Well, we’re well into summer, and those of you who were too lazy to get a proper tan – or who burn before they tan, bless your souls – know what that means. It’s time to cheat a little.
Bronzer is perfect for us couch potatoes. Don’t feel like spending the day in the sweltering sun? Bronzer’s got your back. Has it been so long since you’ve seen the sun that you’ve developed a natural vampire complexion for Halloween? The very same.
So if you are looking to fake it, your best bet is to get rid of all of the dangerous synthetic ingredients included in most commercial bronzer brands and go straight to the natural stuff. Here’s a roundup of the best natural and organic bronzer picks on the market!
Bio Bronzer by W3LL PEOPLE
We love W3ll People’s line of innovative organic cosmetics so this was naturally our first pick of bronzer and they didn’t disappoint. Main perks? Gorgeous color and easy application.
The Bio Bronzer only comes in one shade but it’s the perfect shade – not too metallic, not at all orange – just a very, very finely milled powder that lends just the right amount of olive-toned warmth to your skin. As such, we love this bronzing powder for contouring even more than as a bronzer. In a pinch, it even works beautifully as a crease color for your eyes.
It’s highly pigmented but the super-fine powder blends beautifully and seamlessly – no unflattering stripes and a super soft finish. It’s overall result is a very flattering, warm color – but be warned: if you’re fair-skinned, you’ll want to use this very sparingly. The plus side of that, of course, is that it’ll last you several summers.
And of course, this organic bronzer is totally free of artificial dyes and pesky parabens and GMOs. Oh, and if you prefer your bronzer in stick form – W3ll People’s have got you covered. Try their Bio Bronzer Stick.
Price range: $27 for the powder, $29 for the stick
Ingredients: Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Ultramarine Blue, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Aloe Barbadenis Powder (Aloe), Matricaria Recutita (Chamomile), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea)
Cocoa Pigmented Bronzer by 100% PURE
What if you could get that beautifully bronzed, healthy glow in a way that’s also good and nutritious for your skin? Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what 100% Pure’s Cocoa Pigmented Bronzer has to offer. We’re over the moon with its great coverage and color and love the fact that it’s also infused with anti-aging vitamins and antioxidants.
You also get a range of color options with this organic bronzer – these come in Honey, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Cocoa Glow. And true to its name, these light powders are colored from natural pigments of cocoa, coffee and berries.
These are richly pigmented powders that work especially well for slightly darker complexions. For those of you with very fair skin – 100% Pure’s range of bronzers are great for contouring powders but may be a bit too dark to use as a typical bronzer.
On the bright side, these bronzing powders are the epitome of “less is more” – just a little of it goes a long way so it’ll last you forever. They’ve also got great staying power so expect to have you nourishing glow stay on all day without much need for re-application.
And of course, these natural bronzers are totally free of things like animal cruelty, synthetic chemicals, and even titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (for those who don’t love that white, opaque look on their skin). These bronzers are gluten-free as well.
Price: $35 for each bronzer
Ingredients: Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Powder) Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Pigments of Theobroma (Cacao), Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit, Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate), Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry), Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed, Papain (Papaya), Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit/Leaf/Stem, Camellia Sinensis (Black Tea) Leaf and Euterpe Oleracea (Acai Berry) Fruit, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Powder, Rosa Canina (Rosehip Oil) Seed, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Butter, Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Mica (Natural Shimmery Mineral)
Solar Translucent Bronzer by Vapour Organic Beauty
Not in love with powdered bronzers? You’ll love this twist-up stick with ‘fresh-from-the-beach’ bronzing power.
These organic bronzers come in 3 lovely shades that pretty much cover every skin type: they’re all pretty matte without a hint or orange-ness and a noticeable lack of shimmer – perfect if you’re looking for some color without the sparkle. We like Simmer for a more “natural” sun kissed face – for more oomph and contouring, go for Spicy.
Like the powdered bronzers above, this natural bronzer has great application and is very buildable. Sure, it’s a little waxy – but don’t worry – it won’t make you break out. The only real downside of this bronzer is that it’s a little lacking on the lasting power. It’ll last you a few hours, but do expect to reapply.
On the bright side, this natural bronzer is made of 70% organic ingredients and 30% minerals and it’s totally cruelty free.
Price: $36 per stick
Ingredients: Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax), Mica, Silica, Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate, Organic Punica Granatum (Pomegranate Oil), Organic Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Organic Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit (Shea Butter), Essential Oils And Fruit Essences, Natural Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Organic Euterpe Oleracea (Acai Berry) Powder, Organic Calendula Officinalis Flowers, Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499)
Buriti Bronzer by RMS
RMS’ Buriti Bronzer is so called because it contains buriti oil, which is often used in skin care treatments to fight off free radicals and offer your skin overall protection. This line throws out some of the wilder pigments and goes straight to complementing your skin’s own natural color.
It can be used for most skin tones, but it works better for fair to olive skin. It goes on fairly evenly with not much clumping or heaviness to speak of and it gives your skin a healthy glow without blinding innocent bystanders with shimmer.
Price: $28 each
Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil,*Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, *Buriti (Mauritia Flexuosa) Oil, Tocopherol(non-GMO), *Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, and may contain: [+/- Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Mica CI 77019
Ecco Bella Bronzing Powder
Ecco Bella’s Bronzing Powder contains a number of different nourishing and repairing ingredients, meaning that this bronzer is on the fence between functioning as a bronzer and acting as a skin treatment. It’s brilliant for those with pale skin since the pigment is just enough to give you a natural-looking summer glow without making you look like a clown. This one is fairly shimmery, but if you can withstand a bit of sparkle it can be used as more than just a bronzer. For instance, the pigment is perfect to use as a blush or just a pure shimmer powder.
This silky, pressed powder formula of flower wax-infused minerals is fortified with aloe, vitamin E, and green tea. It is a beautiful, light bronzer for even the fairest of complexions, The powder formula is good fit for normal to oily skin.
Price: $24 per powder
Ingredients: Mica, kaolin, cornstarch/zea mays*, zinc oxide, sweet almond oil/prunis dulcis*, green tea extract/camellia sinensis*, aloe barbadensis extract*, flower wax, iron oxides, sodium levulinate/anisate. May contain: Zinc stearate, *Certified organic
Alima Pure Bronzer
Alima Pure’s matte bronzer is remarkably subtle and understated when it comes to pigment. It doesn’t orange-ify pale skin or make darker skin look muddy. The main problem with this bronzer is the staying power; you’d be lucky to get a few hours out of it before you need to re-apply. It’s also not too great for those with severely sensitive skin because it can irritate the skin a little- something that’s quite out of place for a product that claims to only contain mica, titanium oxide and iron oxide.
Price: $20 per color
Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), May contain [+/-]: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891). Nothing more.
Lily Lolo Pressed Bronzer
Lily Lolo’s bronzer has a fairly subdued pigment, but watch how much you put on because it can get quite yellow-y after a few coats. On the flip side, this also means that you really don’t have to use much to get an all-over natural sheen, so it will last you quite a while. Oh, and the very subtle coloring does make it an ideal natural bronzer for fair skin.
Make sure you have a good brush for this one as well; blending definitely isn’t a problem, but it requires a bit of extra oomph to get a smooth application. Thanks to its gentle formula, it won’t be irritating your skin anytime soon- no matter how much of a primadonna your skin can be when it comes to heat. Due to its heavy pigment, this one’s probably better suited to pale skin.
Price: $22 per color
Ingredients: MICA, OCTYLDODECANOL, ARGANIA SPINOSA (ARGAN) KERNEL OIL, PUNICA GRANATUM (POMEGRANATE) SEED OIL, CANDELILLA CERA, TOCOPHEROL, RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL, POLYGLYCERYL-2 ISOSTEARATE/DIMER DILINOLEATE COPOLYMER, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, LEPTOSPERMUM SCOPARIUM (MANUKA) OIL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, ERYNGIUM MARITIMUM CALLUS CULTURE FILTRATE, [+/- CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDE), CI 77492 (IRON OXIDE), CI 77499 (IRON OXIDE)]
