Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
I don’t need to tell you that it’s been absolutely sweltering lately. If you’re anything like me, you’ll also prefer going makeup-free in the sunshine, it’s time to perfect a facial-tanning routine that’ll mean you’re never without a glow. Facial tanners can feel somewhat intimidating: If you miss a patch on your body, it’s easily concealed, but a patchy tan on your face is much more difficult to disguise. But facial tanners (and self-tanners in general) have come a long way from the stinky, orange concoctions of our youth. Now, you can get odorless — or even rather pleasant smelling — options that will absorb into your skin seamlessly and leave you with a natural-looking, fresh-from-vacation glow.
If you’re curious about what the best facial tanners are, you’re in luck. I’ve used my years of expertise (both as a beauty writer and someone who self-tans weekly, all year round) along with reaching out to tanning and skin-care experts to find the best types of facial tanners at every budget. Before we get into recommendations, a quick note on shade range: Whereas self-tanners often come in a range of shades to suit your skin tone, facial-tanners tend to be far more customizable. Usually, the darker your desired tan, the more product you need to use. And speaking of self-tanners, you can read my guide to the best, as well as our guide to bronze-y body makeup, to help make your glow really sing.
Self-tanners are now available in every form you can think of. For facial-tanners, the most popular forms tend to be lotions and drops. The one you pick will come down to personal preference. I like an oily drop that I can mix in with my own moisturizer, but you might prefer a lighter lotion that won’t feel heavy on the skin. Either way, I’ve noted the format that each tan comes in below.
As comparing prices is a little trickier when formats range so widely (is an oil pricier than a lotion?), I’ve noted precisely how much product you’re getting per dollar amount below. On the several I’ve tested myself, I’ve also highlighted how long a bottle will last me before I need to restock — including the one product that lasts me a whole summer, even when I reach for it two to three times per week.
Format: Lotion | Price point: $4 per ounce
If you’ve read my guide to self-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 columnist Rio 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. And despite the price, they were recommended to me by three tanning experts, as well as Paris 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 your moisturizer anyway, 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 obviously faux, 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, but Joelle 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 our Beauty 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 have acne-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 my moisturizer at 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 time Susannah 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 a very sparing amount to 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 in my self-tanners piece are 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 the sensitive, acne-prone, or drier 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.
• Joelle Dyson, an actor and singer
• Paris Hilton, DJ and TV personality
• Sabrina Johnson, a spray-tan stylist based in Los Angeles
• Susannah Taylor, beauty editor and columnist
• Rio Viera-Newton, beauty columnist
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
link