Top 5 Best Self Tanners For 2026 - Ranked & Reviewed
Our editors tested 47 self-tanners over 6 months to bring you this definitive ranking.
We've said it once and we'll say it again: there's nothing quite like the power of a nice bronzed glow to help give us a confidence boost. Especially when it comes time to drop the skivvies and bear it all (even if it's just for ourselves).
Thankfully, self-tanners have come a long way in the past few years, and the formulas are cleaner, go on more evenly, and don't completely reek.
So pour one out for all the white sheets we've lost along the way, and then try one of these super clean self-tanners that give skin an even, radiant, sun-kissed glow without making you smell like a walking tanning salon.
How They Compare
| Product | Clean Formula | Fragrance-Free | Price | Our Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoleauWinner | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | $36 | 5/5 | Shop Now |
| Tan Luxe | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | $49 | 4/5 | |
| Lux Unfiltered | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | $38 | 3.5/5 | |
| Vita Liberata | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | $35 | 3.5/5 | |
| Bondi Sands | ★★☆☆☆ | ★☆☆☆☆ | $17 | 3/5 |
Soleau Tanning Cream - Cleanest Formula & Most Natural Color
Credit: SoleauPros
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Why Is Soleau The Best Overall Tanner?
The first thing you notice with Soleau? The color looks real. It builds naturally, develops evenly, and never turns orange or muddy.
That's not an accident. The formula combines high-grade tanning actives with a base of vitamin-rich oils (jojoba, almond, rosehip, and passion fruit) plus skin-loving ingredients like murumuru butter, squalane, and hyaluronic acid.
Your skin stays hydrated, so the tan develops without clinging to dry patches. And when it fades? It fades gracefully, not in weird splotches like most self-tanners.
Three years went into perfecting this formula. The brand stripped out everything that doesn't belong on your skin: fragrance, silicones, drying alcohols. These ingredients are linked to irritation and streaky fading. They're in most tanners anyway. Not this one.
Here's the real test: no self-tanner smell. Instead of masking it with heavy perfume or essential oils, the formula naturally prevents the odor from developing in the first place.
When you apply it, it feels like a luxurious body lotion. Lightweight. Hydrating. Nothing like the sticky, chemical-y tanners you've used before.
Bottom line: Soleau treats self-tanning as skincare, not just color. You get a deep, natural glow that fades evenly and actually supports your skin barrier along the way.
Key Features:
I Tried Soleau, Here's My Review
I tried the Soleau self-tanner, and it is just that good. It applies evenly, yes, but more than that, the tan just looks better because my skin looked brighter, healthier, and more dewy overall.
The formula feels like a luxurious body cream. It's rich but not too heavy, and I found that I could absolutely use it in place of my regular body moisturizer.
Throughout testing, my skin stayed consistently hydrated, which is not something I can say about most self-tanners. I also did not smell a thing.
I don't pretend to know exactly what the magic combination is here, but I do know this: it works, and it looks beautiful.
Likes
Dislikes
Bottom Line
Right now, Soleau is my favorite self-tanner on the market, and definitely one of the brands to watch out for in the beauty/skincare space. I finally feel like I have my new go-to, clean, odorless self-tanner when I am in need of a little color and I will absolutely be keeping this one in my rotation.
Shop Soleau Tanning Cream →
Tan Luxe "The Gradual"
Credit: Tan LuxePros
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A lightweight body moisturizer with a gradual glow. This oil/lotion hybrid has become a cult favorite, melting into skin upon application and delivering radiant, buildable color.
The weightless, nourishing formula smooths and conditions skin while subtly dialing up a natural glow in just one hour. Formulated with hydrating and skin-boosting ingredients such as Raspberry Seed Oil, Vitamin E, and Aloe Vera, plus Caffeine-rich Cellutone Complex to help skin appear firmer.
Lux Unfiltered N°32 Hydrating Self-Tanning Cream
Credit: Lux UnfilteredPros
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Rather than baking in the sun, damaging your skin, or looking orange and streaky, we bring you a hydrating, gradual self-tanning cream that will give you a natural-looking glow and color.
Infused with shea butter, cocoa butter, squalane, avocado oil, and passion fruit oil, this gradual self-tanner will leave your skin dewy and bronze.
Easy to apply, no funky smells, no build-up, no sticky residue. Forget filters, now you can look just as tan IRL!
Vita Liberata Self Tanning Gradual Tan Lotion
Credit: Vita LiberataPros
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Fabulous Gradual Self Tanning Lotion is the perfect daily moisturiser for your face and body. Delivering a gradual buildable tan whilst hydrating and moisturising the skin.
Bondi Sands Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk
Credit: Bondi SandsPros
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Enjoy a year-round tan with Bondi Sands innovative dual action Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk. Enriched with aloe vera and vitamin E for healthy, glowing skin it glides on effortlessly for a long lasting golden tan every time.
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of tanners out there, but only a small handful of GREAT self tanners. If you're looking for the best one on the market, it's going to be Soleau. Ideally your self tanner works, but you also want it to help keep your skin healthy and beautiful year after year, which is why there's been such a dramatic shift in the industry to clean tanners. So stop rubbing those harsh chemicals on your body, and switch over to a clean tanner!