Best luxury self-tanner
PRTTY PEAUSHUN
If you’re going to purchase a luxury beauty product, you’ll want to make sure a celeb loves it too. Julianne Hough told Byrdie she’s “obsessed” with the PRTTY PEAUSHUN Skin Tight Body Lotion, saying, “It’s perfect because it’s not too much color — you don’t feel like you’re caking on a big-time self-tanner.” Hough’s red carpet go-to leaves skin feeling super glowy and fresh, then washes off in the shower.
Purchase the PRTTY PEAUSHUN Skin Tight Body Lotion from the brand’s site starting at $48.
Best self-tanner drops
Kohls
The Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops have made quite the splash across Instagram. Beauty and skincare influencers are smitten with these innovative water drops that you can add to your moisturizer, giving you control over how dark you want to go. Hot tip: The gurus say that you can apply a few drops to your face lotion for a natural-looking glow that replaces the need for foundation.
Purchase the Isle of Paradise Medium Self Tanning Drops from Sephora starting at $29.
Best self-tanner for the face
Tan Luxe
To get the best at-home tan results while avoiding pesky breakouts and irritation, you’ll need to use a formula made specifically for your face. In comes TAN-LUXE The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops. This product is both a nourishing face oil and self-tanner in one, which works wonders with most existing skincare routines. You can tailor your bronze by using anywhere from 2–12 drops per application to go from radiant to a deep tan.
Purchase the TAN-LUXE The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops from the brand’s site starting at $49.
Best self-tanner with SPF
Supergoop
Let your tan develop while you safely lie by the pool with the Supergoop Healthy Glow Sunless Tan with SPF 40. Simply apply to both your body and face, let dry, then wait 2–4 hours for the color to develop. Wait at least an hour to swim, and after that, the SPF maintains water resistance for 80 minutes. Reviewers love the smell and the fact that they can skip the rinsing step that’s necessary with many other self-tanners.
Purchase the Healthy Glow Sunless Tan SPF 40 from the Supergoop website starting at $38.
Best self-tanner facial serum
Coola
Coola is the green beauty brand that pioneered the concept of marrying sunscreen with skincare. The company now has a range of products that do the same thing but with self-tanners — basically a skincare lover’s dream. The Coola Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum uses a beet-derived DHA for a gradually built glow and has innovative Plant Stem Cell Cultures to help reduce signs of premature aging.
Purchase the Coola Organic Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum from their website starting at $54.
Best self-tanning wipes
Tan Towel
Whether you need a travel-friendly self-tanner for your next vacation or you just like cute individually wrapped beauty products, The Tan Towel Self-Tan Towelettes are the perfect pick. This product reaches the top of “best of” lists over and over for its easy-to-use design and beautifully natural-looking color. Reviewers love that the formula goes on clear and that there’s no mess, but don’t forget that still means you must wash your hands to avoid dark palms.
Purchase the Tan Towel Self-Tan Towelettes from their website starting at $29.
Best self-tanning mist
James Read
If misting is your preferred self-tanning method, then you’ll love the James Read Coconut Water Tan Mist. The best thing about a mist is that it dries almost instantly, so you can spritz it on before getting dressed and go about your day while the full color develops over the next few hours. The base of this formula is coconut water, which is natural, hydrating, and smells delish.
Purchase the James Read Coconut Water Tan Mist Body from eskinstore starting at $27.
15 Best Self-Tanners To Buy In 2022
Beauty Stock/Shutterstock
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Spring is just around the corner, and as we emerge from hibernation, so does our bare skin. Your legs and arms will finally be free of chunky jackets and sweaters and exposed for the world to see. But before you panic, just recall the miracle product that gives skin a sun-kissed glow, hides imperfections, and moisturizes, all without the risk of UV damage. That’s right, self-tanner is your springtime lifesaver.
Gone are the days of orange-hued at-home tans. The formulas available in 2022 look just like the real thing and feature benefits like SPF, Vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid. The secret ingredient to the sunless glow is all thanks to dihydroxyacetone or DHA. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you apply self-tanner, DHA works by reacting with dead skin cells on the surface of your body. Because DHA can cling to dry patches, it’s essential to exfoliate before application. Are you a bronzed babe at heart or do you prefer to start your tan low and slow? Either way, there’s a self-tanner out there for you. We’ve compiled our 15 favorite sunless tanners, so you won’t need to be afraid to show some skin this spring.
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Gone are the days of orange-hued at-home tans. The formulas available in 2022 look just like the real thing and feature benefits like SPF, Vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid. The secret ingredient to the sunless glow is all thanks to dihydroxyacetone or DHA. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you apply self-tanner, DHA works by reacting with dead skin cells on the surface of your body. Because DHA can cling to dry patches, it’s essential to exfoliate before application.
Are you a bronzed babe at heart or do you prefer to start your tan low and slow? Either way, there’s a self-tanner out there for you. We’ve compiled our 15 favorite sunless tanners, so you won’t need to be afraid to show some skin this spring.
How we selected self-tanners
Stock video footage/Shutterstock
Best overall self-tanner
St. Tropez
Best luxury self-tanner
PRTTY PEAUSHUN
If you’re going to purchase a luxury beauty product, you’ll want to make sure a celeb loves it too. Julianne Hough told Byrdie she’s “obsessed” with the PRTTY PEAUSHUN Skin Tight Body Lotion, saying, “It’s perfect because it’s not too much color — you don’t feel like you’re caking on a big-time self-tanner.” Hough’s red carpet go-to leaves skin feeling super glowy and fresh, then washes off in the shower.
Purchase the PRTTY PEAUSHUN Skin Tight Body Lotion from the brand’s site starting at $48.
Purchase the PRTTY PEAUSHUN Skin Tight Body Lotion from the brand’s site starting at $48.
Best value self-tanner
Best drugstore self-tanner
Best self-tanner drops
Kohls
The Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops have made quite the splash across Instagram. Beauty and skincare influencers are smitten with these innovative water drops that you can add to your moisturizer, giving you control over how dark you want to go. Hot tip: The gurus say that you can apply a few drops to your face lotion for a natural-looking glow that replaces the need for foundation.
Purchase the Isle of Paradise Medium Self Tanning Drops from Sephora starting at $29.
Purchase the Isle of Paradise Medium Self Tanning Drops from Sephora starting at $29.
Best moisturizing self-tanner
Best gradual self-tanner
Best self-tanner for the face
Tan Luxe
To get the best at-home tan results while avoiding pesky breakouts and irritation, you’ll need to use a formula made specifically for your face. In comes TAN-LUXE The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops. This product is both a nourishing face oil and self-tanner in one, which works wonders with most existing skincare routines. You can tailor your bronze by using anywhere from 2–12 drops per application to go from radiant to a deep tan.
Purchase the TAN-LUXE The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops from the brand’s site starting at $49.
Purchase the TAN-LUXE The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops from the brand’s site starting at $49.
Best self-tanner with SPF
Supergoop
Let your tan develop while you safely lie by the pool with the Supergoop Healthy Glow Sunless Tan with SPF 40. Simply apply to both your body and face, let dry, then wait 2–4 hours for the color to develop. Wait at least an hour to swim, and after that, the SPF maintains water resistance for 80 minutes. Reviewers love the smell and the fact that they can skip the rinsing step that’s necessary with many other self-tanners.
Purchase the Healthy Glow Sunless Tan SPF 40 from the Supergoop website starting at $38.
Purchase the Healthy Glow Sunless Tan SPF 40 from the Supergoop website starting at $38.
The best natural self-tanner
Best self-tanner facial serum
Coola
Coola is the green beauty brand that pioneered the concept of marrying sunscreen with skincare. The company now has a range of products that do the same thing but with self-tanners — basically a skincare lover’s dream. The Coola Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum uses a beet-derived DHA for a gradually built glow and has innovative Plant Stem Cell Cultures to help reduce signs of premature aging.
Purchase the Coola Organic Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum from their website starting at $54.
Purchase the Coola Organic Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum from their website starting at $54.
Best self-tanning wipes
Tan Towel
Whether you need a travel-friendly self-tanner for your next vacation or you just like cute individually wrapped beauty products, The Tan Towel Self-Tan Towelettes are the perfect pick. This product reaches the top of “best of” lists over and over for its easy-to-use design and beautifully natural-looking color. Reviewers love that the formula goes on clear and that there’s no mess, but don’t forget that still means you must wash your hands to avoid dark palms.
Purchase the Tan Towel Self-Tan Towelettes from their website starting at $29.
Purchase the Tan Towel Self-Tan Towelettes from their website starting at $29.
Best self-tanner for both face and body
Best self-tanning mist
James Read
If misting is your preferred self-tanning method, then you’ll love the James Read Coconut Water Tan Mist. The best thing about a mist is that it dries almost instantly, so you can spritz it on before getting dressed and go about your day while the full color develops over the next few hours. The base of this formula is coconut water, which is natural, hydrating, and smells delish.
Purchase the James Read Coconut Water Tan Mist Body from eskinstore starting at $27.
Purchase the James Read Coconut Water Tan Mist Body from eskinstore starting at $27.
