Choose a self-tanner by where you will wear it and how much time you have. Drops mix into the moisturiser you already use and suit the face. A mousse dries quickly and is the easiest to blend over the body with a mitt. A lotion or gel gives more slip and comfort on dry skin, a mist reaches backs and legs, and a gradual tanner builds colour slowly over several days. One thing holds for all of them: self-tan gives no protection from the sun.
How Does Self-Tan Work?
Almost every self-tanner is built on dihydroxyacetone, or DHA, a sugar-derived ingredient that reacts with proteins in the very top layer of skin and turns it a warm brown over several hours. Many formulas pair it with erythrulose, which develops more slowly and helps the colour come through evenly. Because the colour sits only in that outermost layer, it fades as those cells are naturally shed, usually over about a week. Some formulas also carry a guide colour, a wash-off tint that shows where you have applied it while the real tan develops underneath.
Self-Tan Is Not Sun Protection
A tan from a bottle is colour and nothing more. It does not protect your skin from UV, and it does not make your skin any more ready for the sun. Unless a product states an SPF on its pack, wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen exactly as you would without a tan, every day you are outside, and reapply it through the day. A self-tanner gives you the colour without the sun; the sunscreen still has its own job to do.
For the Face: Drops, Serums and Creams
Your face carries skincare and make-up every day, so a face tan works best when it behaves like skincare. Drops are the most adaptable: you mix them into your usual cream or serum, and add more or fewer to set the depth.
St. Moriz Advanced Tan Boosting Face Drops come in a 15 ml dropper bottle: add a few drops to your face cream or serum, blend over clean skin and build gradually. Sisley Super Soin Autobronzant Hydratant Visage is a hydrating facial self-tanning cream with DHA, erythrulose, shea butter and alpine rose extract. Sensai Silky Bronze Auto Bronzer is a creamy gel made for the face, for warmth without the look of make-up. Topicrem Radiance Progressive Tan is a gradual self-tanning cream for the complexion, made with sensitive skin in mind.
- Advanced Tan Boosting Face Drops
- Super Soin Autobronzant Hydratant Visage Self Tanner
- Silky Bronze Auto Bronzer Self Tanner
- Radiance Progressive Tan Self Tanner
Apply to clean, dry skin and blend out past the jawline and into the hairline so there is no edge. Keep the product away from the eyes, wipe over your brows with a damp cotton pad, and wash your hands straight afterwards.
Mousse: Quick to Dry, Easy to Blend
A mousse is light and airy, dries quickly and leaves little on the surface, which is why it is the most familiar way to tan the body. It goes on with a mitt, which spreads the colour evenly and keeps your palms clean.
Australian Gold Instant Sunless Mousse Deep Bronze gives colour on application that continues to develop, with kakadu plum fruit extract and witch hazel water in its formula. St.tropez Self Tan Berry Sorbet Bronzing Mousse carries raspberry fruit extract and hydrolysed jojoba esters. Comodynes Freshwater Mousse Self Tanner is a transparent mousse with DHA and erythrulose, for a tan the house describes as lasting up to four days. Bondi Sands Black Velvet Tanning Mitt has a soft velvet face, a double layer of fabric and a loop for hanging it to dry.
- Instant Sunless Mousse Deep Bronze Self Tanner
- Self Tan Berry Sorbet Bronzing Mousse
- Freshwater Mousse Self Tanner
- Black Velvet Tanning Mitt
Lotions, Gels and Gradual Tanners
A lotion or cream has more slip, so you can spread it slowly and evenly, and it suits skin that tends to feel dry. A gel feels fresher and sinks in quickly. A gradual tanner is a daily moisturiser with a little DHA: the colour builds over several applications, which makes it the most forgiving choice for a first tan.
Sisley Super Soin Autobronzant Hydratant Corps is the house's body self-tanner, with DHA and erythrulose alongside shea butter and macadamia seed oil. Lierac Sunissime The Self-Tanning Care is a light lotion with DHA and plant sugars, scented with notes of coconut water, bergamot and jasmine. Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel Fresh Face & Body is a fresh, non-oily gel for face and body. St. Moriz Daily Tanning Moisturiser Light Everyday Body Lotion is a gradual tanner with aloe vera and vitamin E and no guide colour; you apply it daily until you reach the depth you want.
- Super Soin Autobronzant Hydratant Corps Self Tanner
- Sunissime The Self-Tanning Care Self Tanner
- Self Tanning Instant Gel Fresh Face & Body
- Daily Tanning Moisturiser Light Everyday Body Lotion
Mists: For Backs and Legs
A mist lays down a fine, even layer and reaches the places a hand cannot. Shake it, hold it at a comfortable distance, spray in sweeping passes and blend any drips with a mitt. Hawaiian Tropic Self Tanning Water is a clear, tropical-scented spray for a light to medium tan, with vitamin E. Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Stanning Water Spray-On Self Tanning Mist is a clear mist made for the legs, with glycerin. St. Moriz Medium Fast Drying Tanning Mist dries quickly and carries a wash-off guide colour, with olive oil and vitamin E.
- Self Tanning Water
- Airbrush Legs Stanning Water Spray-On Self Tanning Mist
- Medium Fast Drying Tanning Mist
Exfoliate First
Exfoliate the day before you tan, so the colour settles on smooth skin and fades evenly rather than in patches. Give extra attention to elbows, knees, ankles and heels, where dry skin takes up more colour. Shave or wax at least a day ahead, and leave off body oil, perfume and deodorant just before you apply. A little moisturiser on the driest spots stops them darkening more than the rest. If a formula is new to you, try it on a small patch first.
How to Apply Self-Tan With a Mitt
- Pump or pour the product onto the mitt, not onto your skin.
- Work in long, sweeping strokes, one area at a time, starting with the legs and moving up.
- Use only what is left on the mitt for elbows, knees, ankles and feet.
- Sweep the mitt lightly over the backs of your hands, then wipe your nails and palms.
- Wash your hands, and leave the mitt to dry before you put it away.
How Long to Leave It, and How to Keep It
Development times differ from formula to formula, so follow the pack: some are made to be rinsed within hours, others to stay on overnight. Until then, wear loose, dark clothing and keep away from water and anything that makes you sweat. Rinse with lukewarm water and no shower gel the first time, then pat dry.
To keep the colour even, moisturise every day, top up with a gradual tanner or a light coat every few days, and exfoliate gently before you reapply so new colour does not settle on old.
How to Choose
- The face: drops mixed into your moisturiser, or a cream made for the face.
- A first tan: a gradual tanning moisturiser.
- Fast, all-over colour: a mousse with a mitt.
- Skin that feels dry: a lotion or cream.
- Backs and legs: a mist.
If you are new to self-tan, begin with a gradual tanner on the body and drops on the face, and keep your sunscreen as part of every morning you will spend outside.
