a cosmetically pleasing result – I use one to one and a half pumps at max, but would probably need four to five to reach the SPF levels. That would look awful for sure, so don’t rely on it for your sun protection.
Other than that there is Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid as humectant, Niacinamide for its many skin beneficial effects, Snail Secretion filtrate, Green Tea Extract and Colloidal Oatmeal for their alleged skin benefits and then two peptides, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tertapeptide-7, both part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex. (More info: The benefits of Hyaluronic Acid in skincare explained, The benefits of Niacinamide in skincare explained, The benefits of Snail Mucin in skincare explained, The benefits of Green Tea in skincare explained, The benefits of Colloidal Oatmeal in skincare explained and The benefits of Peptides in skincare explained)
There are also a ton of other plant extracts including different citrus essential oils that might irritate those with sensitivities.
More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skincare products
Does it live up to its claims?
Some.
It surely is a full coverage base, but the „doesn’t crease or crack“ part? Not true for me.
How does it compare to…
Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer
This was the first tinted moisturizer I tried. Now before you come at me: I know a tinted moisturizer isn’t a CC Cream isn’t a BB Cream. At least not in marketing. But in what I expect they are similar: Lightweight coverage, hydration and skin beneficial ingredients. No matter what you call it. Laura Mercier was everything I looked for: Absolute lightweight, but with amazing staying power, smoothing over texture and even fading. None of the patchiness I experienced with the it Cosmetics version. Why I don’t use it anymore? Good question. I probably got distracted trying shiny new releases and the memory of how much I liked it faded. Until I revisited my old review for this post…
You can read my full review of the Laure Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer here
Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the it Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50+ to?
The it Cosmetics CC Cream does not work for me. Yes, the coverage is higher than I expected, which is totally my fault as it says full coverage on the tube and it really delivers on that, but my main issue is the quite heavy feeling it has on my skin and its tendency to break down starting at the two hour mark and being completely gone (and not in an atttractive fading way, more in a patchy and crusty way) at four hours. That might be due to my skin type, but neither when my skin was more oily in summer nor when my skin was leaning dry in winter there was improvement, making me wonder which skin type it is supposed to work for.
And if you want it for the sun protection or the skin beneficial ingredients – I wouldn’t rely on it as source of SPF as the amount you would need to use is much higher than what you’ll end up using, and while it has surely a great list of ingredients if you are fine wit the addition f several plant extracts and citrus essential oils, I personally would not look to my makeup for that.
As it is well loved though, I am curious to hear if your experience with the product was different to mine?
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