19 Best Self Tanners 2023 for a Natural-Looking, Healthy Glow All Year Round

Must read

Whether you’re craving vacation and a mai tai but don’t have any warm travel plans or you simply desire a tan without baking in the sun’s harmful UV rays, the best self-tanners on the market will be your new best friend. But as anyone who has been unintentionally transformed into a streaky, orange version of themselves knows, scoring believably gleaming limbs can involve some rather risky trial and error. The reason it’s tougher to nail a faux glow than, say, find the perfect foundation shade, is because self-tanners rely on dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a sugar that safely darkens the skin.

As cosmetic chemist Ginger King explains, DHA reacts with the amino acids on the top layer of the skin to provide a gradual tan. The problem? It can be tough to stabilize, hence the dreaded tangerine tint, cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller previously told Allure. Luckily, self-tanners have come a long way and many of today’s options impart “tans” that are indistinguishable from the real deal — and a much healthier habit in the short and long term.

One of the golden rules of self-tanning starts with your skin-care routine: Exfoliate beforehand. Spray tanner Anna Stankiewicz of Louise O’Connor Salon in New York City, suggests sloughing dead skin with an oil-free cleanser laced with glycolic or salicylic acid. Just be sure to remove any and all residue before proceeding, so you can start off with a clean, dry, and product-free slate that’ll maximize your self-tanning results. This is a crucial step because oils “could interfere with the binding of DHA to the stratum corneum,” according to New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Shari Marchbein, MD, and lead to uneven development.

To save you from playing chicken with a million formulas, we compiled the best sunless tanners in the form of mousses, lotions, towelettes — and even tanning mists — that’ll have your friends wondering where you got that streak-free tan without jetting off to a tropical destination. Stick to these expert-approved picks and your beloved sunscreens for a healthy, UV-damage-free bronze — and thank us later.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

More articles

Latest article