I tested 13 bronzing drops — and a drugstore product gave the best glow | CNN Underscored (2024)

E.l.f.'s bronzing drops are not only my favorite alternative to the pricey and viral bronzing drops from Drunk Elephant, but my favorite formula in the category overall. The serum drops are easy to mix into moisturizer or foundation, and you can amp up the bronze tint as much or as little as you like. They even have some skin benefits thanks to vitamin E and sunflower seed oil. They come in three flexible shades that you can use alone or together for a more dimensional effect.

Drunk Elephant's D-Bronzi drops made the category popular with its gel/serum formula. And I can see why this is the formula that went viral — it's difficult to overdo it with the user-friendly formula. Whether mixed with moisturizer or a skin tint, the drops deliver an instant tan. Plus, along with the bronze, glowy finish, it's packed with skin care ingredients such as peptides, antioxidant chronocylin and cocoa extract. This means they help defend the skin from environmental factors while adding an effortless glow. However, at nearly $40, it's a premium price and there are now so many other products that can give you a similar look.

Makeup by Mario's serum bronzer features an innovative applicator that allows you to either pump the product out or use the doe foot applicator to strategically place it on your face. The formula itself is lightweight and blends out sheer yet buildable. You don't need to mix this one with a base product, but you will want to be thorough about blending it out since it is more pigmented. It has a natural finish and doesn't add any extra shine, so it's great if you prefer a matte look.

These bronzing drops have a more liquid formula compared to others I tried and I preferred mixing them in with my moisturizer rather than my colored base product because they have a decent amount of shimmer. Applying my foundation or tinted moisturizer on top of this helped tone back the shimmer but still allowed for the bronzing effect to shine through. The drops come in three shades — Sheer Bronzed, Sheer Golden and Sheer Rose Gold — which all have that shimmery effect.

This multi-tasking formula comes out of the bottle in a shimmery, copper serum. For noticeable bronzing, you can apply one or two pumps of it alone over your skin care. It feels nourishing on the skin, like another light layer of hydration. Plus, the drops have skin benefits from niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and calming centella asiatica. For makeup, it can be mixed with foundation or tinted moisturizer, tapped onto the high points of the face as a highlighter or even swept onto the eyelids for a sheer wash of color (the formula is ophthalmologist tested). Because of its versatile applications, it's one of my favorite formulas from the bunch.

These bronzing drops come in a syringe-like applicator — but don't worry there aren't any needles involved. Simply click to dispense the bronzing serum, and then mix in with your moisturizer or base product. The formula is thicker and gel-like, with noticeable shimmer and a deeper pigment right off the bat. Because of the borderline sparkly finish, it's best for a full glam look or if you typically prefer a shimmery powder bronzer. You can even use these bronzing drops like a highlighter and tap them onto the high points of your cheeks.

This serum doesn't have to be mixed in with a base product, but I would recommend it. While you can simply apply a pump or two on the face after moisturizer and before your color complexion products, I found that this method gave a more intense color. It would look great on the legs or shoulders for an instant tan, but on the face, I preferred to mix it in with my moisturizer and use it as a subtle tint for my no-makeup days. Either way, it was easy to blend in. I also loved that the formula includes some of my favorite skin care ingredients — hydrating squalane and oil-controlling niacinamide.

Indeed Labs' Nanobronze Bronzing Drops add a warm glow to the complexion without shimmer, making them a close match to Drunk Elephant and E.l.f.'s bronzing drops. They can be applied mixed into a base or on their own, although I'd recommend the former. A little goes a long way with the concentrated drops, and it's easier to get even coverage when they're mixed in with moisturizer or a complexion product. Nanobronze is available in two shades, Original and Deep.

Saie's liquid bronzer is actually more creamy than liquid. It feels a bit thicker on the skin when first applied, and looks opaque before blending. Despite it's pigmented formula, you don't have to mix it in with a base. When you start blending, it easily becomes a sheer veil of color. The brand recommends using a brush to buff it out, avoiding dragging the product in circular motions. This can disturb any makeup worn underneath the bronzer and create a muddy look. Instead, tapping with a brush or your fingers will create a natural, seamless finish.

Technically tanning drops and not bronzing drops, these will help you build a sun-kissed tan sans the sun. The fast-acting formula claims to develop a golden glow in just a few hours. While I didn't notice a dramatic difference when it came to increasing my tan in only one day, the gold-tinged formula did add a healthy, illuminated look that had me coming back for more. As with other self tanners, using it consistently will result in more pronounced results.