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Sunless Tanning: Baking Is Out, Faking Is In

Experts reveal the best sunless tanning options, from sprays and bronzers to lotions and creams.

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By Katherine Kam
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Not long ago, bronzed beauties paid a hefty price for their burnished glow: prematurely aged skin and skin cancers from lying on the beach or in a tanning bed. But now, there's a smarter, faster, safer route to a golden complexion: getting a fake tan with bronzers and sunless tanners.

In fact, some dermatologists, such as Robin Ashinoff, MD, director of dermatologic and Mohs' surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, steer patients toward sunless tanners if they want more color on their skin. "It's certainly much better than going out or going to a tanning salon and getting exposed to UV light," Ashinoff says.

But with so many different products on the market, how can you know what's best for you? First, you need to know that these products fall into two main categories: cosmetic bronzers that wash off like regular makeup and sunless tanners that actually stain the skin. The color of sunless tanners fades as skin cells slough off.

Here's a guide to each type of product:

Cosmetic Bronzers and Other Wash-Off Products

These products come in several forms and add a bronzed glow to the face, legs, and body. You apply them and wash off them with soap and water later in the day, as you would with any makeup. Bronzers can spice up your skin for a special occasion or an evening out, or you can use them daily.

Christine Egashira, a Seattle-based makeup artist who travels the country with Sephora's elite Pro Beauty Team, wears bronzer daily in that cloudy Northwest climate. "There's not that much sun," she says. "I need that little 'oomph,' some type of color, some type of warmth to the skin."

Personally and professionally, she's seen the good and bad among various cosmetic bronzers.

Bronzing powders: These are the most forgiving, Egashira says. "You can perfectly place it and build on it, depending on where you want it, whether it's all over the face, down the nose, cheekbones, forehead, or chin." For the fair-skinned, Egashira recommends Fresh's Marbella Gold face bronzer; it creates a golden glow without brown or red undertones, she says. For deeper skin tones, she likes NARS Laguna bronzing powder. "It's great for that person who naturally has more of an olive undertone, just to add a little more luminosity and color to their face."

Bronzing gels: Compared to powders, it's harder to see where you are putting these on, making them more difficult to work with, Egashira says. They also may lead to that dreaded orange tone. However, Benefit's Talk to the Tan is a popular product for those who prefer gels, she says.

Spray bronzers: Egashira appreciates the ease of these sprays. "You can do a really quick spray on the face, neck, decollete, or whatever area you're trying to give a little more warmth to," Egashira says. "You can do it after your makeup is on to give it that subtle hint of color." She says she's "a big fan" of Dior Bronze Sun Powder Spray. "I love it because the colors show up amazingly well on all skin tones."