In order to help you enhance your natural radiance, we’ve come up with the best bronzers for brown skin. We’ve tested these products and found that they work great for concealing imperfections while contributing to a healthy tan glow. We believe these products can be a good addition to your beauty collection.
Achieving that sun-kissed glow we want is possible with the help of the right bronzers. These can serve to enhance the brown skin tones.
Such products can imply a lovely bronzed nuance to highlight the cheekbones.
While on our quest to evaluate among the best in this category, we were checking the content for healthy ingredients.
After days of researching, we would like to present to you our top five choices for the best bronzers for brown skin.
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Quick Overview: Our Top Picks of the Best Bronzers for Brown Skin
The first product on our list is the Covergirl Queen Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer Ebony Bronze. We like that it combines both Talc and Mica. These can help to smoothen the surface of the skin. Furthermore, we find them among the best ingredients to suit oily and combination skin.
The NARS Bronzing Powder, Casino is our second best choice. We highly approve the inclusion of Corn Starch to its formulation. It is well-known for possessing soothing and smoothing qualities. It can be an excellent remedy for various skin issues while its absorbing power can help to prevent oiliness.
Our third choice in this roundup is the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder. It contains Iron Oxides, which are responsible for the intense pigmentation of the product. We love that it lasts long, and helps to prevent sweat from ruining the makeup. We find this trait handy since we did not need to reapply often.
Next, we have the Whatup Beaches Matte Bronzer by Elizabeth Mott. We notice the presence of Magnesium Myristate. It is a combination of the fatty acid Myristate and the mineral Magnesium. That element has both absorbing and disinfecting properties. When included in cosmetics, it can also enable a soft and comfortable gliding of the powder on the skin.
The Sleek MakeUp Face Form is our fifth choice. We find it useful in achieving that healthy, natural tan look we desire. What catches our attention is the active ingredients which can help to deliver vitamins and antioxidants to the skin. These aid in lessening of the wrinkles and fine lines to provide a youthful complexion.
But before we continue with our list of the best bronzers for brown skin, we want to share with you our expert tips and advice on how to use and find a suitable product.
What are the Benefits of a Bronzer?
A bronzer is a cosmetic product that is either in powder or liquid form.
That kind of cosmetics serves to provide a temporary tan appearance, without the need to bask in the sun.
For a lot of people, a chocolate skin is related to attractiveness. And indeed, lovely, tanned cheekbones have a certain appeal.
So, what are the other benefits of skin bronzer, besides tanning the skin or face?
First off, some can help to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
That is a significant feature since our skin is continuously exposed to the threat of environmental pollutants and the damaging effect of the sun’s rays (source).
Even in the winter, the snow reflects up to 80 percent of the light which can result in prematurely aging skin and more visible fine lines or wrinkles.
Another benefit of using a bronzer is the control. Keeping track of the color’s depth is easy.
We can choose the saturation and the dispense of the shade according to our personal preferences.
For a more dramatic look, we encourage you to try applying it with a thinner brush that can make certain parts stand out (source).
If you are planning on a night out, you can use the help of both a primer and a setting spray.
The primer can help to increase the brightness of the color. On the other hand, the setting spray can prevent blotchiness or unpleasant streaks.
A more natural appearance can be achieved by applying the bronzer with a soft, fluffy brush.
Our advice is to opt for products that are not too shimmery, as well. Another trend that gets more and more popular is contouring.
The art of sculpting and making certain parts of the face pop out has gained many followers.
Many video tutorials can show us how to create that artistic delusion on the face.
You can make your eyes stand out, slim the silhouette of the nose or draw the attention to the cheekbones.
However, the primary purpose of a bronzer is to deliver a subtle sun-kissed effect which contributes to a healthy appearance.
To achieve this, you may need to apply the bronzer on both sides of the nose bridge by using a thin brush.
Then, you can balance it off by brushing more on the cheekbones and forehead. Once done, apply a foundation or powder to blend it for a more natural finish.
What is the Right Bronzer for Your Skin Tone?
Choosing the right bronzer for your skin tone is a significant step. The perfect bronzer could help you achieve a more appealing, healthier, and tanned complexion.
To choose the right product, it is essential to know your undertones as well. That can help enhance your natural beauty without looking artificial.
You may consider a bronzer that looks like your skin tone when you have a soft tan.
Experts, such as professional makeup artists, advise choosing one that is one to two shades darker than your skin tone (source).
Meanwhile, brands have various ways to name their bronzers. With this, you may be quite puzzled in choosing the right shade.
The most common labels you can see are the Light, Medium, and Dark. Still, these nuances can differ with products.
Meanwhile, for darker skin tones, people should look for chocolate-brown bronzers with warm or blue undertones.
People with brown skin are lucky to experience fewer concerns with orange tints.
That’s because copperish shades can blend better their natural color, compared to those of fair-skinned individuals.
Product Reviews: Our Top 5 Picks of the Best Bronzers for Brown Skin
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Our Rating
The ultimate choice on our list of the best bronzers for brown skin is the Covergirl Queen Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer Ebony Bronze.
Mica is a silicate mineral that has glittering and shimmering properties. It helps produce an image of smoother, softer, and more radiant skin tone.
Mica serves to reflect the light, but it is deprived of that over-shimmery effect. Thus, it looks more natural and sheer.
It also contains Titanium Dioxide, which aids to protect the skin from the harmful UVA and UVB rays of the sun.
Meanwhile, Coco Glycerides can condition the skin, since they are well-known emollients.
These are derived from Coconut oil, which is famous for its moisturizing properties. It is also considered to have anti-inflammatory benefits for the skin.
Another trait which we find important is that this product can be suitable for most skin types, including the sensitive.
The comedogenic level of the ingredients is significantly low, which can make it a match for people with acne-prone skin as well.
If you like this product, I'm sure you will also love these top natural bronzers and non-comedogenic bronzers on the market.
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Our second choice for this category is the NARS Bronzing Powder, Casino. We like that this bronzer can help to create a natural tan look.
Furthermore, we enjoy it can smooth the surface of the skin with the inclusion of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate).
That is a synthetic organic compound which is an ester of methacrylic acid. It serves as a viscosity-increasing element and as a film former in cosmetics.
Its inclusion can function as filler for wrinkles and fine lines. Moreover, it can reduce and cover up scars.
Through the creation of a protective barrier over the surface of the skin, we can prevent free radicals from causing damage.
That process is enhanced with the help of Dimethicone. It is a well-known silicone that can trap the moisture to keep the water balance at sustainable levels.
Another beneficial feature about Dimethicone is that while it assists in hydrating the skin, it also targets on blocking excessive oiliness.
The added Vitamin C can promote brightness and vitality to the complexion.
Upon testing the product, we found that it may be hard to use it for contouring though. If you're looking for a bronzer that can be used for contouring, you can read our roundup here.
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The next best bronzer for brown skin on this roundup is the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder.
The first thing to notice after applying it was the subtle and fresh rose tint. Among its ingredients, we detected the presence of Iron Oxides.
These are naturally occurring minerals that are considered gentle and non-toxic for the skin.
Aside from providing pigmentation, Iron Oxides can also make the product last longer. Another significant trait is that these pigments are resistant to moisture.
Meanwhile, Titanium Dioxide works in two directions. We already discussed its UVA/UVB-reflecting abilities which can help to prevent sun damage.
On the other hand, it serves to balance the coloration brought by Iron Oxides which come in shades of brown, orange, red and black.
And since Titanium Dioxide appears more whitish, it aids to improve the covering of imperfections by creating an even skin tone.
We also love the portable size. It is easy to carry around, transport in our makeup bags and clutch for touch-ups.
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The Whatup Beaches Matte Bronzer by Elizabeth Mott tops our position number four.
Dimethicone, Mica, and Caprylyl Glycol work simultaneously to moisturize the skin while preventing excess sebum production.
It also contains Nylon-12, which is a polymer that helps to lessen the shine of the skin and provides a silky and soft glide when applying the product.
It could expand and contract with facial movements without filling in small lines, resulting in a smooth appearance.
We fell in love with the natural yet saturated effect of this bronzer. We also find it can be great to use for contouring, as it does not contain any shimmer.
However, we find that the inclusion of Phenyl Trimethicone can be tricky for some skin types.
Phenyl Trimethicone is a derivative of silica. That is a natural component of quartz and opal.
It serves to slow the water loss by creating a thin film over the surface of the skin. Research shows it is less to no hazardous when applied topically.
Anyway, we still encourage those of you with sensitive or acne-prone skin to be on the watch for any abnormal reactions.
If you have sensitive acne prone skin, you can check out our list here.
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And finally, the Sleek MakeUp Face Form ends our tour as the last best bronzer for brown skin on this list.
The Zinc Oxide can help to heal the epidermal layer and prevent infections. It is also considered to block irritation and the signs of photoaging.
Another trait that catches our attention is that it can aid in treating acne and diminishing oiliness.
Corn Starch is yet another active ingredient that we find particularly useful. It is well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
It is even used to address skin allergies. Furthermore, it can assist in giving the skin a more matte appearance through its power to absorb oil.
We also discerned the effect of Jojoba Oil added to the formulation. That is one of the natural oils which are referred to as having a unique fatty acid compound.
It absorbs almost immediately and is one of a kind in the world of botanicals. It reminds much of liquid wax.
It helps to create a thin, invisible film over the skin which aims to replenish and revitalize the epidermis while blocking the damage conducted by environmental pollutants.
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The Bottom Line
The winner for this roundup of the best bronzers for brown skin is the Covergirl Queen Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer Ebony Bronze.
We love that this bronzer creates a natural, healthy-looking tan. We also highly approve the inclusion of Dimethicone and Coco-glycerides to the formulation.
These can help pamper the skin and provide moisturize while Talc and Mica serve to diminish any unpleasant greasiness on the face and leave only a sheer glow.
The Titanium Dioxide aims to balance the coloration brought by Iron Oxides and simultaneously help to block harmful rays from the sun.
We have carefully selected this bronzer and all the other products that made it through our selection process.
We were looking for adaptable shades that can accentuate brown skin, as well as a smart ingredient list that can help you a lot in suiting various conditions and preferences.
There you have it - a detailed roundup of all high-quality bronzers for brown skin on the market.
If you have darker skin and you are looking for an effective bronzer to use, you can read our roundup here.