We Tested Every Form of Facial Self Tanner: Lotions, Drops, Oils, Water, and Mists

Whatwe’relookingfor

Format:Lotion| Price point:$4 per ounce

If you’ve read my guide toself-tanners, you’ll know I’ve crowned Tan-Luxe’s illuminating drops as my favorite facial tanner before. That’s because, firstly, it’s a wonderful self-tanner. It develops gradually (as the name suggests), so the results aren’t too shocking or dramatic. Instead, over time, it gives a subtle,natural-looking glow. That makes it a great pick for beginners, agrees our resident beauty columnistRio Viera-Newton: “Whether you’re new to self-tanning or are just seeking the most natural-looking tan possible, this is perfect,” she says. But what really crowns it as my favorite facial tanner is how kind it is to the skin. “It’s basically skin care with tanner in it,” says Sabrina Johnson, a spray-tan stylist based in Los Angeles. The tanner contains moisturizing ingredients like raspberry-seed oil, vitamin E, and aloe vera and has an oil-cream consistency that doesn’t dry out the skin. So not only will skin look healthy, it will feel nourished, too. I’d recommend reapplication every two to three days to keep your glow topped up.

Format:Drops| Price:$40 per ounce

Yes, these drops are pricey. But it’s worth noting that with drops, you use far less product than you would with a lotion, as drops are mixed in with a lotion that you already own before they’re applied to your face I think I’ve had my bottle of Tan-Luxe drops for about six months now, and it’s still going strong. And despite the price, they were recommended to me by three tanning experts, as well asParis Hilton. “I’ve always loved tanning,” says Hilton. “I’ve found with Tan-Luxe, all of the products give me this beautiful golden tan.”

After Hilton’s endorsement, I decided to try them for myself. The drops are a particularly oily consistency, and in the bottle, they’re a very strong shade of blood orange. This didn’t put me off, though, as you have to mix them in with yourmoisturizeranyway, so by the time the consistency is ready, it’s not so alarming. I used between three and four drops, and the next morning, my face had such a distinct healthy glow I knew that all the praise I’d heard about the drops were earned. Some drops have a borderline orange tinge that looks quite obviouslyfaux, but these drops have a real natural finish (and blended in well with my fresh layer of dark Bondi Sands — which I never apply to my face).

Both Hilton and I are naturally fairer-skinned, butJoelle Dyson, an actor and singer who has a darker skin tone, also told me that they’re her go-to. “Having the flexibility to customize the finish is so useful, and it always fades evenly,” she says. Not only are the drops customizable, they’re also forgiving. “I get a bit slapdash with it, but it still looks beautiful,” Dyson says. “As long as you wash your hands immediately after applying, there is no staining, so you don’t need a mitt or any tools.”

After trying them myself, the drops have earned their place both here and in ourBeauty 100.

Format:Drops| Price:$33 per ounce

These (slightly less-expensive) drops are my facial tanner of choice after years of trialing and testing. I prefer drops over any other format of facial tanner, as I haveacne-prone skin, so I appreciate that I can just combine them with my existing skin-care routine instead of adding a new unknown lotion into the mix. I also like how customizable they are: The more drops the darker the tan. I apply three or four drops to mymoisturizerat least twice a week and find that a bottle will last me three months (a whole summer!). They also leave a very natural-looking glow, one that doesn’t look like I’ve applied makeup but have spent a very healthy afternoon out in the sunshine gardening. Make sure you wash your hands after applying, though — or you’ll be left with some tell-tale bronzed “gloves” that won’t budge for a few days.

Format:Oil drops| Price:$72 per ounce

Every timeSusannah Taylor, beauty editor and columnist, adds this Clarins tan booster to her moisturizer, she says people compliment her. “It gives a really smooth, radiant glow and slightly evens out your skin at the same time.” Again, this Clarins oil is pricey, but it operates very similarly to the Tan-Luxe drops — meaning you only need avery sparing amountto get to your desired tan. “It’s one of those products that you can apply in the morning and forget about, but when you see yourself in the mirror midmorning, you look much better than you did when you left for work,” says Taylor. For the price, you’re also getting a noncomedogenic formula which is packed with aloe vera — meaning it shouldn’t break you out and instead will leave your skin feeling hydrated, even for skin that’s on the sensitive side.

Format:Mousse| Price:$4 per ounce

It is worth noting that all of the self-tanners inmy self-tanners pieceare suitable for use on the face — including Bondi Sands, which I ranked my favorite self-tanner of them all. You might want to consider a targeted facial tanner if your skin is on thesensitive,acne-prone, ordrier side, but if you know that a regular self-tanner works with your skin, this is the one that I’d recommend. The mousse is fast to dry but doesn’t dry out the skin itself. It also doesn’t have that off-putting fake-tan smell that you’ll find among so many mousses. As it fades, it does so uniformly, so you won’t be left with any patchy bits on your cheeks or forehead, and the glow it leaves is sun-kissed, and not at all artificial looking. The brand also has a shade range to suit any skin tone. “Its products tend to be really dark, so they work for dark skin,” says Johnson, who notes that the brand’s self-tanner colors have a green or neutral undertone, which helps with looking natural on many shades of skin.

Format:Serum |Price: $14 per ounce

Technocolor is the newest range from Bondi Sands; it’s a line of tans that have been specifically formulated with undertones in mind. An undertone is a tan’s base shade, whichprevents the tan from appearing orange. There are four base shades: red, brown, violet, and green. For example, those with paler skin should opt for a tan with a violet/sapphire undertone to avoid orange tones. While tan ranges with different undertones are common in body tanners, I rarely ever see them in a face tanner, which is why I found this new release so interesting. Being pale-skinned, I tried the sapphire one, and it’s simply great! It leaves no orange tones whatsoever, instead giving you a very natural-looking tan (not quite “fresh from vacation,” but definitely “spent a long sunny day in the garden”). It’s also a serum, so kind of halfway between drops and a lotion (hence the price); you don’t mix it in with a moisturizer, but you also don’t need to be too overzealous with it. For those with darker or olive-toned skin, there are three other shades available.

Format:Water |Price: $12 per ounce

Tanning waters, a newer category in self-tanners, fascinate me. They look and feel like water. This one from St. Tropez is an ultralight mist that contains hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and green mandarin water. Spritz three to five pumps on skin — no blending required. In four to eight hours, skin looks naturally sun-kissed. I like to mist it on clean skin (you can spritz over moisturizer for a more gradual glow) before bed so I wake up with bronzy skin. The first time I used it, my teen noticed my warmer skin tone and asked if I got a professional spray tan.

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