We’ll never recommend baking your skin in the sun’s harmful UV rays for a tan, but we understand the want for bronze skin year-round. Enter self-tanners, which have been around for years and can sometimes have a bad reputation of leaving skin streaky and orange (we’ve all been there). These faux-glow products do take some trial and error to perfect, so you shouldn’t have to take out a loan to try some out. Lucky for you, Amazon Prime Day is here (and ending today!) with great deals on some of the best self-tanners on the market.
If you’re new to the self-tanner club and need a little lesson on what it actually is, welcome to Self-Tanner 101. Self-tanners rely on dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a sugar that safely darkens the skin. As cosmetic chemist Ginger King previously explained to Allure, DHA reacts with the amino acids on the top layer of the skin to provide a gradual tan. The problem? It can be tough to stabilize, hence the dreaded tangerine tint, as cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller previously explained to Allure.
Luckily, self-tanners have come a long way since their beginnings and many of today’s options impart “tans” that are indistinguishable from the real deal — and they’re a much healthier habit in the short and long term. And even more, luckily, there are some massive deals on some brands like St. Tropez, Bondi Sands, and Tan-Luxe.
What are you waiting for? Amazon closes its virtual doors at midnight PT tonight and these sales will be no more. So, get to shopping and tanning.
We love the Tanologist Express Self Tan Water because it goes on clear, so there’s no sheet-staining happening when you go to sleep in it. Just spray the formula onto your skin and buff it out with a mitt and, in four to six hours, your skin will be brighter and tanner (thanks to the pink grapefruit, goji berry, and juniper in the formula).
Ashley Graham is the brainchild behind this particular 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner, St. Tropez’s Ultimate Glow Kit. This celeb-studded duo is very user-friendly, whether you’re a self-tanning pro or newbie, courtesy of the bronzing mousse’s light-as-air, whipped texture. In comparison to tanning sprays, you actually have more control with a mousse and they’re also quite easy to rub in — especially when there’s a provided application mitt that blends in your new glow seamlessly.
The Bondi Sands Pure Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion is chock-full of skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E for a buildable tan that actually looks like your skin, rather than an obvious, orange-hued tan. This 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner is quick-drying and transfer-proof — so you can dive into bed or get changed into your clothes very soon after — and you start seeing results after just one to three applications.
