Dr. Jart+ Cicapair color correcting cream review: good for redness, not your only SPF
Updated October 22, 2026
Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment is worth buying if you want a matte green-to-beige cream that tones down the look of redness in one step, alone or under foundation. Don't count on its SPF 22 PA++ label as your only sun protection: wear a separate SPF 30 or higher sunscreen underneath, and skip it if you avoid essential oils, because the ingredient list includes several.
The version we stock is the 50 ml size labeled SPF 22 PA++, at $21.41 at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026. Dr. Jart+'s US website lists a version labeled SPF 30, so check the label on the box you buy rather than relying on a review written about another market's version.
This is a researched review of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested the product; texture and color descriptions are the brand's, and the buying advice comes from comparing the formula, directions, size and price.
What you're buying: formula, size and price
is a tinted complexion cream. Despite "Treatment" in the name, our product page files it under makeup as a CC cream, and that's the most useful way to think about it: a color corrector with skincare ingredients and a modest SPF label. "Tiger grass" is the nickname for centella asiatica, the plant behind the whole Cicapair line.
Dr. Jart+ describes the texture as starting dense, then absorbing easily into a matte, natural-looking finish. The brand gives it three jobs: color-correct the look of redness and uneven tone, wear alone for a natural look, or sit under foundation as a primer.
The first ten ingredients on our page are water, centella asiatica leaf water, isononyl isononanoate (a lightweight emollient), cyclopentasiloxane (a silicone that evaporates and helps it spread), butylene glycol (a humectant that draws in water), dimethicone and phenyl trimethicone (silicones that give slip and a smooth surface), methyl methacrylate crosspolymer (a fine powder associated with soft, matte finishes), beeswax and glycerin. That front half explains the brand's "dense, then matte" description: it is mostly emollients, silicones and powder.
Further down you'll find the skincare side: niacinamide (vitamin B3), panthenol (provitamin B5), and the centella compounds asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and madecassoside, plus centella extract and centella meristem cell culture. The brand doesn't print a percentage for any of them. It says centella helps soothe skin and soften the appearance of redness, while niacinamide adds a brightening role.
Two details matter if your skin is easily irritated. The list includes alcohol, and it includes several essential oils: lavender oil, grapefruit peel oil, rosemary leaf oil, Roman chamomile flower oil (listed as anthemis nobilis) and rosewood oil. That doesn't mean everyone will react to them, but if you already know essential oils or fragrant plant oils bother you, that's a clear reason to pass. The Cicapair moisturizers below are described by the brand as made without synthetic fragrance, and their lists don't include those oils.
At $21.41 for 50 ml, it works out to about $0.43 per ml. A tinted cream is used in a thin layer, so the 50 ml size is a generous amount of color corrector, though the brand doesn't publish how long one lasts.
How does the Dr. Jart color correcting cream turn from green to beige?
It starts green and turns beige as you blend it out, according to Dr. Jart+. The brand's directions make blending the trigger: apply it evenly, then keep blending until the cream changes from green to beige. If it still looks green, the instruction is simply to keep working it in.
The ingredient list shows where both colors come from. Chromium oxide greens is the green pigment, and iron oxides supply the beige-to-brown tones that make up the finished shade. Green is used in color correcting because it sits opposite red on the color wheel, so a thin green layer makes red areas look more neutral before the beige takes over.
What Dr. Jart+ doesn't explain on our product page is the exact technology behind the switch, so we won't guess at it. The practical takeaway is the same either way: dot it on, blend steadily, and judge the color once it has turned.
Does the Dr. Jart color correcting cream have SPF?
Yes. The 50 ml version we stock is labeled SPF 22 PA++. SPF measures protection from UVB, the rays mainly behind sunburn. PA is a rating system for UVA, the rays linked to tanning and long-term sun damage, and it runs from PA+ to PA++++, so PA++ is the second of four grades.
The only UV filters in the list on our page are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, both mineral filters. Our page doesn't print their percentages, so the order they appear in isn't a reliable guide to how much of each is in the formula.
Dr. Jart+'s US website now sells an upgraded version under a different name, Cicapair Soothing Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30, which the brand describes as a creamier reformulation with zinc oxide as its SPF 30 filter. The Tiger Grass version we stock is labeled SPF 22 PA++, so the name, the formula and the SPF label all differ by market. Read the box you receive, and judge your sun protection by that label rather than by a review of the US version.
Can it replace sunscreen?
We wouldn't rely on it as your only sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher for everyday use, and SPF 22 sits below that line.
Amount is the second problem. SPF numbers are measured with a fairly thick layer, roughly a quarter teaspoon for the face. Color correctors are usually blended thin, or only dotted on red areas, so most people won't wear enough of it to reach even the number on the label. Spots you skip, like the hairline or around the eyes, get no coverage at all.
Reapplication is the third. Sunscreen needs topping up through the day, and re-layering a tinted cream every two hours isn't practical.
Does the Dr. Jart color correcting cream cover redness?
It tones redness down rather than hiding it completely, going by the brand's own wording. Dr. Jart+ says it is designed to "visually neutralize redness" and soften its appearance for a natural-looking complexion, and it suggests wearing it under foundation "when you want additional coverage." That's a sheer-to-light corrector, not a full-coverage concealer.
So match your expectations to the kind of redness you have. Visible redness and uneven tone are the brand's stated targets, such as flushed cheeks or pink around the nose. A raised blemish is a texture problem as well as a color one, and a tinted cream can soften the color but won't flatten it; you'll still want a concealer for those.
Dr. Jart+ doesn't publish a coverage rating, a wear time or long-wear claims for this version. If you need your base to last a long day, plan on foundation or powder on top.
Do you apply it before or after moisturizer?
After. Dr. Jart+'s US site lays out its Cicapair routine with the moisturizer at step three and the color correcting treatment at step four, and its own SPF FAQ puts sunscreen after moisturizer and before makeup. The directions on our product page add that it goes on after cleansing and toning, and because it doubles as a primer, it sits where primers usually do, as one of the last steps before makeup. Our recommended morning order is cleanser, toner, moisturizer, sunscreen, then the color corrector, then foundation or concealer if you want more coverage. That keeps sunscreen as the last skincare step, as in our guide on whether sunscreen goes before or after moisturizer.
Give the moisturizer and sunscreen a few minutes to settle before the color corrector goes on, and blend it with light, even strokes so you don't drag the sunscreen layer around.
If your redness comes with tightness and dryness, the Cicapair moisturizers are the natural partners. Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Cream, 50 ml is $27.99. Its list starts with water, dipropylene glycol, cetearyl alcohol, propanediol, an emulsifier, an emollient and butylene glycol, then caprylic/capric triglyceride, shea butter, dicaprylyl ether and niacinamide, with centella asiatica leaf extract, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, asiatic acid, allantoin and palmitoyl tripeptide-8 further down. Dr. Jart+ describes it as silky and moisture-rich with a non-greasy finish, made without synthetic fragrance, for use morning and evening.
If you're oilier, or the cream sounds too rich under a tinted layer, Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Gel Cream, 50 ml is $31.99. It drops the shea butter and puts glycerin near the top of the list, and the brand describes it as a lightweight, non-sticky gel that feels cool on contact. Either one gives the color corrector a smoother surface to blend on.
No. We stock one 50 ml version with no shade options, and the product is built around a single green-to-beige shift. Dr. Jart+ doesn't publish a skin-tone range for it on our product page. A single beige end point can't match every complexion, so if you're very fair or deep, our take is to use it as a thin primer under your own foundation, or only on red areas, rather than as your all-over base.
What is Cicapair used for?
Cicapair is Dr. Jart+'s centella, or tiger grass, line for skin that looks red and feels sensitive. The color correcting cream handles the cosmetic side, toning down the look of redness, while the Cicapair creams and gel cream are everyday moisturizers aimed at comfort and a resilient-looking skin barrier.
Is the Dr. Jart color correcting cream good for sensitive skin?
It's aimed at skin that looks red, but the ingredient list includes alcohol and several essential oils, including lavender, grapefruit peel and rosemary. If those are known triggers for you, pick a fragrance-free base instead. If you're unsure, try it on a small area for a few days before using it all over.
Is it a mineral sunscreen?
The only UV filters on our page's ingredient list are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are mineral filters. Its SPF 22 PA++ label is still too low to rely on alone, so layer it over a dedicated sunscreen.
Can you wear it without foundation?
Yes. Dr. Jart+ says you can wear it alone for a natural look, or use it as a primer before foundation when you want more coverage.
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