Everyone loves having golden, sun-kissed skin. But let’s face it - with the rising interest in skincare, the constant sun exposure needed to achieve that color is beginning to feel less and less worth it. At almost 32, I know I am far too obsessed with keeping my skin looking as young as I can to actually lay out in the sun for hours on end anymore. 

So we are all inevitably guided in the direction of self tanners. But if I am going to lather myself in a product constantly, you best believe I am going to be just as picky about the ingredients as I am for my face moisturizer. 

Unfortunately for the last decade I struggled finding a sunless tanning product that was clean. It wasn’t until this year that I actually found the holy grail product that gives me the color I am looking for and has 100% skin friendly ingredients.

In my search, I tried three of what I would consider the most non-toxic on the market and thought it would be worthwhile to share my thoughts with all of you!

SOLEAU Tanning Cream was easily my favorite. It gives the most beautiful, natural, and perfectly even color every time. And I'm not sure how they do it, but this product fades so naturally—it’s amazing. I can't stand when self-tanners fade in patches or look blotchy so this was a huge win for me. The application was also incredibly easy because it feels like you are applying a regular body lotion. It doesn’t smell or feel like a typical self-tanner at all.

Equally important, all of the ingredients are skin-friendly. It’s fragrance-free (which I've been searching for for a while), yet it doesn't have that harsh self-tan chemical smell that so many others do. 

Plus, it's free of drying alcohols, dyes, essential oils, parabens, silicones, and PEG’s. Many self-tanners with these ingredients dry out my skin, but this one made my skin feel hydrated and dewy. 

While it is at a slightly higher price point, I think it is absolutely worth it. You're guaranteed a beautiful color every time, and it feels like you are getting a 2 in 1 with a body moisturizer. 

This is absolutely the one I will be repurchasing all year long.

I was so excited to try this brand because it feels like the one all the influencers are using right now. I will say it tans beautifully and my skin was also super hydrated after using it. 

Unfortunately the one thing I couldn’t get passed was the fragrance. I tried both of their options, Santal and Rosewood, and it was so strong it unfortunately made me feel a bit nauseous. I think they tried to mask the DHA smell a little too much. Fragrance is also not good for skin, so I am actively trying to avoid it where I can. So while the color was great, I unfortunately don’t think I will ever be coming back to this one. 

All in all, I am happy self tanning brands are starting to try to make cleaner products. But out of these three, SOLEAU is the product I genuinely enjoyed using and will continue to come back to when I am looking for a little color.