Best Bronzers To Enhance Your Skin's Glow
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Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer -
Pur Mineral Glow Illuminating Bronzer -
Tarte Limited Edition Park Ave Princess Waterproof Bronzer -
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer -
Mineral Fusion Bronzer Duo -
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Powder Blush Bronzer -
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Custom Glow Bronzer -
Rimmel Natural Bronzer -
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder -
Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder -
NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder -
Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer -
Clinique Non-Streak Bronzer for Men -
Banana Boat Summer Color Self Tanner -
BECCA Lowlight Sculpting Perfector -
Smashbox Bronze Lights Skin Perfecting Bronzer - Sunkissed Matte -
Physicians Formula Solar Powder Bronzer SPF 20 -
Buyer's Guide
Bronzers are the perfect alternative to tanning your skin in the sun, which risks premature aging and irreversible skin damage when delicate facial areas are left unprotected. Bronzers allow you to achieve a beautiful, sun-kissed glow without the risk of damaging your skin. There are many different types available including powders, creams, and lotions. Read the buyer's guide we’ve provided below to help you determine which bronzer is best for your skin type, budget, and preferences, and you can look at our favorite picks for the best bronzer in 2022 below.
Detailing the Best Bronzers of 2022
Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer - Best Bronzer Overall
Powered by Amazonian clay, this mineral bronzer improves skin texture and clarity, removes surface oil. won’t clog your pores and doesn't contain talc or fragrances. This ultra sheen bronzer will, however, deliver a lightweight finish ideal for blending, contouring, and highlighting. The Amazonian clay also provides a flawless, healthy-looking finish that enhances any skin type or color. Users are very fond of this bronzer, particularly the shimmer-free matte finish and natural-looking golden glow. Since this bronze is waterproof, you can count on it staying put throughout the day.
Pur Mineral Glow Illuminating Bronzer - Runner Up
This vegan-friendly pressed mineral powder brightens your complexion without irritating your skin. Ideal for all skin types and tones, this product contains a combination of gold undertones and antioxidants that together provide glowing radiance and anti-aging benefits. Users are impressed with the authentic-looking color, sheerness, and perfect amount of shimmer while an individual with sensitive skin insists this bronzer even reduces the pimples on her face. If you want a mess-free bronzer that nourishes your skin, look no further.
Tarte Limited Edition Park Ave Princess Waterproof Bronzer - Honorable Mention
Experience a healthy glow that endures rain, humidity, sweat, and more. This bronzer from Tarte Cosmetics contains Amazonian clay to provide the ultimate, oil absorbing matte finish. The Amazonian clay doesn’t clog your pores, but rather improves skin’s texture and tone. This bronzer is so sheer and versatile, you can easily blend, layer, contour, highlight, and do whatever you need to achieve the perfect glow. Users claim this bronzer is shimmer-free, long lasting, and never appears orange. While this product is on the higher end of the price spectrum, you can expect high quality results.
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer - Consider
Achieve a luxurious, shine-free summer glow with Estee Launder’s powder bronzer. Formulated without oil, this non-acnegenic bronzer won’t clog your pores. The oil-control complex also eliminates and prevents shininess, leaving your skin smooth throughout the day. Available in four bronzed shades ranging from medium to deep, this powder suits all complexions. Users praise this bronzer’s lightweight nature, smooth application, and sun-kissed appearance on skin. Although priced higher than most bronzers, you can expect a glowing matte finish that stays put.
Mineral Fusion Bronzer Duo - Best Bronzer for Acne Prone Skin
Mineral Fusion Bronzer Duo is packed full of antioxidants and soothing botanicals like white tea, pomegranate, and sea kelp to enrich your skin. Its exquisite mineral color delivers a healthy, sun-kissed glow that immediately enhances your complexion. This bronzer is free of talc, artificial colors, parabens, gluten, and other ingredients that are harsh on acne-prone skin. Users insist this bronzer works great on oily skin, even with daily use. Although priced at nearly $30, this bronzer contains high-quality ingredients that produce top-notch results.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Powder Blush Bronzer - Best Drugstore Bronzer
Designed for multiple skin tones, Neutrogena’s Natural Radiance Bronzer helps you achieve a luminous glow without the sun. This product features an assortment of shades that blend together to provide sheer, sun-kissed radiance. It also smoothes and softens your skin with a botanical conditioner and multivitamins. Users praise how long this bronzer lasts and claim it doesn’t crumble like other bronzers. If you are looking for an affordable bronzer that gives your skin a healthy, warm glow without streaking, then look no further.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Custom Glow Bronzer - Best Drugstore Bronzer
Achieve a naturally radiant look with Neutrogena Healthy Skin Custom Glow Bronzer. This velvety, lightweight bronzer delivers a healthy, sun-kissed look year around with light-reflecting pearls that blend seamlessly into your skin. It goes beyond most bronzers by containing patented antioxidants to enhance your skin's appearance overtime.
Choose from Sunrise Glow and Sunset Glow, with each palette containing two shades for creating custom looks along with a mirror and brush included for your convenience. Users claim this bronzer goes on easily, stay put all day, and looks very natural.
Rimmel Natural Bronzer - Best Drugstore Bronzer
Rommel London Natural Bronzer is awesome because it's waterproof, so no more worries about streaking or smudging. It provides perfect, sun-kissed color with a touch of shimmer for a hint of radiance. This lightweight bronzer comes in three shades: Sun Light, Sun Bronze, and Sun Dance. Users are in love with the Sun Dance shade, particularly, because it doubles as blush. However, all three shades are very buildable and natural-looking. Rommel London Natural Bronzer also seems to control shine well and even suits sensitive skin. If you want a versatile bronzer that look great on all skin tones, this one is worth a try.
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder - Best Matte Bronzer
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder is one of the most well-known bronzing powders available. Available in seven shades, this formula is truly suited for almost any skin tone. Each shade contains red and brown tones found in natural tans to provide the most authentic-looking glow. The soft, matte finish hides imperfections and promotes a more even looking complexion. Users loves the depth of color and claim the pigments look great on their skin. This bronzer is very blendable and buildable, without ugly sheen or orange tint but expect to pay around $40 for this amazing product.
Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder - Best Powder Bronzer
Moisturize your skin while flaunting a gorgeous glow with Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder. This long-lasting bronzing powder provides the perfect, natural-looking bronzed look in a range of shades to complement all skin shades. It won't settle into fine lines or wrinkles, imparts a smooth finish that looks youthful and luminous, and is amazing for contouring. Users love how Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder doesn't contain any shimmer and claim the formula has a wonderful consistency. While the price is on the high end, you’ll definitely get what you pay for.
NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder - Best Powder Bronzer
Create an all-over glow with Nars Bronzing Powder which features finely milled powders with a hint of gold shimmer to add warm to your skin. It's perfect for contouring, filling lines, and minimizing large pores. Choose from three shades to suit your personal skin tone and enjoy the natural-looking finish that leaves your skin looking healthy and glowing. Users claim this bronzer is very pigmented, buildable, and long-lasting on skin. Although more expensive, Nars Bronzing Powder lasts a long time and delivers amazing results.
Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer - Best Powder Bronzer
As one of the top-rated powder bronzers, Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer truly works on all skin types. It's formulated without oil, so you don’t have to worry about break-outs or shine. This long-wearing bronzer comes in three shades to complement fair to deep skin tones, plus it's lightweight and buildable so you can adjust the depth of your glow. Users claim this bronzer blends flawlessly and imparts a lovely, soft glow and it won't settle in wrinkles or dry out skin either. Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer costs under $30 which is very reasonable for a high-quality bronzer.
Clinique Non-Streak Bronzer for Men - Best Bronzer Lotion
Instantly achieve a suntanned appearance with Clinique Face Bronzer. Although marketed towards men as indicated on the bottle, this oil-free formula is perfect for both women and men of all skin types. It goes on clear so there’s no unsightly streaks on your face and it can easily be washed off with soap and water. Users claim this face bronzer goes on easily, blends well, and looks very natural. You only need to apply a little bit of this gel-like formula to achieve optimal results with minimal odor as well.
Banana Boat Summer Color Self Tanner - Best Bronzer Lotion
Whether you desire a healthy glow or a deep tan, Banana Boat’s self-tanning lotion allows you to adjust the shade of your tan as it becomes deeper the more you apply this bronzer lotion. Formulated without oil, this lotion won’t clog your pores or cause streaking as well as containing aloe vera and vitamin E to enrich your skin. Users love this self-tanning lotion, claiming this is the closest you can get to a real tan. This product also dries fast, so you don’t have to spend hours waiting for the product on your skin to dry. Considering the low cost and wonderful reviews, this product is worth checking out.
BECCA Lowlight Sculpting Perfector - Best Cream Bronzer
Create facial depth and dimension with BECCA Lowlight Sculpting Perfector. This adaptive contouring bronzer cream imparts natural-looking undertones and shadows by accenting the lower regions of the face. Formulated without parabens, this creamy formula suits all skin types ranging from normal to oily skin. It's perfect for creating the illusion of lift, definition, and dimension. Users claim this formula never looks orange on skin, but the color is easily adjusted to all skin tones. Apply with a flat, angled brush for best results and a beautifully tanned effect.
Smashbox Bronze Lights Skin Perfecting Bronzer - Sunkissed Matte - Best Bronzer For Fair Skin
Favored by many professional makeup artists, Smashbox Bronze Lights - Sunkissed is ideal for fair skinned-individuals with normal, oily, or combination skin. This matte, powder bronzer features a silky-smooth finish that adds a hint of warm color to fair complexions while enhancing skin with nourishing peptides and antioxidants like moringa seed extract. Users were very impressed with the "perfect" color, which looks really natural, and state this bronzer is great for contouring. Additionally, it doesn't contain any shimmer or sparkle, like some bronzers. Although pricey at around $30, this bronzer is a hit with users and will last you a long time.
Physicians Formula Solar Powder Bronzer SPF 20 - Best Bronzer For Fair Skin
Protect your fair skin from harmful ultraviolet rays with Physicians Formula Solar Powder Bronzer SPF 20. This lightweight bronzer provides light to medium coverage and very natural finish that won't cause breakouts. It's formulated without fragrance and oil, plus it's hypoallergenic and dermatologist-approved. This bronzer complements fair skin and provides a hint of summer glow without a fake orange hue. Users love the matte finish and claim this bronzer evens out your skin tone and provides a nice, glowing finish. Physicians Formula Solar Powder Bronzer SPF 20 in Light Bronzer is sold in drugstores and costs under $13.
Buyer's Guide
Finding the Best Bronzer
Bronzers not only provide contouring benefits, but they can also save skin from premature aging and sun damage when used instead of tanning. There are many different types and brands of bronzer, each possessing its own shades and benefits. Some bronzers contain a hint of shimmer for a “dewy” look, while others have a matte finish. One thing all bronzers have in common is they’re designed to provide a healthy, sun-kissed glow that transcends warm weather. Just like any makeup product, it’s essential to find a bronzer that suits your skin type, personal preferences, and budget.
However you want to achieve a warm, sunny glow, there are many bronzers to choose from. Whether you prefer powder, cream, or lotion, you’re sure to find a bronzer that meets your skin’s needs and personal preferences.
Natural Looking
One of the most important factors when choosing any bronzer is it appears natural on your skin. All of the best bronzers contain high-quality pigments which appear natural on the skin and provide a hint of warmth to the face. Your bronzer isn’t meant to be the main focal point of your face, but rather a natural-looking accent to ensure your look is cohesive and complete. The last thing you’d want is fake-looking brown streaks swiped across your cheekbones. Some of the lower-quality bronzers tend to have an orange tinge, which is probably not what you want.
Blending Qualities
The overall quality of the pigments and ingredients in a bronzer contribute to its blending ability. Blendable bronzers are also more buildable, allowing to you gradually add more layers to increase depth.
The ability to blend properly is essential for any bronzer. If a bronzer doesn’t blend into skin or foundation well, it just looks like a bronze streak on the face. Cream bronzers tend to blend a bit easier than powder bronzers, but there are many high-quality powder bronzers with superior blending qualities.
Staying Power
How long a bronzer lasts on your skin is another important factor to consider. Like any makeup product, bronzers eventually wear off and fade away. However, the rate at which this happens largely depends on the quality of a bronzer’s pigments and ingredients.
While many low-quality bronzers only last a few hours on the skin and require frequent reapplication, a quality bronzer should remain intact throughout the day without needing touch-ups or reapplication. Choosing a waterproof bronzer ensures your sun-kissed glow stays put in any environment. The best bronzers, whether they’re waterproof or not, endure at least six to eight hours of wear.
Bronzer Types
Powder Bronzers
Ideal for normal to oily skin types, powder bronzers deliver a matte finish which minimizes the appearance of shine and pores. Powder bronzers are very buildable, making them ideal for contouring and defining your features; some even contain a bit of shimmer for added radiance. As the most common type of bronzer, powder bronzers are available in many shades and prices ranges to suit your needs.
Drugstore Bronzers
If you’re not keen on spending a lot on a bronzer, drugstore bronzers are a viable option. Quality drugstore bronzers perform just as well as department store bronzers, but often cost much less. These bronzers are available in various shades, textures (such as cream or powder), and features to suit all skin types and personal preferences. Drugstore bronzers are ideal for individuals who are looking for convenience, performance, and value.
Cream Bronzers
For a sheer option, look no further than cream bronzers. These bronzers have a creamy consistency that works well with all skin types. They blend effortlessly into foundation and bare skin, providing a natural-looking warm glow. Cream bronzers also adapt easily to various skin tones and may even provide additional nourishment to your skin.
Bronzers for Acne-Prone Skin
Individuals suffering from acne should pay extra attention to the ingredients in bronzers. Many bronzers contain talc powder to help keep skin dry, but it can actually cause your breakouts to spread. Bronzers containing oil and irritating ingredients such as paraben and fragrances may also make acne worse. Individuals with acne should opt for a basic powder bronzer free of harsh, unnecessary ingredients.
Bronzers for Fair Skin
The lack of pigments in fair skin makes it easy to burn in the sun. Bronzers, however, allow fair-skinned individuals to achieve a sun-kissed glow without any sun exposure. The best bronzers for fair skin feature subtle color rather than deeper shades since sheer, subtle pigments look more natural on fair skin. Avoid darker shades as these can appear muddy or orange on lighter skin tones.
Bronzers for Sensitive Skin
If you have sensitive skin, you’re probably accustomed to being very choosy about your makeup products. Many bronzers contain filler ingredients like synthetic fragrance, sulfates, and paraben, which are known to irritate sensitive skin. To avoid the risk of an allergic reaction, choose a bronzer containing the least amount of ingredients so it won’t clog your pores. Bronzers containing natural ingredients and mineral pigments are best for sensitive skin.
Bronzers for Oily Skin
When oily skin is an issue, you don’t want to use a product that draws attention to it. Powder bronzers with mattifying properties are the best option for excessive oil production. These bronzers absorb excess shine and provide a smooth, even glow on oily skin. Cream bronzers with shine control properties may also work, but you’ll want to avoid liquid bronzers altogether.
Bronzers for Olive Skin
Olive or medium skin tones often tend to get oily, so powder bronzers are usually the best option. Mattifying powder bronzers featuring sheer amber, soft copper, and other warm, glowing colors really bring out the gold and beige undertones in olive skin. Bronzers containing a hint of shimmer can also enhance olive skin as well. Olive-skinned individuals with oily skin may also benefit from bronzers which have shine-control properties.
Matte Bronzers
Matte bronzers typically contain mattifying agents such as silica or clay to provide a smooth, even finish which blends effortlessly with other makeup. Powder bronzers are commonly known for their matte finishes and ability to conceal imperfections. Bronzers with mattifying properties are useful for individuals with oily skin as these bronzers help minimize shine. Additionally, some individuals simply prefer a bronzer with a matte finish versus a sheen finish.
Bronzer Lotions
As an alternative to makeup bronzers, bronzer lotions provide a sun-kissed glow with a different application. They moisturize skin like a regular lotion while bringing out your skin’s natural radiance. Bronzer lotions often contain light-reflecting particles and conditioning agents to enhance and nourish skin. A quality bronzer lotion goes on smoothly, dries quickly, looks natural, and washes off easily when you want it to.