IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream: My Honest Review From 22 Years at the Makeup Counter

I spent twenty-two years behind a department-store cosmetics counter in Charlotte, and I left in 2022 with a bathroom shelf full of half-used foundations. The IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream SPF 50+ is one of the few complexion products I bought with my own money after I stopped working the counter. I have used it since May 2025, most mornings I leave the house. This is the honest version: what it does, what it does not do, and the parts nobody at the counter tells you before you take it home.

I did not buy it because a brand representative told me to. I bought it because of a photograph. At Simone's birthday dinner in April 2025, I saw myself in close-up and my old full-coverage foundation looked cakey and settled into every line. I had worn that counter-era foundation for years. The IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream was the first thing I ordered to replace it, and I ordered Medium from the listing shade guide on the first try. I have never bought another shade.

How I've Used It

My morning routine starts about seven. I wash with a plain gentle cleanser, put on a few drops of vitamin C serum, wait a minute, then use the sunscreen serum as my last skincare step. I wait a few minutes more, then one pump of the CC+ Cream, pressed in with a damp makeup sponge. A little extra goes under my eyes. I do not rely on the CC+ Cream as my only sunscreen. The Neutrogena SPF 60 goes on first every morning, rain or shine.

I have dry skin that is a little sensitive. My cheeks flush with harsh products, and I have fine lines around my eyes and on my forehead. I also have a few sun spots on my cheekbones from years of beach weekends. I am fifty-eight. I am not a dermatologist or an esthetician, and I have never had injections, lasers, or peels. When I say something looks softer to me, that is all it is: what I see in my own mirror.

I have used the CC+ Cream for eighteen months. I have not tried the newer versions or other shades. I bought it on Amazon, one tube at a time. I keep it on the wide shelf in the main bathroom, and I have traveled with it only once, for a beach weekend with Raymond in July 2026. That is the whole history. No samples, no gifts, no brand sent it to me.

What Nobody Tells You About the Pump

The first thing I would tell a friend is that one pump is the whole story. The listing says to apply one to two pumps for full coverage. On my face, one pump covers the redness on my cheeks and the sun spots on my cheekbones, and a second pump makes me look like I am wearing a mask. If you have dry skin, start with one. If you have a lot of surface to cover, build in thin layers instead of pumping twice.

The second thing is the wait. This is a cream, and it takes a few minutes to set. If I put it on and immediately start moving around, it can look streaky. I give it three or four minutes, then I do my eyebrows and brush my teeth. By the time I am done, it has settled. It also helps to wait after the sunscreen serum. If I rush the CC+ Cream on too soon, the two can pill, and then I have to start over.

The tube is 6.3 inches, so it is not a tiny purse item. I keep it on the shelf at home and only take it in a weekend bag. It has a pump, which I like because I can see exactly how much I am using. A little goes further than I expected. I have used it for months, and I still have not learned to stop at one pump every single time.

The Ingredients I Can Actually Point To

The listing says the formula has hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin E, plus SPF 50+. It calls itself a color corrector, moisturizer, primer, anti-aging serum, and sunscreen in one. I am careful with that last phrase. It is makeup with skincare ingredients. It is not a treatment, and I do not expect it to change the texture of my skin. I wear it because it looks good on my dry skin, not because I think it is doing the work of my vitamin C or my retinol.

The listing says hyaluronic acid is there to minimize the look of fine lines and niacinamide to minimize the look of pores. I can only tell you what I see. My forehead lines still show when I raise my eyebrows. The lines around my eyes look softer to me in photos than they did with my old foundation. That could be the cream, the sunscreen, the vitamin C, the night cream, or the retinol. I cannot prove which product did what, and neither can a makeup counter.

The SPF 50+ is real, and I am glad it is there. But I do not treat it as my only sunscreen. Dr. Okafor told me at my March 2025 skin check to wear sunscreen every single day, and I do. The sunscreen serum goes on first, then the CC+ Cream. If I am outside for hours, I reapply the sunscreen. The CC+ Cream is not a replacement for that habit. It is a nice second layer on a morning I am going out. At my March 2026 check she said my skin looked healthy and to keep wearing sunscreen.

What It Does Well on Dry, Sensitive Skin

My cheeks are the test. They flush with harsh products, and some foundations make them sting by the end of the day. The IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream does not sting on me. It feels like a cream going on, not a liquid that dries down tight. I can wear it for a dinner out and not want to wash my face the minute I get home. That is a low bar, but it is the bar I use.

It covers what I want covered. The redness on my cheeks is less obvious. The sun spots on my cheekbones are still there, but they are softer under the cream. I still need a little extra under my eyes, and I tap it on with my ring finger. I do not expect it to hide everything. I am fifty-eight, and I have lines. The goal is to look like myself on a good day, not like a filtered photograph.

The finish is natural on me, not flat. My skin looks like skin, only more even. I have worn it to Simone's Christmas visit in 2025, and those were the first photos in years that I liked. I am not saying the cream did that on its own. I had been using sunscreen since April 2025, vitamin C since June 2025, and the night cream since October 2025. But the makeup was the thing I changed in May, and it was the thing that stopped settling into the lines around my eyes.

Where It Fights Back

More than one pump looks heavy on me. That is the main thing. I have done two pumps on a rushed morning, and by lunch I could see it sitting on my skin. If you like a very full coverage look, you may disagree. On my dry skin, one pump is enough. I would rather build a second thin layer on a spot than pump twice over my whole face.

It takes a few minutes to set, and it can cling to a dry patch if I have not moisturized well. In the winter, I use the CeraVe Night Cream at night and a lighter moisturizer in the morning. If I skip the morning moisturizer, the CC+ Cream can look a little rough around my nose. That is not the cream's fault. It is my skin asking for water.

The tube is not a handbag item for me. It is 6.3 inches, and I am not carrying that in a small purse. I also would not call it transfer-proof. I have pressed my phone to my ear and seen a little on the screen. It is a cream, not a long-wear liquid foundation. If you need something that survives a long, hot day without a touch-up, this may not be the one. I would still take it to dinner, but I would not take it to an August wedding and expect it to look the same at midnight.

The Comparison People Ask About

People ask how it compares to Estee Lauder Double Wear. I have never used Double Wear. I never sold it, sampled it, or bought it. I can only read the listings. Double Wear is described as a long-wear liquid foundation. The IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream is described as a full-coverage cream with SPF 50+ and skincare ingredients. Those are different jobs. If you want a traditional long-wear foundation, Double Wear may be the better fit. If you want a cream that feels comfortable on dry skin and has sunscreen in it, the CC+ Cream is the one I know.

I also get asked about a lighter base. I have a separate piece on why a light foundation can work better on mature skin, and the short version is that heavy coverage often settles into lines. The CC+ Cream is not a light foundation. It is full coverage. But one pump, pressed in with a damp sponge, gives me a lighter result than the label might suggest. That is the trick I would hand to a friend.

I have not tried the other shades or the newer formulas. I cannot tell you if Medium will match you. I can tell you the listing shade guide matched me on the first order, and I have stayed with it. If you are between shades, I would order from a place with a return policy you understand, and I would patch test on your jaw before you wear it for a whole day.

One pump, a damp sponge, and four minutes to set. More than that and it looks like makeup, not skin.

Who This Is For

This is for you if you have dry or normal skin, you want full coverage without a separate primer, and you like a cream that feels comfortable. It is for you if you are in your fifties or sixties and you are tired of foundations that settle into the lines around your eyes. It is for you if you already wear sunscreen every morning and you want a makeup step that adds a little more protection. It is for you if you are willing to use one pump and give it a few minutes to set.

It is also for you if you are not looking for a treatment. The CC+ Cream is makeup. It will not change your skin. If you want to work on texture or tone, that is a conversation for your dermatologist, and it is a conversation about sunscreen, a gentle cleanser, and maybe a retinol if your doctor says it is fine. I started my retinol in January 2026, slowly, two nights a week. In the second week my nose and chin flaked, so I held at two nights a week through February. In March 2026 I moved to every other night and stayed there. I am not going to tell you to do the same. I am telling you what I did.

Who Should Skip It

Skip it if you want a matte, long-wear foundation that does not move. The CC+ Cream is a cream. It sets, but it is not Double Wear. Skip it if you have very oily skin and you do not like a natural finish. I cannot speak for oily skin because mine is dry, but the listing says it is for combination, dry, normal, oily, and sensitive skin. That is the listing, not my experience. If you are oily and you want a powder finish, I would look at a different product.

Skip it if you will not wear a separate sunscreen. The SPF 50+ is a plus, not a plan. You still need a sunscreen underneath, and you still need to reapply when you are outside. Skip it if you are looking for a product that changes the lines on your face. It does not. It is makeup. I say that plainly because I spent twenty-two years watching women buy a cream because a counter person made it sound like a treatment. I am not going to do that to you.

Skip it if you are not willing to patch test. I patch tested the vitamin C serum on my jaw for three days before I used it on my whole face. I did not patch test the CC+ Cream because I had worn foundation for decades and I knew my skin. That was my choice. If your skin is reactive, patch test on your jaw and wait a day. If you have a spot that is changing, or any skin concern that worries you, see a dermatologist. Do not ask a makeup counter or a blog.