While the best bronzing drops can deliver a sun-kissed glow, they aren’t the same as self-tanner drops, which gradually tan the skin for longer-term results. However, what bronzing drops lack in staying power, they make up for in instant gratification: a glowy, buildable finish that doesn’t necessitate the commitment of a tanner. Not to mention, they’re wildly versatile thanks to their more natural, transparent look, according to celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose. You can wear them “directly on bare skin or with a tinted moisturizer or a very sheer lightweight foundation,” he tells Vogue.
Vogue’s Favorite Bronzing Drops
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What’s more, formula variations in intensity and finish abound. There are options for dry, oily, and sensitive; with shimmer or — with often the added bonus of skin-care benefits when infused with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides squalane. With that, scroll ahead for the 11 best bronzing drops for every makeup look and coverage preference, from shimmery to radiant without the sparkle.
Best Overall: Saie Glowy Super Gel
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: Saie has the market cornered when it comes to minimalist makeup, so it's little surprise that the Glowy Super Gel lends the look of bare skin, but better. It's built similarly to a brightening serum—with vitamin C, soothing papaya seed oil, and squalane oil among the ingredients—but uses reflective minerals, like mica and titanium dioxide, to deliver very subtle luminosity to skin. Wear it mixed into foundation, or alone for a subtle improvement on your own skin.
- Number of Shades: 2
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, papaya seed oil, squalane
- Who It’s For: Anyone seeking an even lighter alternative to tinted moisturizer
Best for Face and Body: Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: This skin-care-inspired serum sets out to nourish and protect skin while imparting a sheer wash of color on the face, décolletage, and shoulders—making it a favorite of Gerstein’s. “I like that the drops contain niacinamide, which is a great ingredient for smoothing the appearance of the skin,” she says, noting that they layer beautifully beneath makeup. Also inside are peptides, antioxidants, and fatty acid-rich oils, which deliver healthier skin over time in addition to an immediate, gold-tinted finish.
- Number of Shades: 1
- Key Ingredients: Cocoa extract, peptides, white tea extract
- Who It’s For: Everyone seeking a sheer tint from head to toe
Best for Oily Skin: Kosas Glow I.V. Vitamin-Infused Skin Illuminating Enhancer
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: The options are endless with this highlighter in hand. It can be used as a radiance-boosting base beneath foundation, mixed into foundation, or over makeup to highlight cheeks, brows, and the cupid's bow. At the same time, it uses algae extracts and glutathione to brighten and revive skin, as well as a lineup of minerals that reflect and diffuse light—giving skin a lit-from-within look. It’s also non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores.
- Number of Shades: 7
- Key Ingredients: Algae extract, squalane, glutathione
- Who It’s For: People who enjoy experimentation, or those with oily or acne-prone skin
Best for Dry Skin: Westman Atelier Liquid Super Loaded
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: While some bronzing drops may appear streaky on dry skin types, that’s not the case here. For that reason, Gerstein reaches for these for her clients who need extra hydration, as “they add moisture and luminosity,” she says. They nourish skin with a combination of tsubaki oil, avocado seed oil, and squalane, and use reflective mica to leave skin with a subtle glow. While there are three shades, they’re intended to be used to create different looks (versus adhering to specific skin tones).
- Number of Shades: 3
- Key Ingredients: Avocado seed oil, tsubaki oil, vitamin C
- Who It’s For: Those prone to dryness
Best for Dull Skin: Pai Skincare The Impossible Glow
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: Although the Impossible Glow is more of a makeup product—serving as a highlighter rather than a face serum—it's still infused with skin-care mainstays like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C-rich lemon fruit water. Mica gives it a pearlescent sheen and, alongside titanium dioxide and iron oxide (the same minerals used to defend against sun protection), lends intense, buildable color and radiance.
- Number of Shades: 3
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, sea kelp extract, lemon fruit water
- Who It’s For: Those seeking radiance
Best for Sensitive Skin: Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: The answer to the brand’s bestselling Dew Drops—the brand’s inaugural makeup-skin-care hybrid—this formulation pairs an array of soothing ingredients, like niacinamide and centella asiatica, with mica to give skin a touch of warmth. The finish is more sunkissed than bronzed, and is sheer enough for even pale skin tones.
- Number of Shades: 1
- Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, centella asiatica,
- Who It’s For: People with fair skin
Best Pigments: Armani Beauty Fluid Sheer Glow Enhancer Highlighter
Photo: Courtesy of Ingu Chen & Fujio Emura
- Why We Love It: What this luminizer lacks in skin-care ingredients, it makes up for in elegance: The versatile formula adds a touch of radiance however you use it, whether to highlight, lend an ethereal glow, or create a healthy flush on the cheeks. Not only is it supremely easy to blend, but the formula also comes in six shades that encompass all preferences, whether you use it to elevate blush or add dimension to bronzer.
- Number of Shades: 6
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, mica
- Who It’s For: People who want flexibility
Best Long-wear: Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Highlighting Fluid
- Why We Love It: For a sheen without the sparkle, consider this glow-enhancing liquid, which pulls off the impossible: It offers all-day wear with a weightless feel. The subtle, dewy glow it creates can elevate the look of other complexion products when used as a makeup primer; otherwise, mix a few drops into foundation for a bit more coverage.
- Number of Shades: 2
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, dimethicone
- Who It’s For: People who want their glow to last all day
Best Shade Range: Dior Forever Glow Star Filter
- Why We Love It: With an impressive lineup of shades, this illuminating liquid is one of the few to offer blurring properties. Moreover, it’s easy to blend, actively hydrates skin, and leaves skin with a soft-focus glow that eschews the need for foundation (although you can mix the two for additional coverage). After, skin appears more radiant without a hint of shimmer. Though, those with sensitive skin should keep in mind this formula isn't fragrance free.
- Number of Shades: 10
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, vitamin E, hibiscus extract
- Who It’s For: Anyone desiring a close match to their skin tone
Best Drops: True Botanicals Bronze Well Regenerative Glow
- Why We Love It: Apply True Botanicals’s bronzing drops as a final, glow-boosting step in your skin-care routine for natural-looking luminosity. After a good bottle shake, pump three to six drops into the palms of your hands then dab onto skin, or mix it in straight with your moisturizer—dealer’s choice. Packed with a plethora of botanically-derived oils (apricot kernel, coriander seed, lemon leef, jojoba) and extracts, these glow drops infuse skin with burst of antioxidants to combat dryness and fine lines—plus, calendula oil to soothe redness and even the skin tone.
- Number of Shades: 1
- Key Ingredients: Apricot kernel oil, Rosa canina fruit extract, olive oil, calendula, tocopherol, coriander seed oil, jojoba oil, lemon leaf oil, rosemary leaf extract
- Who It’s For: Anyone seeking a subtle, warm glow with skincare makeup hybrid benefits
Best Drugstore: L’Oréal True Match Lumi Glotion
- Why We Love It: It may not look like an A-lister staple, but L’Oréal’s True Match Lumi Glotion is responsible for Kendall Jenner’s sun-kissed skin (as she shared exclusively with Vogue). It’s also gone viral on TikTok, thanks in part to its lightweight nature and nourishing feel; the formula is infused with glycerin and shea butter, and lends an immediate sheen to skin. The five shades allow for flexibility in how it’s used—darker shades can contour, while lighter shades are ideal for highlighting.
- Number of Shades: 5
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, glycerin, jojoba esters
- Who It’s For: Those seeking a hydrating option
Everything You Need To Know
What do bronzing drops do?
Bronzing drops lend a warm, radiant finish to skin, but still look natural and subtle compared to their powder or cream counterparts, according to Barose. “They’re ideal for someone who likes their complexion makeup to be more bare and sheer,” he says. The formulas are infused with varying levels of pigment, and some even contain skin-care ingredients like hyaluronic acid (to hydrate), niacinamide (to soothe and brighten), and squalane (to smooth).
Bronzing drops are worth considering if you find “that traditional bronzer formulations go muddy or patchy,” says Gerstein. They’re also particularly helpful for those with fair skin, since they can be blended into virtually nothing—meaning “you can really control the application to achieve your desired effect,” she says.
While they’re called bronzing drops, depending on the exact hue, they can double as highlighter and even lend a gleam to blush in a pinch. Because they’re liquid, Barose cautions against layering them over cream and powder foundations, which can lead to caking. Instead, they’re best paired with similarly lightweight makeup, like tinted moisturizer or liquid foundations.
How To Apply Bronzing Drops
The beauty of bronzing drops is that they’re particularly forgiving—and versatile. Gerstein recommends thinking of them “as a layer in your skin care, so that you really work the product into the skin, including the neck and décolleté,” she says. You can also blend a few drops with your moisturizer for the most seamless effect.
As part of your overarching makeup routine, meanwhile, Barose recommends applying moisturizer, a base layer of tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation, and then your bronzing drops. “Apply one drop on the forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin, then blend it in with a damp sponge or buffing blush,” he says. “Try mimicking how the sun naturally hits your face.” He also recommends adding a few drops directly to your liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer before applying it to boost its warmth.
Gerstein, for her part, likes to follow her bronzing drops with a cream- or powder-based bronzer. “I find that layering the different finishes provides the most authentic-looking warmth to the skin,” she says.
How do bronzing drops differ from tanning drops?
Bronzing drops add a subtle gleam to skin, but depending on the exact shade, they can also highlight and give skin a rosy look. They’re usually sheer and subtle, designed for a more minimalist effect—and, of course, they’re a makeup product, so they wash off with makeup remover.
Tanning drops, meanwhile, use dihydroxyacetone, or DHA; this reacts with keratin, a protein in the skin, to release pigment in superficial layers of skin. The result is a temporary tan that can last for days. They also typically don’t include light-reflective ingredients, and therefore don’t necessarily look luminous.
How do I choose the right shade of bronzing drops for my skin tone?
It depends on the formula. Many bronzing drops are sheer enough that they complement every skin tone (since your own is visible through it). Meanwhile, some with more pigment typically offer more shades, so you can find what works best with your skin tone. And others yet are designed to function as highlighter and blush, so it’s more a matter of preference.
- Suzy Gerstein is a New York based celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Leighton Meister, Julie Bowen, Tory Burch, Helena Christensen, and more.
- Nick Barose is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Jane Fond, Kim Cattrall, and Heather Graham.
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