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As someone with fair skin who also happens to be extremely scared of the sun, I rely on self-tanners to give me a bronzy glow. I’m practically a self-tanner aficionado at this point. From drugstore staples and tanning foams to gradual-tanning lotions and tan-boosting facial serums, I’ve tried them all over the years. Now, I’m here to share my all-time favorites for every budget, formula preference, and skin tone. If you’re basically vitamin-D deficient after this painfully long winter (same), keep scrolling to shop the best self-tanners that will make you look like you’ve actually been outside recently.
Updated on March 5, 2026: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
So, what are the best self-tanners?
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Our Top Picks
The Best Overall
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Shades: Light/medium, dark, and ultradark | Formula: Foam | Star ingredients: Aloe vera and coconut
This Bondi Sands foam has never let me down. While most self-tanners promise to have a natural-looking olive undertone that won’t look orange, this is one of the few products that actually lives up to that claim. It’s also very forgiving, so you won’t end up with a streaky tan (even if your application skills aren’t the best). The lightweight aloe vera- and coconut-infused formula dries quickly, but when I’ve had to apply it in a rush and run out the door, any product that transfers to my clothes washes right out. Plus, a little goes a long way, so you’ll get your money’s worth with this 6.7-ounce bottle.
The Best Self-Tanner for “Color Correcting”
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Shades: Light, medium, and dark | Formula: Water-to-foam | Star ingredients: Avocado oil, chia seeds, and grapefruit oil
Reviewers and fans of Isle of Paradise’s mousse like to compare it to St. Tropez for its natural color. It’s available in three color-correcting shades: peach for a light glow on fair skin, green for a medium tan that counteracts redness, and violet for dark bronze sans sallow tones. If you’re weary of color correcting, even the green results in a bronzy, natural tan that lasts for several days, albeit fading a bit unevenly. The only major issue: The cucumber-eucalyptus scent won’t remind you of DHA, but it’s strong, almost like a Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning product you’d use in the kitchen.
The Best for Your Face
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Shades: One | Formula: Mist | Star ingredients: Hyaluronic acid
My favorite spray-tan artist, Sophie Evans, recommend this face-tanning mist to me last month, and now every time I use it I think, I wish I had discovered this sooner. The mist is lightweight, airy, and gentle on the skin. It gradually develops in four to six hours and leaves me with the perfect bronzy glow that doesn’t transfer onto my clothes or sheets. This is what I reach for when I need a little confidence boost but don’t have the time or energy to self-tan my whole body.
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More Tried-and-True Options
The Best for Sensitive and Acne-Prone Skin
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Shades: Light, medium, dark, and extra dark | Formula: Clear mousse | Star ingredients: Pink grapefruit, goji berry, juniper, and vitamin C
This non-comedogenic water-to-foam self-tanner is safe for sensitive and acne-prone skin. It features gentle ingredients, such as aloe vera, pink grapefruit, goji berry, and juniper, to help even out the skin tone. The express mousse is fast drying, long lasting, and safe to use on both the face and body.
The Best Tinted Formula for Sensitive and Acne-Prone Skin
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Shades: Light, medium, dark, and extra dark | Formula: Mousse | Star ingredients: Aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C
If you like Tanologist’s first approach to self-tanner but prefer a tinted formula so you can see any streaky spots before they dry down, add this whipped mousse to your cart. Like the clear mousse above, it’s also acne safe and dermatologist approved.
The Best for Busy Schedules
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Shades: 1 | Formula: Mousse | Star ingredients: Vitamin E and antioxidant-rich super fruits
If you’re loyal to Sugared + Bronzed when it comes to spray tans (same), you’ll love this at-home tanning mousse. It has natural emollients, which soften, smooth, and moisturize the skin, plus vitamin E, hydrating oils, and botanical extracts. The fast-acting tanner develops in about an hour, so you can rinse after just two hours or leave it on for up to eight hours if you want a darker tan — Sugared + Bronzed’s signature FlexExpress formula is designed to be flexible, adaptable, and used on all skin types and tones.
The Fast(est)-Drying Self-Tanner
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Shades: 1 | Formula: Aerated foam | Star ingredients: Vitamin E and jojoba oil
I know, I know, an aerated self-tanner sounds a little scary. But it makes this foam formula feel refreshing on the skin and more lightweight than other self-tanners I’ve tried. And like most Bondi Sans tanning products, the color and undertone look natural. It dries down, revealing an even, bronze glow, in about an hour (although, if I have time, I like to leave it on for two to three hours before rinsing).
The No-Rinse Self-Tanner
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Shades: 1 | Formula: Clear gel | Star ingredients: Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C
The best thing about this clear gel is that you don’t have to rinse it off after a few hours. You simply apply it like you would a body lotion, wait 15 to 20 minutes for it to fully dry down, then get dressed and go about your day. It’s transfer resistant, and the formula is infused with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, so it helps hydrate the skin and fade dark spots over time. One thing to note: Since it’s clear and you won’t be able to see any streaks before they dry down, make sure to take your time rubbing it in and blending areas that are prone to dry patches and creasing, like the knees and elbows.
The Other Self-Tanner for Your Face
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Shades: Light, medium, and dark | Formula: Liquid drops | Star ingredients: DHAs, vitamin C, and avocado
This is one of those game-changing products you’ll want to repurchase over and over again. My base routine feels incomplete without it! It’s formulated with DHAs to help even out the skin tone and create a natural-looking tan, plus avocado to help hydrate and vitamin C to help brighten. I just add a few drops to my daytime moisturizer, so application is a breeze.
The Best for Travel
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Shades: One | Formula: Wipes | Star ingredients: AHAs, BHAs, encapsulated DHA, vitamin E, and phospholipids
I’ve been using the Dr Dennis Gross self-tanner pads for almost a decade because they are completely mess-free and so easy to travel with. The brand recently revamped the original wipes and made them even better. They are formulated with AHAs and BHAs to gently exfoliate and smooth the skin, which leaves you with a bright, radiant, streak-free tan. Simply apply the waffle-textured towels in a circular motion and the color begins to develop in an hour. The pads are also available in a smaller version, made specifically for the face.
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FAQs
Are self-tanners safe to use?
Like chemical sunscreens, self-tanners have raised a few eyebrows — and there’s one ingredient in particular that some people are on the fence about. “Topical tanning products contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA),” says New York City–based board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., F.A.A.D. She notes, referencing this research on the subject, that DHA is thought to be safe for topical use but should not contact mucous membranes (as in, around the eyes or lips).
Jeremy Fenton, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York and Long Beach, echoes this sentiment and adds: “Because the DHA primarily interacts with the cells on the top (which are dead and not the cells and tissue deeper), it is debated as to whether or not we need to be worried about this with a topical application.” If you want to be extra-cautious, Fenton says that the safest self-tanning products are actually bronzers since they simply impart color while you’re wearing them and don’t change your skin.
What’s the best way to prep for self-tanner?
This is a product with a learning curve when it comes to application. Here are some expert tips to help you fake it till you fake it better: “Skin prep is key!” says Jules Von Hep, founder of Isle of Paradise. He says to exfoliate the skin 24 hours prior to applying self-tanner. (“Paying special attention to dry areas such as hands, elbows, knees, and feet.”) Von Hep notes that any other kind of grooming — like shaving, waxing, facial treatments, manicures, or pedicures — should also be done 24 hours in advance.
What’s the best way to achieve a streak-free self tan?
“Always remember to apply your self-tan in sweeping motions over the body — never circular!” says Von Hep. Sophie Evans, St. Tropez Skin Finishing Expert agrees to never massage it in unless it’s a streaky mess that you’re after. She also adds that self-tanner should be applied “liberally, with a flat hand and light strokes.” A tell-tale sign that you don’t have enough? “If you have to pull at the skin, you need to use more product.”
What’s the best tool to use to apply self tan?
Von Hep’s favorite trick of all is to use a blending brush (he likes the one from Isle of Paradise, naturally) to diffuse any harsh tan lines at your wrists, ankles, or hairline. “If you don’t own a blending brush, you can hang a towel onto the back of your door and rub your wrists together!”
How do you prevent your tan from fading?
After-care is crucial if you want to prevent your tan from fading, and Von Hep dutifully reminds us to stay hydrated: “Drink that water. Happy, hydrated skin won’t shed and will hold on to the color for longer.” Evans adds that moisturizing the skin daily, avoiding heavy oils (which are excellent at lifting the self-tanner off), and being generally gentler with the skin will extend a tan.
Traditionally, the self-tanner process is time-consuming (waiting hours to shower), takes commitment (weekly maintenance), requires patience (splotches, bad odors, and a general mess are far too common), and runs the risk of turning you orange. But the 18 best self-tanners, below, promise to develop fast, smell better, and keep your towels, sheets, and bathroom clean — while giving you a realistic faux tan.
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Our Experts
- Hanna Flanagan, shopping editor at The Cut
- Jeremy Fenton, M.D., board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York and Long Beach
- Jules Von Hep, founder of Isle of Paradise
- Hadley King, M.D., F.A.A.D., board-certified dermatologist in New York
- Sophie Evans, St. Tropez Skin Finishing expert