If you want that perfect, summer-ready glow without jeopardizing the health of your skin, self-tanners are the option that experts recommend.
They provide a way to get that golden tan in a matter of hours, sans UVA and UVB ray exposure. However, those who have tried some of the options on the market know that they always come with a few risks, namely leaving your skin blotchy or with an orange hue. (And there’s always the risk of your sheets and towels looking equally discolored, too.)
So in the name of helping you find the very best self-tanners out there, I tried some of the most popular options on the market, from bestsellers to Shop TODAY award-winners and expert recommendations. While some left me with orange streaks, others gave me the long-lasting, glowing tan that I was looking for. Keep reading to discover all my favorites.
Best for beginners$undefined$30.00
What ingredients should you look for in a self-tanner?
Dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick previously told us that when looking for a self-tanner, you should consider finding an option with moisturizing ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid or aloe vera, “which help keep the skin hydrated and prevent dryness or flakiness,” she shared.
She added, “Some self-tanners also contain antioxidants like vitamin E, which can help protect the skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure.”
How I tested self-tanners
To pick the self-tanners, I pulled from previous expert recommendations, award-winning options, as well as editor favorites. From there, I tested eight products (all in a medium shade when applicable), using four at a time and applying each tanner to a different area of my body: one on each arm and each leg. I applied and washed off each formula according to the directions, leaving them on for a minimum of five days before using a self-tan remover to take each product off.
During that time, I observed how each one held up after sweaty workouts, nights of sleeping and days spent in the hot summer sun. I then rated them on a scale from 1-5 based on the criteria below (1 being the worst, 5 being the best):
- Ease of application: How easy was it to put on? Did it have a strong scent? Was it messy? Did it dry quickly?
- Transfer: Does it transfer onto paper towels or clothing after application? Does it continue to transfer after you wash it off?
- Results: How does the tan look? Was it orange? Did it appear natural? How did it hold up after a few days? Did it fade gradually or come off in patches?
One important thing to note is that these results are based solely on one skin type and color, so not everyone may have the same experience with each tanner.
Best overall self-tanner
Ease of application: 4/5 | Transfer: 5/5 | Results: 5/5 | Overall average score: 4.6/5
Ease of application: This tanner was super easy to apply. It comes out as a clear foam, has only a light scent and dries quickly. You do need a glove to apply it. The only reason for a slight deduction of points here was the lack of a color guide. Those who are new to self-tanning might struggle with the colorless formula and not being able to tell where it had already been applied. To help prevent mistakes, I found it helpful to go along my body in small sections and just continuously go over each area to make sure it was fully coated. You use a little more product that way, but it helps to prevent streaks.
It develops fully in around six hours, after which the brand recommends washing it off. The first time I followed the instructions and loved the results so much, I applied the tanner to my whole body and ended up falling asleep with it on and not washing it off until about nine hours later. And even then, it didn’t look overdone or fake.
Transfer: Because the formula is clear, there’s no need to worry about transfer. There was no transfer on my white towel or my white sheets after using the Tanologist water.
Results: It left my skin with a really nice golden color that didn’t look orange. There were no streaks or random discolored spots either. The color also lasted the entire week, and when it started to fade, it did so gradually and didn’t look patchy.
More of the best self-tanners, tested by an editor
Best for beginners:
Ease of application: 5/5 | Transfer: 5/5 | Results: 3.5/5 | Overall average score: 4.5/5
Ease of application: Garshick previously recommended these drops to us, saying that they “can be incorporated into a moisturizer or serum, making it easy to apply, especially when applying to the face.”
The product features a dropper top, and the brand recommends adding anywhere between two to 12 drops, depending on how deep a tan you want. It’s great because you can add it to products that you already use and know that work well for your skin, so I added 10 drops to my favorite moisturizer. You also don’t need a mitt, so it’s perfect for those who don’t want to buy extra gear. The first section I did, I used too much lotion, so I had to do a lot of rubbing in afterward and I had to wait a while for it to fully dry but that’s user error.
It can also be applied to the face, so I’ve been adding a little to my moisturizer every few nights and using it there as well.
Transfer: I didn’t notice any transfer on my white towels, so I felt fine crawling right into my white bedding after using the formula and had no issues there either.
Results: After letting it develop for about eight hours, my had a streak-free, light bronze color. It looked like I had spent an hour or two in the sun on the first sunny day of the season, not a huge difference, but definitely a little more color than my normal pale hue. I think with regular use, you would get a deeper color. But honestly, the subdued color is great for people who are just starting out.
Once again, there weren’t any patches or streaks; the only area that didn’t take on color was a patch of discoloration on my arm from previous scarring.
Best for a deeper tan:
Ease of application: 5/5 | Transfer: 2.5/5 | Results: 5/5 | Overall average score: 4.1/5
Ease of application: If you haven’t used a lot of self-tanner, you may be a bit startled when you first see the foam that comes out of the bottle, as it’s an orange-y green shade. But that really helps with seeing where you have applied and have yet to apply so you don’t miss any areas. It has a light coconut smell, it’s not super noticeable but I honestly enjoyed it. It also dries on your skin pretty quickly, and that color fades a bit as it dries.
It takes about six to eight hours to develop, so I put it on during a work-from-home day and then showered after seven hours.
Transfer: This is one area where I really wish this tanner was better. While others that I tried definitely were worse and made a mess of my towels, this one also left a light stain on the shorts I was wearing while I waited for it to develop and also on my towel after I showered (but it’s possible I also didn’t do a great job of washing it off).
Results: This delivered one of the strongest non-orange tans of the options that I tested, and the color stayed strong throughout the nearly week-long period that I kept the tan on for. I didn’t have streaks or random blotches, even after days of wear.
Best for a light tan:
Ease of application: 3/5 | Transfer: 5/5 | Results: 3/5 | Overall average score: 3.6/5
Ease of application: Because this is a lotion, you don’t need a tanning mitt to apply it, which makes it a great choice for those who are new to tanning and don’t already have the gear or are scared of a potential mess.
The lotion itself is white and feels like a regular lotion, which you can just rub all over. It takes a couple of minutes to fully rub in and you only want to use a little at a time, or else you’re left with a bit of a white cast. The brand recommends washing your hands after to prevent any staining.
It has a scent, and the scent isn’t bad or overly self-tanner-y; it’s almost tropical, but it definitely lingers until you rinse it off.
Transfer: I waited a little bit for the lotion to feel fully dry before sitting on anything, but after that, I had no issues with it transferring onto anything, from my white couch to my white towels.
Results: If you’re looking for more of a gradual tan that you can build up over time or something that will just take your color up a notch, this is a good option. The results aren’t necessarily a big change; it’s more like your natural color, but lightly enhanced. It also has ingredients like aloe vera and shea butter, so it feels pretty moisturizing for skin. There’s no mention of whether you need to wash it off, but I showered after eight hours because the scent did linger. It started to fade after a few days, but it wasn’t patchy; the color just gradually lessened.
Best express tan:
Ease of application: 3.5/5 | Transfer: 3/5 | Results: 3.5/5 | Overall average score: 3.3/5
Ease of application: This comes out as a brown foam, which is a little thin, so application isn’t totally mess-free. But for those who need a color guide, the initial brown shade showed up well on my skin, so I could easily tell the areas that had already been covered. It also didn’t have a strong smell, which I very much appreciated. It does feel a little sticky on your skin until it fully dries, and that process took about 20 to 30 minutes, I would say.
If you’re in a rush, this is a great option, as it takes just an hour for the tan to develop. I left it on for two and was left with a golden hue.
Transfer: There was a little bit of transfer here, but not nearly as much as some of the other options that I tried. I wiped my skin with a paper towel immediately after and there was a little color on the towel. There was also a little on the shorts I wore while I waited for it to develop, but it wasn’t too intense, and it washed out of my shorts pretty easily.
Results: For the price tag, you get a good, long-lasting tan that’s not streaky and doesn’t look patchy, even after days of activity and sweating. It wasn’t the strongest color, but if you left it on for the full three hours, I’m sure you’d get even more noticeable results.
Frequently asked questions
“The most important thing is going to be to exfoliate the night before because the tanner will be on the top layer of your skin," Natalia Radosz, the owner of Glow 2 Go spray tanning, previously told us. "If you don’t exfoliate, that top layer of skin is going to shed off within the next couple of days, then you’re going to be complaining that your tanner is blotchy.”
“It really depends on the person and their natural skin cycle. If their skin is shedding and very dry, then it’s going to only last five to seven days,” Radosz said. “If they’re the kind of person that drinks a lot of water, hydrates and moisturizes their skin two times a day, it can last up to two weeks.”
“The reason why it’s really hard to remove a spray tan or a self-tan is because you need to get that top layer of your skin off since it [experienced] a chemical reaction,” Radosz said. “Use a wet towel and scrub that area. If it’s something like your palm that’s dirty, you can mix a little bit of baking soda and lemon juice and then just let it sit there for five to 10 minutes, it’s going to help lighten that area.”
“If you altogether want to remove some of that tan because you feel too dark, then I would just do a hot steam shower and use soap because that’s going to get that top layer of your skin off much faster,” she added.
Why trust Shop TODAY
Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY and has been on the team for more than five years. During that time, she has tested a range of products across beauty, tech and wellness. She has compared other products for our Ranked series, including blenders, neck fans and more.
Meet the experts
- Dr. Marisa Garshick, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist working in New York and New Jersey.
- Natalia Radosz is the founder and CEO of a spray-tanning company in New York City called Glow 2 Go.
