The Best Self-tanners of 2022

St Tropez are true veterans when it comes to self-tanners, but that doesn’t mean you always get a perfect colour from their products. With St Tropez Self Tan Purity Vitamins Bronzing Water Mist, however, it’s incredibly easy to get wonderful sun-kissed skin.

This spray product is completely transparent. This has both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that it’s not entirely clear where you’ve already sprayed yourself. The advantage is that it's not sticky and you avoid ugly stains on clothes and other things nearby. In the end, it turns out to be quite simple to get an even tan – even though the spray is uncoloured.

Easy application using a glove

As with most self-tanners, it’s best to use an applicator glove. That way you simply spray your body then rub the product in using the glove. The spray is then evenly distributed. However, do remember to do one body part at a time – otherwise the spray is likely to dry out before you have time to rub it in with the glove.

The colour develops gradually over a few hours and is really nice. It looks just as if you've spent a lot of time outdoors in the sun. Of course, it’s important to do good preparation first – if your elbows are dry, for instance, the result will be patchy. But if you make sure you exfoliate and moisturise before use, the colour will be nice and even.

Beautiful tropical scent

It’s impossible to completely mask the smell of a self-tanning product – but during the actual spraying, St Tropez Self Tan Purity Vitamins Bronzing Water Mist smells beautifully tropical. But for hours afterwards it smells clearly of self-tanner. For a nice, even colour, combined with simple application, St Tropez Self Tan Purity Vitamins Bronzing Water Mist is a great choice.

The first thing that strikes you when you open Tan-Luxe The Gradual is how fresh it smells – there’s none of that overwhelmingly strong classic self-tanner smell, just a fresh summery scent. The formula is surprisingly runny, so you have to be careful when you apply it. The Gradual doesn’t require an application mitt, but if you already have one at home it’s not a bad idea to use it because it will make the result more even.

The Gradual gives a fast and thorough result. Don’t be fooled by the name – the colour doesn’t appear gradually but all at once. It’s very quick, and within just a couple of hours you can be proud of really nice suntan. Because it produces so much colour all at once, you have to be careful not to over apply it. You can get a long way with a thin layer, which also makes The Gradual economical, and means it lasts longer than you’d think when you first see the bottle.

The product is absorbed quickly and feels light but moisturising on the skin, and as long as you work it in thoroughly (just like any normal body lotion), Tan-Luxe’s The Gradual gives an unbeatably fresh and natural result.

Effective, economical and with a pleasant scent – The Gradual by Tan-Luxe will become a favourite in your bathroom cabinet.

Cocoa Brown has exploded on the market and become very popular recently. When you spray out the firm mousse it gives off a soft, sweet scent that smells like a handful of summer. The light brown colour makes it easy to apply in an even layer. The mousse is also slightly golden, which gives a pleasant lustre and immediately makes you feel more attractive. One of the best characteristics of Cocoa Brown, and an aspect that makes it stand out from other products, is that it's pretty much not sticky at all. It's absorbed by the skin very quickly without it being at all difficult to spread the mousse evenly over the skin.

Cocoa Brown can be rinsed off after one, two or three hours depending on how dark a colour you require. So you can't apply it in the evening before going to bed. Obviously this is a problem if you have an active lifestyle. On the other hand, it's a great way to control the result. Sadly a result that produced more colour would have been helpful, as it's a very weak shade. Although it is natural and attractive. The scent of the self-tanner comes through quite a lot, but because you do shower off the product that doesn't matter too much. Cocoa Brown has become popular for good reason. With an attractive result and a good price, this product deserves a top position.

This self-tanner delivers a wonderful golden and natural shade. St. Tropez has quickly become one of the most popular manufacturers in this area, and that's no surprise. The results are quite simply very good. For application, you use an applicator mitt which makes it easy to spread the mousse over your skin. The product is brownish, which makes it easier to get an even result as you can see where you've already applied it. This bronzing mousse gives a good result even after one use, which means that you have to be extra careful to apply it everywhere. If you miss a bit it's guaranteed to be visible the next day.

St. Tropez have succeeded pretty well in concealing the typical self-tanner scent. When the mousse is applied it takes a while for it to dry, which means it's best to apply it in the evening. The brownish colour means that white sheets risk being slightly stained, but you can get rid of the colour by washing them. At first glance, the product may seem expensive, but it's economical and so it lasts a long time. In combination with the simple application and fantastic end results, this means that St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse gets a good score.

Dove's cream gradually creates a beautiful, natural suntanned shade. As the colour is built up gradually over several applications, you don't end up with stripes or dark patches. In combination with the light consistency, this makes the cream easy to use. Dove's self-tanner can be used to advantage on already naturally suntanned skin to reinforce your suntan and create more lustre. As the cream is quite sticky after application, you should wait until it's been completely absorbed before getting dressed if you want to avoid unsightly stains.

One positive characteristic is that Dove have pretty much succeeded in concealing the unique scent of self-tanners. Instead, DermaSpa Summer Revived has a pleasantly mild perfumey scent. The cream is available in two different shades, so that you can adapt the suntan better to your own skin tone. It produces a pale shade of brown, which means that you can even use the darker shade on lighter skin if you want a more intense result. The fact that Dove DermaSpa Summer Revived can so easily be adapted to the depth of effect you want is only one of this self-tanner's strong points. It's also extremely cheap in comparison with similar products, which makes it a very good-value-for-money option.

With its Super Glow Hyaluronic Self-Tan Serum, Tan-Luxe is flirting with skincare, not only in terms of ingredients but also with the look of the packaging. This self-tanning serum comes in a stylish frosted glass bottle equipped with a pipette, which is undeniably reminiscent of skincare. With hyaluronic acid, coconut oil and raspberry seed oil on the list of ingredients, it’s also plain that this serum is intended to do a little more than just gradually build a tan. It also offers a moisturising and slightly firming effect.

Tan-Luxe Super Glow Hyaluronic Self-Tan Serum has a rather peculiar smell when you sniff the bottle. Luckily, you hardly notice this smell when applying the serum to your face. Nor did the test person’s partner – who usually reacts to the classic “yeasty” smell of self-tanning lotions – notice anything.

Hydrates and evenly tans your face

The product, which you apply like a normal serum, is quickly absorbed and works well as part of your normal skincare routine. Even on very fair skin, the result is subtle and looks natural. If you apply it in the evening and find the result a bit too light in the morning, wait a day or so before reapplying, as the colour will continue to deepen throughout the day.

It gives a nice and even result – on drier areas of skin as well. As the serum is transparent, it’s important to keep track of where you’ve applied it, so you don't miss any part of your face. This serum also made our skin feel plumper and well moisturised, which we really liked. A radiant glow and deep hydration are a winning combination.

Ida Warg has a reputation for effective and affordable self-tanning products. Ida Warg Tanning Drops are no exception.

These Tanning Drops come in attractive transparent plastic packaging that clearly lets you see how much is left. The packaging has relevant information that the product is vegan and fragrance-free, but the instruction text and list of ingredients on the back of the bottle are almost too tiny to read. The instructions in this case are also important, as you should mix these drops with your ordinary moisturiser and it would be a pity to miss this vital detail.

The product is fragrance-free, but of course this doesn't mean that the dreaded self-tan smell isn't there. DHA, the substance that develops the tan and reacts with your skin, is the reason for this smell. As long as a self-tan product contains DHA, there’s really no avoiding this smell. This also applies to Ida Warg Tanning Drops.

Add only a few drops for an even, sun-kissed result

To achieve an even and natural-looking tan, you must be careful not to add too many drops to your face cream. It’s better to start sparingly with just one or two drops. If you add too many, there’s a good chance your skin will look orange. So start cautiously! Mixing the drops with your skin lotion makes them easy to apply evenly to your skin. The result is free from blotches. One advantage of mixing these drops with your favourite cream is that it’s easy to combine with your regular skincare routine.

The price is very reasonable and it’s surprising to find such an easy-to-use and effective product with such a modest price tag.

Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster is a sun-tanner unlike most others. The product consists of an oil that you mix with normal body lotion. Simply add four to six drops to a squirt of body lotion, depending on the result you want. To give you an idea, this will be enough for almost an entire leg. The small bottle of concentrate is easy to handle and it's no problem to get out only one drop at a time. However, it's hard to say how practical it is to have to mix the product with lotion. If you've got a really good cream, of course there's a point, but otherwise it's mainly just a pain. The concentrate also dilutes the cream somewhat, so that it becomes thinner than it was before.

Unfortunately, the unique scent of self-tanner also emerges when you apply the concentrate. How much you notice this obviously depends on the lotion you've mixed it with. The colour from the product is very good, quite warm in tone, and gives a sun-kissed look. However, it's rather weak and you need several applications before you have a good result. The product is easy to apply and get an even result from, because once mixed it's essentially just a normal skin cream. And it's also very economical and lasts a long time as a result. Unfortunately this isn't enough in comparison with its competitors. We would have rather seen Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster as a product that could be used on its own.

Sometimes it makes no difference how good a result you get from a product if it smells so bad you have to hold your nose and then quickly have a shower to get rid of your headache – it’s just not worth the struggle. And James Read Gradual Tan H2O Illumination Tan Mist Body is just such a product.

Looking on the positive side, this is a self-tanner that produces a nice, natural colour. The liquid also has a little shimmer added, which gives your body a nice glow even before the colour has started to emerge. But, and it’s a BIG but...

James Read Gradual Tan H2O Illumination Tan Mist Body smells dreadful. It’s a heavy smell with a touch of urine, and it’s simply inexcusable. Self-tanning products often smell a bit odd, but they rarely smell this disgusting. The scent is so intensive and so overwhelming that you soon find yourself with a headache and it’s hard not to throw yourself into the shower to get rid of it immediately.

The nozzle doesn’t spray the product evenly, and although you’re not supposed to need an application mitt, it’s probably best to use one to avoid a patchy result. But application mitt or not, you’ll never escape the smell.