These 9 Bronzers Will Help All Skin Tones Get a Sun-Kissed Glow
From a waterproof pick to the OG we've been using since middle school.
Finding the best beauty products has never been easier thanks to Pia’s Picks, our weekly curated list. As the senior beauty editor at HelloGiggles, I test and examine the latest skincare, makeup, hair, and nail products so I can confidently recommend the best ones to you.
Whether you’re looking to give your face a bit of dimension or a natural-looking sun-kissed glow, a bronzer is the instant answer. The most popular and best bronzers come in powders and creams, and you can find them at every price point. When shopping, make sure to pick one that’s two shades darker than your natural skin tone for the most natural effect; opt for one with red undertones if you have darker skin or one with yellow tones if you’re on the paler side. Trust us, you’ll look like a Brazilian goddess with just a few swipes of color.
Here are the nine best bronzers for a year-round glow.
1. Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan
This bronzer has a velvet texture and smells of a classy coconut cocktail. The Beauty Crush Award winner glides smoothly over the skin and gives your complexion a natural I-just-spent-the-evening-drinking-chardonnay-with-Harry-Styles glow. The bronzer has a very subtle coconut scent that reminds us of vacation, and we promise that once you start using it you’ll never want to stop.
2. Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer
Keep your skin moisturized with this murumuru butter-infused bronzer. The cult-classic product is super soft, comes in eight shades, and won’t break the bank.
3. Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer
Bronzer still has an inclusivity problem, with most brands only creating shades that will suit light skin tones, so we celebrate those, like Fenty, that think of all consumers when creating products. “As a WOC, bronzer is a makeup category that only recently has had options available for my skin tone,” said Mika Robinson, an expert for our 2020 Beauty Crush Awards. “What I love about Fenty Beauty’s bronzer, besides the wide shade range, is that the product is buildable and gives your skin a natural sun-kissed look.”
4. Tower 28 Beauty Bronzino Illuminating Bronzer
This illuminating bronzer will make you look like you just got back from the best beach vacation of your life. Tower 28 formulates all its beauty products for super-sensitive skin, and this bronzer uses soothing ingredients like mango butter and green tea extract to further condition the skin and give it that lit-from-within radiance. Buy it in one of two shades: West Coast, which has neutral undertones, or Best Coast, which has warm red ones.
5. Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Bronzer
You might be familiar with this OG bronzer that many people used in middle school, and we’re pleased to tell you that our younger selves were onto something. The matte formula is soft and blendable, and while the brand previously only offered two shades for lighter complexions, it now offers two more for people with melanin-rich skin.
6. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Matte Bronzer
Give yourself a silky glow with Charlotte Tilbury’s instant-classic bronzer. It uses microspheres in a pressed-powder formula to create that airbrushed, IRL Instagram-filter effect so many people covet. Buy it in one of four shades.
7. Maybelline New York City Bronzer
This drugstore pick won a Beauty Crush Award for the natural dimension it helps to create. Whether you’re looking for a subtle contour or a barely-there tan, this bronzer will make it happen. Use an angled brush to sculpt cheekbones or a big fluffy one to create an even-toned look.
8. Tarte SEA Breezy Cream Bronzer
Creamy bronzers give your skin a more dewy effect, and this one from Tarte does that while allowing you to sculpt your face and get a natural effect. We love that this vegan formula is waterproof, meaning it won’t sweat off on hot days and will stay put if you dip yourself into the ocean.
9. Lawless Summer Skin Velvet Matte Bronzer
If you think that clean beauty products don’t have the same color payoff as non-clean products, think again. This bronzer is very highly pigmented and incredibly blendable, meaning you don’t need that much product to give your full face a healthy boost of color. Depending on the makeup brush you use, you can use this bronzer to contour, too.