15 Best Bronzers That Look Absolutely Stunning on Dark Skin

Created by fellow brown girl and arguably one of the most influential women in beauty, Huda Kattan, the Huda Beauty Tantour Contour and Bronzer Cream is a deeply pigmented bronzer that comes in a range of versatile shades with both cool and warm undertones. Not only does the cream allow for both contouring and bronzing, but it also lets you build up the coverage based on how deep you want your bronzer to look. We're partial to the Tan and Rich versions, which both contain cool undertones to even out any orange in the skin. The cream-to-powder formula also makes it incredibly easy to apply.

Makeup artist Keita Moore is a huge fan of Fenty Beauty's Sun Stalk'r Instant Warmth Bronzer because of its pigmented, matte formula that blends seamlessly. Choose from Caramel Cutie (neutral tan), the darker Coco Naughty (cinnamon with neutral undertones), or the deepest Mocha Mami (chocolate with red undertones, pictured above). 

When Makeup Revolution launched its Glow Splendour Bronzers, we (and others on the internet) were pleasantly shocked by the deep shade range. There are a total of six shades, and five out of the six (Medium to Deep Dark, which is shown above) are all great options for those on the darker end of the complexion spectrum. 

"I love the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Matte Bronzer because it has a great selection for brown skin tones," says Mahtani. Infused with hyaluronic acid for its moisturizing and line-softening benefits, both the Medium and Tan shades have elements of warm undertones in order to add more dimension to the skin. As a bonus, it has a buildable matte formula that allows you to play with depth and dimension to create the perfect shade of bronze for you.

A favorite of Allure contributor Nikhita Mahtani, the Dior Forever Natural Bronze Powder feels pretty much weightless, thanks to its use of natural pigments that allow the skin to shine without leaving it looking ashy. "I have warm undertones in my skin, so I use the Amber Bronze shade," she says. "It blends in effortlessly, adds a slight, healthy glow, and doesn't dry out my complexion." We also love the Golden Bronze and Deep Bronze shades, particularly for those with cooler undertones.

The Lip Bar made its first foray into non-lip products with the Fresh Glow 2in1 Bronzer + Blush Duos,  which is available in five shades. Each Best of Beauty-winning compact has a matte powder bronzer with glittery flecks and a shimmery blush that can double as a highlighter. We're partial to the shades Just Got Paid, Double Date (shown above), and Staycation. 

"I love the Guerlain Terracotta Sunkissed Natural Bronzer because it has a variety of both cool and warm shades, so it works on a variety of skin tones," says Mahtani. She generally gravitates towards the Medium Warm (smokey cinnamon) and Deep Cool (shimmery chocolate) shades, praising the product for its use of argan oil (to boost hydration) and medium-coverage finish, so that it doesn't look too overwhelming on brown skin. As a bonus, it's an Allure Best of Beauty 2021 Award winner, too.

Beauty Bakerie's Brownie Bar Mini Palette gives you a highlighter, bronzer, and contour all in one. The three-pan palette has two matte powders — a cinnamon shade with orange undertones and a warm walnut hue — and a shimmery bronze highlight that makes melanin-rich skin gleam. 

For skin that's more on the oily side, the matte finish of the Bobbi Brown Bronzer will help mitigate the unnecessary shine we all experience on humid days, and it'll also help give skin a subtle, just-got-off-the-boat-at-Saint-Tropez glow. The Dark and Deep shades have elements of copper and gold, two metallic tints that add shimmer to the skin and bring out a rich shine.

Frankly, not many face palettes are as deep as the Midas Cosmetics Dusk to Dawn Face Palettes in Dusk and Midnight (pictured above). Each four-pan palette is curated based on skin tone and has a shimmery highlighter alongside a matte blush, contour, and bronzer. Midnight is perfect for those with deep hues while Dusk is better for medium to dark tones.  

Hoola Matte Bronzer has been a longtime favorite of beauty enthusiasts for years, but unfortunately, the original shade was too light for many on the darker end of the color spectrum. But, in 2019, Benefit expanded the range to include a neutral cinnamon hue, Toasted, that warms up dark skin.

Vesca Beauty definitely did something right with its pigmented Soft-Matte Bronzing Powders that are available in seven shades. These powders don't have a single fleck of shimmer in them but leave a gorgeous bronzed finish on the skin with just a few swipes. We're big fans of Maldives (mocha), Cabo (dark cinnamon), Bali (walnut), and Tahiti (dark chocolate, pictured above), for dark and deep skin. 

For deeper skin tones, Mahtani suggests "selecting a bronzer with a glow versus a matte bronzer." For example, "a powder formula with copper or gold undertones would look beautiful." This is exactly why she recommends the RMS Beauty Buriti Cream Bronzer, which uses gold shimmer to mimic the way your skin looks when you've been out on the beach all day: Your skin will glow, but you won’t have any dark shadows.