The Best Face Tanning Drop For 2023, Tested by the ELLE Lab

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Best facial tanning drops

Beauty Pie Awesome Bronze™ Gradual Tan Drops

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Best facial tanning drops

Beauty Pie Awesome Bronze™ Gradual Tan Drops

Our winner avoided streaks, patches and flakes for all our testers. The glow it bestowed wasn't too orange either, and it left skin feeling quenched.

Testers found it easy to build up their colour, while our lab test showed the drops faded evenly over the week. Your white bedsheets and towels are safe too, as our testers didn't see any stains after use.

Key specifications

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Best facial tanning drops for dry skin

St Tropez Luxe Tan Tonic Glow Drops

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Best facial tanning drops for dry skin

St Tropez Luxe Tan Tonic Glow Drops

This skin-caring formula mixes some top ingredients – vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide – to really boost that glow. It soaked in instantly, with no tackiness left behind, meaning no need to worry about applying make-up after. The drops didn't cause irritation, while the panel reported more hydrated skin and said it didn't cause any flakiness.

The best part? No one noticed any of that nostalgic biscuit-y scent that usually comes hand in hand with fake tan.

Key specifications

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Best tanning drops for a buildable tan

Skinny Tan Wonder Serum Face Tanning Drops

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Best tanning drops for a buildable tan

Skinny Tan Wonder Serum Face Tanning Drops

Now 20% Off

These Skinny Tan drops have a delicious coconut scent that will give you that summer holiday feeling. Testers praised their consistency and liked that the resulting tan has a hint of shimmer in it.

The colour developed evenly into a lovely golden hue, and one tester commented on how many compliments they received because of how ‘hydrated and tanned my face was looking’ – who can argue with that?

Key specifications

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Best face tanning drops for beginners

Dr Sebagh Self-Tanning Drops

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Best face tanning drops for beginners

Dr Sebagh Self-Tanning Drops

Some may remember these as the OG tanning drops, and they still reign supreme to this day. They couldn't be simpler to apply. All testers found the packaging dispensed the perfect amount of product, making them very beginner friendly.

The formula mixed easily into everyone's moisturisers too, and helped keep faces streak-free (due to how easy it was to blend into skin). The panel agreed the colour developed and faded evenly, as the panel found it was flake- and patch-free.

Key specifications

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Best tanning drops for sensitive skin

OSKIA Adaptive Tan Drops

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Best tanning drops for sensitive skin

OSKIA Adaptive Tan Drops

Putting tan on your face can be a little daunting, not just because of fears you could end up more orange than sun-kissed, but also because of sensitive skin concerns. However, none of our testers suffered with irritated skin after using these Oskia tanning drops. They can be easily mixed with a range of beauty products, including moisturisers, serums, oils, or even foundation to give a natural looking glow.

One tester declared it a ‘brilliant product with amazing results’, while others praised the lack of smell and the fact it didn’t transfer onto sheets. Some testers noted that they needed more than the recommended drops to get the colour they were after, though.

Key specifications

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Best tanning mist

Coco & Eve Antioxidant Face Tanning Micromist

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Best tanning mist

Coco & Eve Antioxidant Face Tanning Micromist

This has quickly become one of Coco & Eve's top-selling products, and when we put it to the test, we could see why. With a fine mist that sprayed evenly, testers praised it for giving them a ‘natural healthy-looking colour’.

It's the only product on the list that's not a dropper, and our panel loved how easy it was to spray on hard-to-reach areas, such as backs. The larger 75ml spray is a good size for holiday top-ups, too. Our panel did note that it took a while to build up, though, and one tester said it started getting patchy after a few days.

Key specifications

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Best budget tanning drops

St Moriz Professional Prime & Glow Face Tan Serum

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Best budget tanning drops

St Moriz Professional Prime & Glow Face Tan Serum

Delivering a true ‘sun-kissed look’, our testers praised this affordable serum not only for its good coverage, but also for its fresh and fruity scent.

They found it hydrating and particularly liked its shimmery tone, which gives an extra added highlight in summer. But some felt the glow could have lasted longer and the colour faded more than expected after removing makeup.

Key specifications

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Best hydrating face tanning drops

Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bronzing Face Drops

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Best hydrating face tanning drops

Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bronzing Face Drops

Everyone wants a face tanner that gives the skin a gradual, natural, glowing tan, but doing that while also being hydrating? That's the golden ticket, and Coco & Eve has managed it.

Our testers found that the formula left their skin feeling 'soft, supple and sun-kissed for days'. As well as liking how easy to use and dispense it was, it was praised for its hydrating effect and streak-free application.

Its efficacy was backed up the ELLE lab too, where the tanning drops faded very evenly on the skin over a seven-day period.

Key specifications

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Best compact face tanning drops

James Read Gradual Tan Click & Glow Tan Drops

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Best compact face tanning drops

James Read Gradual Tan Click & Glow Tan Drops

A Hollywood bronze in just a few clicks? We thought it was almost too good to be true but this offering from legendary tanning expert, James Read, really does just that. The dispenser gave our testers just the right amount of product, while the formula was easy to spread across the skin.

The tan itself avoided being too Tango-hued, and our testers found the colour didn’t stain their clothing or bedsheets either. It also faded away evenly in our lab test, while all testers were left irritation-free.

Key specifications

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Best face tanning drops for mature skin

COOLA Sunless Tan Face Serum

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Best face tanning drops for mature skin

COOLA Sunless Tan Face Serum

Tanning isn't the easiest whatever your age, but as we get older, the skin can become drier and more fine lines form, so it takes a bit more skill. This formula aims to help tackle that, providing an even finish thanks to its hydrating blend of hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and argan oil.

We found it did what it said on the tin, as our testers didn't experience any patchiness or flakes. Skin was left more hydrated, while nearly all said the resulting shade looked natural, with no hint of orange. One tester even said their skin appeared more plumped than usual.

Key specifications

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Best facial tanning drops for boosting glow

Tan-Luxe The Face lluminating Self-Tanning Drops

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Best facial tanning drops for boosting glow

Tan-Luxe The Face lluminating Self-Tanning Drops

When you think of tanning drops, we bet Tan-Luxe are one of the first that come to mind. They're popular for a reason, managing to impress our testers with a natural-looking tan, which one described as a 'golden glow'.

There was no signature fake tan scent either and testers reported a patch-free application. It was easy to achieve a buildable tan, as our panel were impressed with how long their colour lasted. It did fade away a little patchily in the lab test, but all testers said it faded evenly.

Key specifications

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Best easy-to-use facial tanning drops

Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster For Face

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Best easy-to-use facial tanning drops

Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster For Face

Now 26% Off

Don’t be deceived by the dinky bottle, these drops really do pack a pigmented punch. They mixed easily with everyone's moisturisers, providing a streak-free tan.

They absorbed quickly into skin – without leaving any oiliness behind – and kept skin moisturised for all. One tester noticed a difference in their skin tone after just a few hours, while another found it easy to add into their regular skincare routine. The colour itself was described as natural-looking, and our panel agreed that it wasn't too orange.

Key specifications

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Best facial tanning drops for combination skin

Isle of Paradise Hyaluronic Self-Tan Face Serum

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Best facial tanning drops for combination skin

Isle of Paradise Hyaluronic Self-Tan Face Serum

Now 33% Off

Described as a 'tall glass of water for skin', this vegan option aims to hydrate as well as illuminate. Despite giving testers more quenched-feeling skin, it didn't leave any oiliness behind, making it a great buy for combination skin.

The longevity of the tan impressed our testers, and while our lab test did find it faded patchily in some areas, testers thought it to be gradual. The consistency of the formula itself was a winner, absorbing speedily. Overall, the panel agreed the shade wasn't too orange and left hardly any evidence behind on bedsheets and towels.

Key specifications

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Best facial tanning drops for an even tan

Scientia Sunshine & Sea HA + Vit D Aqua Tanning Serum

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Best facial tanning drops for an even tan

Scientia Sunshine & Sea HA + Vit D Aqua Tanning Serum

Essentially sunshine in a bottle, this serum promises to bring all the tan, without the damage. It's jam-packed with vitamin D and hyaluronic acid, and kept all our testers flake-free when it came to application.

The colour developed gradually and evenly, with most of our testers avoiding any orange tones. It didn't leave any pesky stains on hands for the majority and gave those with thirsty skin some much-needed moisture.

Key specifications

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Runner-up budget facial tanning drops

Bondi Sands Pure Self Tanning Drops

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Runner-up budget facial tanning drops

Bondi Sands Pure Self Tanning Drops

This fragrance-free, non-comedogenic (meaning it won't clog your pores) formula was ace at delivering a streak-free tan – well worth the under £15 price tag then.

The drops didn't leave any stickiness behind on skin and kept sheets clean for our testers. Although the tan wasn't the longest lasting, our lab test did show the colour faded evenly over the week, and didn't leave skin feeling dry.

Key specifications

Denny is our Beauty and Grooming Tester and has an in-depth knowledge and background in beauty and PR. She has spoken on panels with Cosmetics Executive Women (CEW) and has worked with many beauty brands as a commercial model.  Since joining in October 2022, she has worked on numerous testing categories including over 18 different brands for vitamin C serums, scalp scrubs, shampoos for dry hair and many more. She has over 20k followers on TikTok where she shares beauty and fashion tips otherwise better known as Denny Daily.

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