Post-aughts, I sort of thought self-tanners had more or less phased out of popularity. But what I didn’t realize was that self-tanners didn’t go away; they just got better. But before we get to that, a bit of back story on how self-tanners work. The active ingredient in sunless tanners is dihydroxyacetone (DHA). It penetrates the naturally occurring dead skin cells on your epidermis and darkens them, mimicking a tan. The most common DHA is synthetic, but it can be derived from sugar, which is what you’ll find in natural options. Natural DHAs work the same way as your traditional options. How deep a product “builds” depends on how potent the DHA is in the formula. Then, as your dead skin cells slough off, or as you exfoliate, you’ll see your tan fade. The formula looks, feels, and smells like any daily body lotion might: Along with the natural DHA, it’s made with noni fruit extract and rosehip seed oil for added skin care benefits. I applied it post-shower after toweling off completely dry. Then I applied it like I might my regular lotion, just with more attention and care to how I blended it in. And unlike with my regular lotion, I waited until I was completely dry (and then some; I wasn’t going to take any patch-inducing risks) to put my clothing on. And this option, true to its name, is gradual. For best sun-kissed results, you should use it regularly, and you’ll start to see color within a few days. Then, once you reach your desired tone, you can switch to every other day—or as needed. Unlike the other options here, the brand recommends exfoliating 24 hours beforehand (like I noted, every application instruction is different, and you should always default to the brand’s guide). I spot-tested for this one as well, and let me tell you: This isn’t messing around. It promises up to six shades darker in four hours or under, and this can deliver. I could almost watch my little bronzed spot turning throughout the day. The final shade was so creamy soft and rich that despite the fact it was a good four shades darker than the rest of my body, it could have fooled me for the real deal.
