Best fake tan 2023: 9 self-tan picks that guarantee a golden glow

Looking for the best fake tan to deliver a natural-looking glow and doesn't take hours to apply? We've got you covered

A collage of the best fake tans
(Image credit: Future)

Looking for the best fake tan that’s easy to apply when you’ve got a quick 20 minutes to yourself during your baby's naptime? We’ve got you covered.

Nothing will perk up your complexion and boost your confidence quite like a tan, and if two weeks in the Algarve isn’t in your future, then a faux glow is the next best thing. Gone are the days when fake tan meant orange, streaky skin and bed sheets that resembled a crime scene – the next generation of tans are far more sophisticated. They’re quick to develop, easy to use and are packed with skincare-worthy ingredients. Many have even managed to banish that tell-tale biscuity smell too. In short, you won’t be needing to learn how to remove fake tan in a hurry. 

“A good fake tan is one that leaves your skin feeling hydrated and looking like you’ve just returned from a two-week holiday for a fraction of the price,” says Nicky Matthews, tanning expert and founder of Sienna X. “The result should be a natural-looking, streak-free tan with even coverage.” Too much to ask? Absolutely not, as the tried and tested tans in our round-up prove. 

Remember though, just because you might look bronzed that doesn’t mean you get a free pass on sun protection. You’ll still need to be topping up with the best suncream for body and best sunscreen for your face to shield your skin – especially during the summer months. 

What to consider when looking for the best fake tan

  • Shade: Most tans come in a choice of two or three shades – normally light, medium or dark. Some brands go beyond this, and take the undertones of your skin into consideration too. St Moritz has a range of colour-correcting tans, and Bondi Sands has recently launched their Technicolor collection which caters for cool, olive, golden and deep skin tones. 
  • Formula: Fake tan can take many different forms. There are creams, lotions, mousses, mists, waters and drops. The type of tan you choose will depend on the kind of textures you like, convenience and the look you’re going for. 
  • Time: Some tans need to be left on overnight for around eight hours while express formulas only need to be on your skin for as little as one hour. The latter will be the best fake tan for you if you don’t like sleeping in it or are worried about staining your sheets. 
  • Gradual or not gradual: If you’re a fake tan newbie, or only want to dip your toe in, gradual tan is a great option. You won’t get a look-at-me glow overnight but can build up  the colour over a few days. It’s a great slap-on-and-go solution if you’re short on time. 
  • Guide colour: The guide colour in your tan is an instant tint to help you see any areas you might have missed. This colour doesn’t stay on the skin and comes off when you shower,  but is the part of the tan that tends to stain your sheets. Not all tans have a guide colour. 

Best fake tan for a golden glow 

Tan-Luxe Express Tanning Mousse

(Image credit: Tan Luxe)

1. Tan-Luxe Express Tanning Mousse

Best fake tan overall

Specifications

RRP: £37
Choice of shades : No
Gradual : No
Time: Needs to be left on for 1-3 hours
Formula: Mousse
Guide colour: No

Reasons to buy

+
Long-lasting colour
+
Quick to use

Reasons to avoid

-
No choice of shades

Low on time? This is the best fake tan for you. Instead of needing to marinate on your skin overnight, it only needs to be left on for between 30 minutes and three hours depending on how deep a glow you want. We’ve been experimenting with timings, and have found that if you shower after one hour then the tan that develops over the next eight hours or so is the perfect depth for faking a two-week holiday - and it lasts for a whole week. 

The fade is super even too, and you don’t get those annoying patches in the crease of your elbow or blotchy-looking feet. The lack of guide colour put us off a bit at first - and does mean you have to really pay attention to avoid any missed spots, but the extra few minutes spent here still outweighs the potential time spent re-washing orange bed sheets. 

Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tan

(Image credit: Garnier)

2. Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tan

Best fake tan for a gradual glow

Specifications

RRP: £12
Choice of shades: Yes
Gradual: Yes
Time: Needs to be left on for around 8 hours
Formula: Lotion
Guide colour: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Easy to use
+
Builds nicely

Reasons to avoid

-
May be too light for some

We’re big believers that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, and there’s a reason why Garnier Summer Body has been earning its keep in our bathroom cupboards for so many years. One of the original gradual tans, it’s the perfect best fake tan choice if you want to take a softly-softly approach to tanning rather than going the whole bronze.

Our Senior Beauty Editor Rhiannon Derbyshire is very much a tan-phobe, and finds the admin of having to remember to exfoliate and shave 24 hours before a bit much. What she loves about this is that you can use it the same slightly haphazard way you might apply a body lotion – without having to worry about going patchy or orange. It’s one of those tans that absolutely anyone could use and is pretty much foolproof. It adds a subtle hint of colour immediately, which is handy for mornings when you want to wear a skirt or dress and don’t want to look too pasty. If you want to be really bronzed, use it for two or three days in a row – this tactic has never steered us wrong so far. 

Bondi Sands Techocolor 1 Hour Express Self-Tanning Foam

(Image credit: Bondi Sands)

3. Bondi Sands Techocolor 1 Hour Express Self-Tanning Foam

Best fake tan for all skin tones

Specifications

RRP: £19.99
Choice of shades: Yes
Gradual: No
Time: Needs to be left on for 1-3 hours
Formula: Mousse
Guide colour: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Great for all skin tones
+
Mousse texture

Reasons to avoid

-
Not super long lasting

We touched on this a little bit earlier, but tanning brands are stepping away from the idea that you choose your shade solely by the depth of tan you want to achieve, and are now taking your undertones into account too. We used Bondi Sand’s Technocolour shade finder and were given the shade Cool, which is the best fake tan for (you guessed it) a cool undertone as well as a pale complexion. Instead of the usual caramel or brown hue fake tan, the foam guide colour is a sort of sludgy grey, which initially made our skin look a little bit sickly. 

There’s method to it though, as that blue/grey shade is there to help you steer clear of the orange hues that look unnatural on this skin tone. We left the mousse on for an hour before showering, and had ourselves a healthy-looking glow within eight hours. It isn’t super long-lasting, and had mostly faded after about three days, but would be great for a special occasion or weekend away. 

This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle

(Image credit: This Works)

4. This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle

Best fake tan for legs

Specifications

RRP: £40
Choice of shades: No
Gradual: No
Time: Instant
Formula: Serum
Guide colour: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Silky, blurring effect
+
Natural-looking tint

Reasons to avoid

-
Can run in contact with water

Self-conscious about your legs? You’re definitely not alone. This tinted serum is a real oldie but goodie when it comes to the best fake tan, and one that this beauty team come back to time and time again. It’s instant, which means no development time, and washes off, which means no need to exfoliate away. The downside of this is that it can be displaced if you get your legs wet when wearing it (we’ve learnt that the hard way) so try to be careful of spilt drinks and getting caught in the rain without a brolly. 

It has a serum texture that melts onto the skin and is easy to blend, and because it’s tinted you can instantly see any missed patches. One coat delivers a glossy finish and what we like to call taking-the-edge-off colour to make stark, sun-starved legs not look quite so pale – but you can apply a second layer if you want to go deeper. Although it says legs in the name, it works just as well on the rest of your body too. 

Utan Coconut Tanning Water

(Image credit: Utan)

5. Utan Coconut Tanning Water

Best fake tan mist

Specifications

RRP: £18
Choice of shades: No
Gradual: Yes
Time: Needs to be left on for 4-6 hours
Formula: Mist
Guide colour: No

Reasons to buy

+
Lightweight on skin
+
Non-pore clogging 

Reasons to avoid

-
Scent won't be for everyone

If you hate the feeling of heavy or sticky products on your skin then you’ll love this spray. It has a super lightweight, watery texture and feels a bit like the sprays you use to set your makeup in place. It does actually say on the instructions that you can use it like a setting spray and wear over your makeup, but we were nervous that it might lead to a patchy finish, and played it safe by only using on clean skin. If you were braver than us, we think it could work well - especially as the mist is colourless so won’t distort the shade of your foundation. 

Aside from the lightweight texture and ease of use, what we also really liked about this best fake tan is that it smells like coconuts, so you get that hint of holiday feeling without having to book a flight. The colour develops over about six hours, and we were left with a convincing glow that didn’t settle into fine lines on our face or amplify neck wrinkles

ienna X Self Tan Q10 Tinted Mousse

(Image credit: Sienna X)

6. Sienna X Self Tan Q10 Tinted Mousse

Best fake tan mousse

Specifications

RRP: £24
Choice of shades: No
Gradual: No
Development time: Needs to be left for 8 hours
Formula: Mousse
Guide colour: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Deep colour
+
Leaves skin soft

Reasons to avoid

-
Can mark sheets

There’s a reason why the majority of best fake tan for body are mousses, and that’s because they’re so easy to use without dripping the excess all over your wrists or the bathroom floor. What we like about this one is not just the texture, but the formula too, which is enriched with vitamin E and aloe vera alongside the powerful antioxidant Q10 to leave the skin feeling soft and smooth. The mousse itself is super silky, and does a brilliant job of blurring things like spider veins and shaving scars on our legs. 

It needs to be left on overnight, and the shade is medium to dark, so this is only really going to be a good option if you have a naturally deeper skin tone or favour an intense glow. If you’re a beginner, we’d say start with your legs first and see how you get on before applying all-over. It dries quickly as you use it, so you need to buff relatively fast, but the benefit is that the guide colour won’t transfer quite so much onto your sheets. 

St Tropez Purity Bronzing Water Gel

(Image credit: St Tropez)

7. St Tropez Purity Bronzing Water Gel

Best fake tan for a natural glow

Specifications

RRP: £33
Choice of shades: No
Gradual: Yes
Time: Needs to be left on for around 8 hours
Formula: Gel
Guide colour: No

Reasons to buy

+
Gorgeous texture
+
Great for pale skin tones

Reasons to avoid

-
Won't be dark enough for some

This is a favourite of our Beauty Editor Stephanie Maylor, who’s found that her penchant for white bedding and bath sheets hasn’t always gelled with her love of fake tan. What’s brilliant about this water gel is that it’s clear, which means there’s no colour to transfer. 

If you’re used to applying a mousse with a guide colour, don’t worry, this is so easy to blend and we’re yet to detect a streak, so you really don’t miss that tint. Even better, there’s absolutely no hint of that typical fake tan smell, only a beautifully zesty, peach-like scent. The gel is light, but crucially, not runny, so it’s easy to smooth over skin. It doesn’t deliver a deep, dark tan – more of a soft golden tint – so it’s one of the best fake tans for paler skin tones. 

Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops

(Image credit: Isle of Paradise)

8. Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops

Best fake tan drops

Specifications

RRP: £20
Choice of shades: Yes
Gradual : Depends on how much you use
Time: Needs to be left on for around 8 hours
Formula: Drops
Guide colour: No

Reasons to buy

+
Can be added to moisturiser
+
Customisable colour 

Reasons to avoid

-
Need to work out how many drops work for you

Tanning drops like these are brilliant as they put you in control of how deep your tan goes. Plus, you can mix them with your moisturiser, which means you don’t have to compromise on your skincare routine either. Isle of Paradise’s tanning drops are one of our favourites and come in three shades depending on your starting skin tone and the shade you hope to end up. The peach one is for fair to light skin, the green one is for medium and the purple is for tan to deep complexions. 

As they are so customisable, you can adjust slightly if you buy the wrong one. For example, we’ve been known to use more of the light or less of the medium depending on which ones we have in the bathroom cabinet. Start off by just adding a couple of drops to your moisturiser and see how it looks by morning – you can always add more the next day. Oh, and given it’s not the sort of tan you use a mitt with, it is super important to wash your hands after use to avoid stained palms. We forgot, and the fade on our palms took a good week. 

Tan Luxe The Crème Advanced Hydration Self-Tan Facial Crème

(Image credit: Tan Luxe)

9. Tan Luxe The Crème Advanced Hydration Self-Tan Facial Crème

The best fake tan for face

Specifications

Choice of shades: £39
Choice of shades: No
Gradual: Yes
Time: Needs to be left on for 8 hours
Formula: Cream
Guide colour: No

Reasons to buy

+
Nourishing on skin
+
Leaves skin soft 

Reasons to avoid

-
Needs to be built up

Tanning your face is a tricky one, as it tends to mean having to sacrifice your normal night-time moisturiser in favour of a tanning product. Combine this with the fact that DHA, the active ingredient in fake tan, is notoriously dehydrating, and a bronzed face comes at the price of parched, slightly uncomfortable skin. We thank our lucky stars then for Tan Luxe The Crème, which is packed with skincare-worthy moisturising ingredients like squalane and glycine, to nourish at the same time as tanning. 

We smoothed on before bed and woke up to a brighter, healthier-looking complexion, so we’d count this as one of the best night creams for glowing skin. We went pretty sparingly on application and found that the finish was initially pretty subtle, so built it up over a couple of nights to achieve a really noticeable tan. It’s a good one for blurring redness and tired eyes, helping to do some of the leg work for your eye cream for dark circles too.  

How we tested the best fake tan

a couple of the best fake tan ready for testing

(Image credit: Jess Beech)

When testing the best fake tans we applied each to clean skin using a mitt. We left them on for a week to see how they faded over time and then exfoliated away the remaining tan away to repeat the process with the next one. The ones that made this list all delivered on the following criteria:

  • Easy to apply – We all lead busy lives, and no one wants a tan that requires you to study the instructions before applying. To slot seamlessly into our day it needs to be intuitive to use. 
  • Non-streaky – A streaky tan is not what we’re aiming for here. We want the fake stuff to deliver an even, natural-looking colour that doesn’t cling in particular places and leave others pale. 
  • Fades evenly – It’s unrealistic to expect your fake tan to stay at its just-applied best for more than a couple of days, but what you don’t want is a tan that fades in patches.
  • Believable colour – Ideally, your faux glow should be the kind that invites compliments like ‘you look well’ and ‘have you been away?’ rather than ‘which fake tan are you using’? It shouldn’t be too much deeper than your natural skin tone, or stray into orange territory. 

How to apply fake tan successfully

For a successful, streak-free tan application, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Make sure you have exfoliated the skin to remove any built-up dead skin cells and residual tan from the surface of your skin. It’s best to do this 24-48 hours in advance.
  • Step 2: Apply a generous layer of a thick moisturiser to your elbows, knees, hands and feet. This will create a barrier between the skin and your tan, and prevent it from becoming too dark in these naturally drier areas. 
  • Step 3: Start off with your lower body, applying the tan to your legs with a clean mitt in smooth, circular movements. Depending on the tan you’re using, you may need to work fast before it starts to dry. 
  • Step 4: Lightly smooth any excess on the mitt over your knees and feet. 
  • Step 5: Move on to your upper body. Again, use circular motions with the mitt. Smooth any excess onto the backs of your hands. 
  • Step 6: To tan your face you can either use the excess on the mitt or a separate formula. Either way, make sure you blend well into the neck. If you have blonde or grey hair, cover your hairline and eyebrows with a slick of Vaseline to stop them from developing an orange tinge. 

How to make fake tan last longer

To make your fake tan last longer, the pros recommend you treat it like you would a real tan. Focus on hydration, and avoid anything that can dehydrate or strip the skin. 

“Make sure you’re moisturising your skin and drinking lots of water,” says Rebecca Mone, CEO of tanning brand Utan. “A long-lasting tan starts with a good application and continues with regular moisturising of the skin.”

Exfoliation, either with scrubs or body creams that contain liquid exfoliants like alpha and beta-hydroxy acids, is great for removing tan, so will cause it to fade faster if you use them in between. The same goes for retinol, a potent anti-ageing ingredient that speeds up cell turnover and will therefore send your tan packing sooner than planned. “We also recommend that you avoid extra hot showers and chlorinated pools,” adds Rebecca. 

If you want your fake tan to last for as long as possible (and let’s face it, who has time for multiple applications during the week) then it also pays to go a bit deeper with the initial colour. “When applying your tan, also ensure you’re using enough and don’t be put off by a very deep guide colour,” Rebecca continues. “If you wash your hands frequently and find that the tan fades faster here (this is common with healthcare workers) then you can make a ‘claw shape’ with your hands and mist a little tanning water over them.” Use this for touch-ups in between a weekly tanning session to save you from re-doing the whole thing. 

How to stop fake tan from going patchy

A bit like batch-cooking to set yourself up for a busy week, prepping the skin before you apply your tan will make the whole process easier – and the end result far less patchy. 

“Before you start, it’s essential to prepare your skin,” explains Nicky. “Wax or shave at least 24-48 hours before applying your fake to prevent it dotting in open pores, and make sure to exfoliate and moisturise the night before – paying extra attention to dry areas like your elbows, hands, knees and ankles.” It’s a good idea to apply extra moisturiser to these dry bits just before you start applying your tan too, because if it’s going to cling anywhere, it will be here. “Also avoid using deodorant, perfume or makeup before applying fake tan,” adds Nicky.

For the application itself, Nicky says that a clean mitt is a must. "There should be no remnants of an old tan on it,“ she warns. "Regularly clean your mitt with warm water after each use to ensure a smooth and clean application. When applying fake tan always use circular movements to blend, and use any residual tan on your mitt when you’re done to gently sweep over the hands. This will ensure that not too much product clings to the hands, and in particular the knuckles.”

If you’ve woken up to a tan that looks like a patchwork quilt, don’t panic – there are things you can do. Body oils are great for breaking down tan and will help to speed up the fading process. If you can find the time, then taking a long soak in the bath with one of the best bath oils before buffing your skin with an exfoliating mitt will also help to dissolve your tanning mishaps. 

Does fake tan give you spots?

Worried that fake tan will leave you with blemishes? Your concerns are not unfounded. “Fake tan can give you spots,” says aesthetic doctor Dr Sophie Shotter. 

“Some of the chemicals in some self-tanners can be irritant to the skin and therefore can cause flare-ups of acne and other skin conditions. The tanning agents can also clog pores, causing a build-up of sebum behind the plug of fake tan that leads to spots.”

Before you get ready to ditch your tan, don’t stress – there are ways to minimise the chance of blemishes. The best way to stop fake tan from fuelling breakouts is to make sure you’re exfoliating the skin properly before application. “The build-up of dead skin cells can cause breakouts in its own right, and so by exfoliating first you’re then minimising the risk of breakouts from the fake tan itself,” Dr Sophie says. It’s also smart to read the ingredients list. “Try to avoid products which contain mineral oil or isopropyl myristate, which are comedogenic, or sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate, amyl acetate, artificial fragrances and pigments which are irritants.”

Looking for more product recommendations? Check out our guides to the best long-lasting perfumes, and the best red lipsticks.

We spoke to the following experts:

Nicky Matthews
Nicky Matthews

Nicky is a professional spray tanning expert and founder of the tanning brand Sienna X. Fun fact: she also invented the mobile pop-up tanning concept.

Dr Sophie Shotter
Dr Sophie Shotter

Dr Sophie Shotter is an award-winning Aesthetic Doctor. She is the founder of the Illuminate Skin Clinic and practices in London’s Harley Street and Kent. 

Rebecca Mone
Rebecca Mone

Rebecca is the founder of the tanning brand UTAN which sells a variety of tanning products including waters, sprays and even tan-enhancing gummies. 

Jess Beech is our Beauty Editor, working across Goodto.com, Woman & Home, Woman, Woman’s Own, Woman’s Weekly and Chat. Joining just after she graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BA in English Literature back in 2013, Jess has been a part of the team for over 8 years. Over that time she’s tried her hand at most subjects – covering diet, health, cookery and even a stint on real life crime before settling on beauty and fashion a couple of years ago. Her average day in the office is spent tracking down high-street copies for all your favourite celebrity looks or testing the latest beauty launches to see if they really do live up to the press release. Although she writes across a wide range of topics, when it comes to beauty it’s always a new hair product that catches her eye first. Whether it’s a new frizz-fighting shampoo or a game-changing gadget, she’s first in line to try anything that might help tame her own unruly mane. When Jess isn’t at work you’re likely to find her busily making plans for her next holiday, trying out yet more beauty products or (reluctantly) heading to the gym. Oh and she’s a sucker for reality TV too – just don’t call her when Love Island is on.