Gradual tanners are my favourite type of fake tan – it’s pretty foolproof, you don’t have to moisturise separately, and any mistakes tend to get blurred out after a couple of applications. I’ve tried out another 4 gradual tanners since my last gradual tanner review: St Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Body Lotion, Jergens Natural Glow, Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze and Miss M by Minx Bronzing Bliss. All of them give pretty much the same natural colour.
St Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Body Lotion
St Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Body Lotion is a thick, sticky cream that requires a bit of effort to spread and rub in, especially if you use a tanning mitt. I think it’s on purpose, to help the tanner spread evenly when you apply it with your hands, and it does indeed give a nicely even, natural-looking tan. It’s tinted, but it’s not very noticeable unless you have pale skin. There’s no strong DHA scent detectable under the standard St Tropez odour-neutralising floral fragrance. It’s on the pricier end at $33.99 for 200 mL.
Aqua (Water), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Glycerin, Dihydroxyacetone, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Metabisulfite, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, Linalool, Caprylyl Glycol, Decylene Glycol, Isoceteth-10, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Anise Alcohol, Coumarin, CI 14700 (Red 4), CI 19140 (Yellow 5), CI 42090 (Blue 1).
Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturiser
I tried Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturiser in Medium to Dark. It also comes in Fair to Medium, which gives a lighter tan. It’s an untinted cream with a slightly floral vanilla fragrance that applies smoothly. As the tan develops, there’s a slight DHA scent if you sniff deeply and purposely look for it, but otherwise it mostly avoids the distinctive fake tan scent. In terms of firming and cellulite-hiding, I didn’t notice much difference apart from the deeper tan, which makes everything look a bit better. It’s a budget-friendly $14.99 for 221 mL, so even without the firming effect I think it’s a great value buy.
Water, Glycerin, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dihydroxyacetone, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Ceteareth-20, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Steareth-2, Dimethicone, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Stearic Acid, Fragrance, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodiumacryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylparaben, BHT, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Polyimide-1, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Caramel, Erythrulose.
Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze
I’ve heard a lot about Cocoa Brown from UK beauty bloggers and I’ve tried their 1 Hour Tan before. Gentle Bronze is their gradual tanner, and contains a light tint which didn’t make a big difference on my skin apart from adding a light glow, but judging from the colour it’ll work on paler skin. The tanner applies smoothly and tans evenly, but it had the strongest DHA scent of the four products. The initial scent is nice though (fruity floral). It’s $19.99 for 200 mL.
Aqua, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dihydroxyacteone, Ceteareth-20, Dimethicone, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Parfum, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, CI 14700, CI 19140, CI 42090.
Miss M by Minx Bronzing Bliss Gradual Tanner
Miss M by Minx has a range of at-home products to supplement their professional tan line, including a dark fake tan and a gradual tanner. Miss M Bronzing Bliss Gradual Tanner is a coconut scented self-tanner that comes in a convenient pump bottle. It’s untinted and applies smoothly with your hands or a mitt. Amazingly, I couldn’t detect a fake tan smell at all while this product was developing on my skin. Their mitt is awesome too. It’s $34.90 for 251 mL.
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), Ceteareth-20, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Macadamia integrifola (Macadamia) Seed Oil, Terminala ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance, Sodium Hydroxide.
These products were provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. This post also contains affiliate links – if you decide to click through and support Lab Muffin financially (at no extra cost to you), thank you! For more information, see Disclosure Policy.
