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From creams to mousses and serums, achieve a sunless tan with these formulas
Whether you like to fake a year-round tan, apply a layer before heading on holiday or are just a summertime addict, gradual tan deserves a place in every fake tanner’s arsenal.
While mousses and mitts have always hogged the limelight, building your base with a gradual formula is – in this long-serving fake tanner’s opinion – the best way to achieve a subtle and natural-looking wash of bronze.
From fast-drying lotions and creams to butters and serums, these products give you a natural-looking glow and are also far less drying than other methods (goodbye, tiger bread skin).
Thanks to the hybrid moisturising formula, stubborn dry areas, such as elbows, ankles and knees, are much easier to tackle. Better still, you’re left feeling supple for days after a tanning session, thanks to skin-loving ingredients.
Designed to be applied just as you would a normal body lotion, it’s much easier to execute a streak-free tan with your bare hands – just remember to wash them after, to avoid the tell-all Wotsit fingers. Plus, you can customise your glow by reapplying as many times as you’d like.
Our criteria for the best gradual tanners spanned ease of application, long-lasting results, evenness, value for money and skin benefits. Some of these products we’ve loved and used religiously for years, while others are newer launches that have risen to cult status in our bathroom cabinet.
We tested the formulas after exfoliating and reapplied each product to see how well it built a realistic glow. Here are the gradual face and body tanners to stock up on in time for summer.
Slotting easily into your existing beauty regime, thanks to its hybrid moisturiser and fake tan formula, Isle of Paradise’s gradual tanning butter delivers hydration, nourishment and a streak-free natural bronzed glow. For a budget buy that you can build up for a healthy bronzed tint, Dove’s gradual tan mousse is well worth a place in your bathroom cabinet, while Tan-Luxe’s face cream impressed us with its skin-loving formula and subtle golden glow finish.
For more recommendations, we’ve rounded up the best fake tans and face tanners