It's Glowy-Skin Szn—Meet the Very *Best* Bronzing Drops (2025)

The bronzing drops that started it all—Drunk Elephant’s are truly the GOAT. The formula has such a light, barely there feel on my skin that doesn’t emphasize my skin texture or cystic acne. Makeup artist Neil Scibelli also believes they live up to the hype since they're so multifunctional. "The sheer shimmer in it gives your skin a bit of a highlight, along with collagen-boosting peptides and antioxidants for anti-pollution protection," he says.

I typically stipple on a sheer layer on top of my face primer, then blend on foundation and concealer. Or, for no-makeup makeup days, I’ll mix a few drops in with my sunscreen to give my skin a little color that still looks totally natural. FWIW, I prefer the OG bronzing drops for a golden, summery hue on my tan skin, but I recently started blending the O-Bloos Rosi Drops with my blush too, which gives my cheeks such a soft and subtle pink glow.

• Shades: One (medium bronze, plus a lighter, rosy version)
• Key ingredients: Mica (shimmers), black-currant-seed oil, peptides, hyaluronic acid

Glowing customer review: “I am in LOVE with this. I mix it with my moisturizer in the morning, and it leaves me with a perfect glow!”

A whopping 18,000+ five-star reviews agree: These are the bronzing drops to try if you wanna save some $$$ without skimping on results. They’ve actually been around longer than many of the others on this list (so tested and approved a zillion times over), and they have a similar thin, lightweight consistency that’s great for smoothing over your face for a major bronze-y moment or for mixing with your other base products to make them a bit dewier (which is how I tend to wear these, because they’re v shimmery).

"It’s not glittery or greasy, and the glow it gives looks super natural—plus it plays nice with other products," says commerce writer Sarah Maberry. "I start my everyday beat with equal parts L’oreal Lumi Glotion and Hourglass Hydrating Skin Tint, but when I’m going for a no-makeup look, I’ll mix it with my daytime moisturizer or SPF." She loves mixing it with products versus layering underneath, because it gives a bit more pay-off with less product.

• Shades: Four (fair, light, medium, deep)
• Key ingredients: Shea butter, dimethicone (smoothes), mica (shimmers)

Glowing customer review: “This is my go-to product for summer. I mix it with my tinted SPF moisturizer for a luminescent all-over glow! The product is soft and luxurious. The package is perfect for getting all of the product out of the tube too. I set with a setting powder and spray, and it lasts all day! Run, don’t walk, to order today!”

I wasn't surprised when E.l.f. debuted bronzing drops (I mean, they've developed an inexpensive option to nearly every TikTok-trending product to date). But I was shocked that these come in three shades (a bronze-y gold, yellow gold, and rose gold) for less than $15 a pop. These clock in as the least expensive bronzing drops I've tested, yet fully hold up against the other options on this list. I usually dispense a few drops on the palm of my hand with a dollop of moisturizer, mix them together, and then slather all over my face for a radiant, ~sunkissed~ look.

• Shades: Three (copper gold, yellow gold, rose gold)
• Key ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, vitamin E

Glowing customer review: "This stuff is so amazing!! I mix it in with some moisturizer like the directions say, and it gives such an amazing glow. Only 12 dollars too??! TRUST and buy this! I'm getting more bc I don't wanna run out!"

Of all the bronzing drops we've tested, these pack the biggest skincare punch of all, as they're loaded with hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing niacinamide and centella asiatica. But ofc, they also have a sheer, bronzey tint that makes your skin look so glowy (I mean, look at assistant shopping editor Jasmine Hyman, above).

"As a girlie who is v cautious of the sun, the invention of Glow Recipe’s skincare-infused bronzing drops completely changed my complexion game," Hyman says. "These are super easy to blend out and don’t leave my skin looking blotchy," she adds. She usually wears them mixed in with her tinted SPF to give her skin a summery radiance, plus some extra hydration.

• Shades: One (sheer, tinted bronze)
• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, centella asiatica

Glowing customer review: "This is a very nice bronzer! It doesn't leave my skin to darkly bronzed, but I can tell it bronzed me! It's also just like the normal niacinamide dew drops but with a bronzing touch. I 100 percent recommend this product."

I have v oily skin (especially in deeply humid, summertime weather), so I don’t always want a shimmery finish on my face, but rather a bronze-y glow. Enter Indeed Labs Nanobronze Drops, which give my skin a lot of color without making me look too greasy. Of all of the bronzing drops I’ve tried, these have the fewest shimmer particles, making them ideal for super-sweaty days—or for anyone who just isn’t into sparkles.

• Shades: One (medium-to-tan bronze)
• Key ingredients: Mica (shimmers), squalane, hyaluronic acid

Glowing customer review: “I love these drops so much. I mix a pump in with my gel moisturizer and put a little setting powder on top. These don’t have the glimmer in them; they simply just add a little color. So so easy, and it doesn’t break my sensitive acne-prone skin out at all.”

Yes, this is technically a liquid highlighter, but I’ve found that it can also be fully sheered out and worn all over for a bronze-y look. I haven’t stopped wearing this on my cheekbones as a liquid bronzer since I got them, tbh. Because it’s so damn emollient (shout out to sunflower-seed oil), it gives my face such a healthy, moisturized glow. My skin is a smidge too oily to smear it all over (though drier skin types should be fine), but I intend to try it sheered out or mixed with foundation during the winter.

• Shades: Three (gold, medium rose-gold, tan bronze)
• Key ingredients: Squalane, sunflower-seed oil

Glowing customer review: “I add this to my foundation EVERY DAY, and people literally turn their heads to compliment my skin. Just a wonderful product!”

If your vibe is not-so-subtle, try these bronzing drops from Iconic London. In classic Iconic London fashion, these are seriously blinding, filled with a rich, metallic shimmer that basically gives me seen-from-space cheekbones. But because they're in a bronze-y, gold shade, these toe the line between bronzer and highlighter, IMO. I usually blend on my usual cream bronzer, then dab a lil bit of these on my cheekbones and blend on top of my bronzer. The compliments roll on in—everyone's suddenly asking what the heck has me so glowy.

• Shades: One (universal bronze-y, gold)
• Key ingredients: Chamomille extract, calendula extract

Glowing customer review: "I love this! It’s gives me an added bronze and radiance that really brightens my complexion. Definitely added to by makeup routine to give myself a summer time glow."

These drops from Saie are so thin and watery that they're perfect for tapping on top of my bronzer or blush with a sponge to give it a shimmery, dewy finish. I also love that it isn’t filled with thick, chunky glitters; just ultra-fine shimmers and emollients that make my cheekbones look an inch or so higher, IMO. Plus, this bottle will legit last me a lifetime—it’s a full 1 ounce, which is the size of a usual foundation—considering I only use one pump for both sides of my face every time.

• Shades: Two (light champagne, medium bronze)
• Key ingredients: Vitamin C, rosehip-seed oil, mica (shimmers)

Glowing customer review: “Before this product, I had never bought anything from Saie, but it is now one of my favorite brands,” one reviewer writes. “This highlighter is not only perfect for summer—it gives that summertime glow and tan look—but it is cheaper and better than the Drunk Elephant drops.”

K, now that I’m a ~bronzing drops girl~, I pretty much only want to bronze my face with lightweight, liquid drops. Which, apparently, Armani Beauty understands—because they launched this pigmented, liquid bronzer that feels just like bronzing drops, but adds the same shading and dimension as my powder bronzer. FYI, these don’t have any shimmer in them, so they’re not going to make you look dewy or shiny at all. But honestly, I love the matte look, especially on my oily skin. Also, I’ve recently been lightly tapping a drop of pigment across my eyelids, á la the “latte makeup” trend, rather than pulling out my eyeshadows, and I’m seriously in love with the finish.

• Shades: Three (light-to-medium, medium-to-tan, tan-to-deep)
• Key ingredients: Dimethicone (smoothing), bitter-orange-flower oil

Glowing customer review: “Okay, this IS the BEST purchase I made this year. It’s pigmented, so be careful lol—a little goes a long way! The price is also not bad at all considering you don’t need a lot of product. Buy this ASAP! Your summer makeup will be flawless! These will definitely be in my travel bag for Hawaii!”

If you’re a lil scared of looking like a Love Island-er with bronzing drops, try these. They come in a light-gold shade that works perfectly for giving my pale winter skin some ~life~, along with a bronze shade that works as a liquid bronzer during the summer months. Note: These have very little pigment, so they won’t give you a faux glow, but they’ll definitely make you look shimmery. I’ve found that mixing one to two drops into my moisturizer or sunscreen gives me the same sheer glow—without having to work so hard to blend the product into my skin.

• Shades: Two (gold, bronze)
• Key ingredients: Peptides, sweet-almond oil, polyglutamic acid (hydrating)

Glowing customer review: “Really, totally, better than I expected. This color is so subtle, yet packs a punch for impact. Blended with my daily moisturizer, and it’s ‘chefs kiss’ magnificent! Buying another right now to have as backup in case it’s discontinued. Yes—it’s THAT good.”

If most bronzing drops tend to leave your melanin-rich skin looking milky and ashy, lemme intro you to these glowy highlighters from Fenty that have gone viral on social media for looking so damn good on reviewers with tan-to-deep skin. Multiple TikTokers with medium-to-tan skin love the Honey-Citrine shade (a warm gold) for leaving their skin with an even, candlelit-looking effect, while TikTokers with deep skin swear by Bronze Jasper for getting a glowy, bronzed look.

And even if you slather these all over your face or just dot them over the high points of your face, they’ll still look surprisingly natural, thanks to their lightweight, skin-tint finish. Also, note: These formulas are so sheer and lightweight that they even work for my light-to-medium skin, especially when mixed with foundation or tinted moisturizer.

• Shades: Four (very-light pink, light gold, medium gold, deep bronze)
• Key ingredients: Dimethicone (smooths), mica (shimmers), hyaluronic acid

Glowing customer review: “After using this product for a long time, it has really become a staple in my makeup routine. It is a great dupe for the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Drops too! Highly recommend!”

This serum is basically primer and bronzing drops in one, thanks to its dewy texture and bronzey color. I like to smooth a pump over my sunscreen with my fingers to help my makeup stay on all day while also giving me a radiant finish. But, tbh, I also wear it alone sometimes when my skin looks a bit dull because the light-reflecting gold shimmers throughout the formula help give me a lil ~life~.

• Shades: Two (light gold and medium bronze)
• Key ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide

Glowing customer review: “This serum is so nice! I use it as a primer/serum, and I really love it! It has a nice, fresh smell, and it feels great on my skin.”

“Bronzing drops are typically a concentrated form of liquid bronzer that can be infused into your existing products like moisturizer, foundation, and even liquid highlighter—or they can be worn on their own,” explains Scibelli.

There are a variety of different formula types out there, from lightweight drops you mix into foundation or moisturizer, to more opaque textures that can be used as bronzer themselves, or even self-tanning bronzing drops which can help add a bronzed tint to your skin, he adds.

The difference between bronzing drops and bronzer is usually the consistency, says Scibelli. "Bronzing drops are in liquid form, and can be mixed into other creamy formulas," he notes. "However, traditional bronzers come in both powder and cream forms, which requires a different application technique and tools."

Bronzer is usually more pigmented, so you'll typically want to apply it with a brush (or blend out a cream with a beauty sponge), while bronzing drops are so thin and watery that you can use your fingers, a sponge, or even a brush to build up the coverage a bit.

There are a handful of different ways to use bronzing drops, depending on your desired look. In general, Scibelli likes to use bronzing drops where the sun naturally hits his skin—forehead, across your cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and along your jawline. "This creates more dimension and sculpts your face, but can be used all over your skin since they blend so easily," he says.

For a sheer tan without coverage, try mixing a few drops into your moisturizer or sunscreen, then blending all over your face with your fingers. Or you can even cocktail bronzing drops with your foundation to add a subtle, bronzey tint.

You can also def use bronzing drops on their own (just blended over your skincare with your fingers, a brush, or a sponge, followed by foundation or nothing). This will bump up the opacity a little bit for a stronger look.

But! You can def use bronzing drops just like a bronzer to add warmth and contour to your skin in a more gentle way. "I like to use the top of my hand as a palette, then pick up the liquid bronzer as desired with a beauty sponge or foundation brush," explains Scibelli. "Then, I just blend it right into my skin."

As for when you apply bronzing drops, it's totally personal preference, says Scibelli. "If you apply them after your foundation, the bronzed finish will show up more, and even act as a contour if you wanted it to," he notes. But blending them on before foundation will give you a more subtle, blended look, since the tint will be covered a bit.

Look at the shades.

Many bronzing drops unfortunately come in just one medium-to-tan shade that is often too dark for fair skin or too light and milky for deep skin. In our testing and reviewing, we found the Versed’s Glow Drops are a great option for very light skin, since they come in a sheer champagne color that looks natural, not orange. Another well-tested option is the light-pink shade of the L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion that’ll leave fair skin tones with a shimmery glow (instead of a warm bronze).

If you’re working with a deeper skin tone (like dark-tan to deep), opt for bronzing drops that match—or are darker than—your natural skin tone, like the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop’lit All-Over Glow Enhancer. Or try the Live Tinted Hue Glow in Dusk, which is a deep bronze-y shade that’ll add a golden sheen to your skin. Note that these formulas won’t act like a pigmented foundation on your face (they’re too sheer and subtle to actually darken your skin), but they will add a warm, glowy depth to your face that can help your skin look more even toned.

Assess your goals.

Are you looking to just add a touch of temporary color to your light-to-tan skin? Try Drunk Elephant’s D-Bronzi Drops, which were my favorite of all the bronzing drops I tested on my medium skin. For fair skin, testers loved the ultra-lightweight Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Serum, which has a barely there gold or bronze tint, while reviewers with tan-to-deep skin tones loved Fenty’s Eaze Drop’lit All-Over Glow Enhancer in Bronze Jasper.

But if you want to highlight your cheekbones or make your skin look extra hydrated, go for Live Tinted’s Hue Glow (for all skin tones) or Saie’s Glowy Super Gel (for fair-to-medium skin). And, of course, if you want something with more pigment to bronze your cheekbones, def opt for something like Armani’s Luminous Silk Liquid Bronzer Drops, which comes in four warm shades from light to deep.

• Neil Scibelli is a makeup artist based in New York, NY who works with celebrities and talent for TV interviews, press appointments, and more.