10 Best Bronzing Drops for Glowy Skin (Tested and Reviewed for 2023)

The bronzing drops that started it all—Drunk Elephant’s are truly the GOAT. The formula has such a light, barely there feel on my skin that doesn’t emphasize my skin texture or cystic acne. I typically stipple on a sheer layer on top of my face primer, then blend on foundation and concealer. Or on “no-makeup” days, I’ll mix a few drops in with my sunscreen to give my skin a little color that still looks totally natural. FWIW, I prefer the OG bronzing drops for a golden, summery hue on my tan skin, but I recently started blending the O-Bloos Rosi Drops with my blush too, which gives my cheeks such a soft and subtle pink glow.

• Shades: One (medium bronze, plus a lighter, rosy version)
• Key ingredients: Mica (shimmers), black-currant-seed oil, peptides, hyaluronic acid

THE REVIEWS: “I am in LOVE with this,” writes one reviewer. “I mix it with my moisturizer in the morning, and it leaves me with a perfect glow!”

I have v oily skin (especially in deeply humid summertime weather), so I don’t always want a shimmery finish on my face, but rather a bronze-y glow. Enter: Indeed Labs Nanobronze Drops, which give my skin a lot of color without making me look too greasy. Of all of the bronzing drops I’ve tried, these have the fewest shimmer particles, making them ideal for super-sweaty days—or for anyone who just isn’t into sparkles.

• Shades: One (medium-to-tan bronze)
• Key ingredients: Mica (shimmers), squalane, hyaluronic acid

THE REVIEWS: “I love these drops so much,” writes one tester. “I mix a pump in with my gel moisturizer and put a little setting powder on top. These don’t have the glimmer in them; they simply just add a little color. So so easy, and it doesn’t break my sensitive acne-prone skin out at all.”

Yes, this is technically a liquid highlighter, but I’ve found that it can also be fully sheered out and worn all over for a bronze-y look. I haven’t stopped wearing this on my cheekbones as a liquid bronzer since I got them, tbh. Because it’s so damn emollient (shout out to sunflower-seed oil), it gives my face such a healthy, moisturized glow. My skin is a smidge too oily to smear it all over (though drier skin types should be fine), but I intend to try it sheered out or mixed with foundation during the winter.

• Shades: Three (gold, medium rose-gold, tan bronze)
• Key ingredients: Squalane, sunflower-seed oil

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “I add this to my foundation EVERY DAY, and people literally turn their heads to compliment my skin. Just a wonderful product!”

If you’re a lil scared of looking like a Love Island-er with bronzing drops, try these from Versed. They come in a light-gold shade that works perfectly for giving my pale winter skin some ~life~, along with a bronze shade that works as a liquid bronzer during the summer months. Note that these have very little pigment, so they won’t give you a faux glow, but they’ll definitely make you look shimmery. FYI though: I’ve found that mixing one to two drops into my moisturizer or sunscreen gives me the same sheer glow without having to work so hard to blend the product into my skin.

• Shades: Two (gold, bronze)
• Key ingredients: Peptides, sweet-almond oil, polyglutamic acid (hydrating)

THE REVIEWS: “Really, totally, better than I expected,” one reviewer writes. “This color is so subtle, yet packs a punch for impact. Blended with my daily moisturizer, and it’s ‘chefs kiss’ magnificent! Buying another right now to have as backup in case it’s discontinued. Yes—it’s THAT good.”

These drops from Saie are so thin and watery that it’s perfect for tapping on top of my bronzer or blush with a sponge to give it a shimmery, dewy finish. I also love that it isn’t filled with thick, chunky glitters; just ultra-fine shimmers and emollients that make my cheekbones look an inch or so higher, IMO. Plus, this bottle will legit last me a lifetime—it’s a full 1 ounce, which is the size of a usual foundation—considering I only use one pump for both sides of my face every time.

• Shades: Two (light champagne, medium bronze)
• Key ingredients: Vitamin C, rosehip-seed oil, mica (shimmers)

THE REVIEWS: “Before this product, I had never bought anything from Saie, but it is now one of my favorite brands,” one reviewer writes. “This highlighter is not only perfect for summer—it gives that summertime glow and tan look—but it is cheaper and better than the Drunk Elephant drops.”

K, now that I’m a ~bronzing drops girl~, I pretty much only want to bronze my face with lightweight, liquid drops. Which, apparently, Armani Beauty understands because they launched this pigmented, liquid bronzer that feels just like bronzing drops but adds the same shading and dimension as my usual bronzer. FYI, these don’t have any shimmer in them, so they’re not going to make you look dewy or shiny at all. But honestly, I love the matte look, especially on my oily skin. Also, I’ve recently been lightly tapping a drop of pigment across my eyelids, á la the “latte makeup” trend, rather than pulling out my eyeshadows, and I’m seriously in love with the finish.

• Shades: Three (light-to-medium, medium-to-tan, tan-to-deep)
• Key ingredients: Dimethicone (smoothing), bitter-orange-flower oil

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “Okay, this IS the BEST purchase I made this year. It’s pigmented, so be careful lol—a little goes a long way! The price is also not bad at all considering you don’t need a lot of product. Buy this ASAP! Your summer makeup will be flawless! These will definitely be in my travel bag for Hawaii!”

If most bronzing drops tend to leave your melanin-rich skin looking milky and ashy, lemme intro you to these glowy highlighters from Fenty that have gone viral on social media for looking so damn good on reviewers with tan-to-deep skin. Multiple TikTokers with medium-to-tan skin love the Honey-Citrine shade (a warm gold) for leaving their skin with an even, candlelit-looking effect, while TikTokers with deep skin swear by Bronze Jasper for getting a glowy, bronzed look.

And even if you slather these all over your face or just dot them over the high points of your face, they’ll still look surprisingly natural, thanks to their lightweight, skin-tint finish. Also, note: These formulas are so sheer and lightweight that they even work for my light-to-medium skin, especially when mixed with foundation or tinted moisturizer.

• Shades: Four (very-light pink, light gold, medium gold, deep bronze)
• Key ingredients: Dimethicone (smooths), mica (shimmers), hyaluronic acid

THE REVIEWS: “After using this product for a long time, it has really become a staple in my makeup routine,” one tester writes. “It is a great dupe for the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Drops too! Highly recommend!”

This serum is basically primer and bronzing drops in one, thanks to its dewy texture and bronzey color. I like to smooth a pump over my sunscreen with my fingers to help my makeup stay on all day while also giving me a radiant finish. But, tbh, I also wear it alone sometimes when my skin looks a bit dull because the light-reflecting gold shimmers throughout the formula help give me a lil ~life~.

• Shades: Two (light gold and medium bronze)
• Key ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide

THE REVIEWS: According to one reviewer, “This serum is so nice! I use it as a primer/serum, and I really love it! It has a nice, fresh smell, and it feels great on my skin.”

Fun fact: Self-tanning drops were kinda the OG bronzing drops. But unlike the original formulations (which were rough), today’s self-tanning drops no longer smell like burning hair or leave your skin splotchy the next day. One of my favorites? This serum from St. Tropez that I keep on my vanity at all times, because it’s so easy to grab and use in the morning.

I just smooth one or two drops all over my face and neck before moisturizer, then wait as a subtle tan develops throughout the day, leaving my light-to-medium skin with the most natural-looking glow ever. And according to reviewers and TikTokers, this formula also works to even out tan, dark, and deep skin tones while leaving you with a golden-toned glow. So, basically, the (And FWIW, I also legit swear by the self-tanning Body Serum too.)

• Shades: One (a buildable shade that can self-tan lighter skin tones or even out deeper skin tones)
• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E

THE REVIEWS: “I buy this on a regular basis in the summer because I use it every morning,” writes one tester. “It’s easy to add a few drops to my regular facial lotion. The color is buildable and natural, so it’s easy to customize. The odor is barely noticeable depending on how much you use. Most of the time I don’t notice an odor at all, and I use 4 drops at a time.”

A whopping 18,000+ five-star reviews agree: These are the bronzing drops to try if you wanna save some $$$ without skimping on results. They’ve actually been around longer than many of the others on this list (so tested and approved a zillion times over), and they have a similar thin, lightweight consistency that’s great for smoothing over your face for a major bronze-y moment or for mixing with your other base products to make them a bit dewier (which is how I tend to wear these, because they’re v shimmery).

• Shades: Four (fair, light, medium, deep)
• Key ingredients: Shea butter, dimethicone (smoothes), mica (shimmers)

THE REVIEWS: “This is my go-to product for summer,” writes one tester. “ I mix it with my tinted SPF moisturizer for a luminescent all-over glow! The product is soft and luxurious. The package is perfect for getting all of the product out of the tube too. I set with a setting powder and spray, and it lasts all day! Run, don’t walk, to order today!”