Kayla Young
Sunless tanners aren’t just for women! Bodybuilders have been using them for decades. And they’ve actually come a long way over the years.
One of the most common fears among men wanting to use a self-tanner is that it will turn them a not-so-flattering shade of nectarine. Men also fear that it will look streaky, that they might look unnaturally too tanned, or that it will look like they’re wearing makeup.
Guys, you can put your apprehensions aside because we’ve checked out some of the top self tanning products on the market. We have chosen the ones that we think look the most natural and will have you looking like you’ve just returned from a tropical holiday.
Let’s start our review of the Best Self Tanners for Men with the Tanceuticals Self Tanner.
Contents
Beast Self Tanners for Men
Best Self Tanner for Men: Tanceuticals Self Tanner
We have awarded Tanceuticals Self Tanner the Best Self Tanner for Men and gave it 5 out of 5 stars.
So why do we like it so much?
At the end of the day, regardless of how it smells, what it’s made from or how long it lasts, the color that you get from a self tanner is the most important factor. Tanceuticals self tanner will give you a smooth and even shade of bronze that looks totally natural.
Key Features at a Glance
- Smells like coconut
- Easy to apply and dries quickly
- Produces a great tan colour that lasts almost a week
- Mid-range price – not budget, but not high end either
The Details
Product Look and Feel
Tanceuticals comes out of the tube as a tan-colored lotion. It feels very smooth and light on the skin.
Ease of Application
Tanceuticals is extremely easy to apply, as it absorbs quickly with no mess. Because of its glossy, smooth texture, it glides on effortlessly over skin and blends easily, and it doesn’t take a whole lot of product to cover your body. Using less product means it will last longer.
Drying Time
Tanceuticals dries very quickly in just a few minutes and leaves your skin feeling smooth and moisturized, not sticky.
Smell Before Application
Tanceuticals is one of the best smelling self tanners. Unlike a lot of other self tanners that have a more fruity or perfumey, feminine scent, this one smells like coconuts.
Smell After
Unlike most self tanners, even the ones that smell good initially, their scent usually ends up wearing off only to be replaced by the smell of DHA. Not so for Tanceuticals – the tropical scent of coconut stays until it’s showered off. There is no smell of DHA at all.
Color
This is one of the things we loved most about Tanceuticals. It produces an absolutely gorgeous, deeply bronzed, smooth, and very natural-looking tan.
It’s also very moisturizing.
It doesn’t make any streaks or splotches – just smooth, tanned, glowing skin!
Tan Longevity
Tanceuticals Self Tanning Body Lotion lasts about 7 days, which is a reasonably long time for a self tanner. Â
The Bottom Line
Though the product packaging is white and pink – guys don’t get scared off! You’re going to love it.
It’s a no-fuss application that smells great. And just once a week for a gorgeous tan.
What more can you ask for?! We couldn’t think of anything either, which is why we’ve rated Tanceuticals Self tanner the best self tanner for men.
- A BEAUTIFUL, NATURAL-LOOKING TAN: Our...
- #1 RATED BEST SELF TANNER: Tanceuticals...
- AMAZING SCENT: Our fresh coconut scent...
- EASY TO USE, LONG-LASTING: Our smooth...
- GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN - Tanceuticals is...
Runner Up: Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse
Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse is a clear mousse that produces a great medium to dark shade, giving you a smooth, sun-kissed look.
Because it’s a clear mousse and has no color guide, it’s less messy than most self tanners to apply. And you won’t have to worry about it staining your bedding or clothing once applied.
It’s also fairly easy to apply to hairy skin.
Key Features at a Glance
- Produces a great, natural looking tan
- Clear mousse, so no staining
- Lasts for about 5 days
- One of the more expensive self tanners
The Details
Product Look and Feel
Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse comes bottled as a clear liquid that pumps out as a white foam. Because there is no bronzer mixed in, there is no color guide at all.
It has a lightweight and airy texture, more of a tanning water than anything else.
Ease of Application
Applying Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse couldn’t be easier. Not having a color guide makes it clean and hassle-free. Because it’s clear, it won’t stain clothes, towels, and bedsheets. But we do recommend using a tanning mitt to apply it because it can stain your hands.
It’s easy to apply and blends smoothly.
For those new to self tanning, you may not like that it doesn’t have a color guide because you can’t see where you’re applying it. But experienced self tanners should be fine as long as it’s applied evenly.
The areas where you’ve already applied the tanning mouse will feel wet.
This is one of the darker tanning products, use a tanning mitt or glove and make sure you apply lotion to any excessively dry areas, like your feet, knees, and elbows, before applying this mousse.
Drying Time
This is where Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse lost a couple of points and why, despite its ease of application and beautiful color, wasn’t our #1 pick.
Though mousses tend to be a bit tacky in general, not only is this one also tacky, it takes a few hours to completely dry.
Smell Before Application
The initial scent is what we would describe as a light, floral and fruity smell without any hint of DHA.
Smell After
The floral smell dissipates after a day or so and does not smell like DHA, which is a big bonus.
Color
Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse in medium/dark looks as you would imagine, and gives you a medium-dark tan that makes you look like you’ve just come back from your holiday house in the tropics. It’s a smooth, all over very natural-looking color that will be about 4 shades darker than the color you started with.
Tan Longevity
It lasts about 5 days and as with most darker colored self tanners, it’s to be expected that as your tan fades, it can become a little uneven. As long as you apply it carefully, it shouldn’t crack.
The Bottom Line
Tan Luxe Hydra Mousse produces a nice, dark tan with little mess and easy application that lasts for almost a week. It’s super hydrating so it will leave your skin soft, smooth, and looking fabulous.
- Get ready to foam & glow, with our...
- Transparent tanning = no transfer,...
- The whipped, water based formula easily...
- Using a tanning mitt, apply to the skin...
- Main Ingredients: Aqua (Water),...
Budget Pick: Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam
Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam is also a mousse, but this one has a dark brown color guide, which makes it really easy to apply.
It’s tropical mango and guava scent is delicious. If you leave it on overnight and shower off in the morning, you will be left with a medium tan which will continue to darken for another day or so to reveal a rich, brown medium/dark tan.
Another great thing about this tanner is that it lasts a full week before it fades.
Key Features at a Glance
- Great, long-lasting tan
- Most cost effective
- Great application smell, but smells like DHA afterward
The Details
Product Look and Feel
Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam is a mousse that has a very dark brown color guide.
The mousse holds its shape, it is not too sticky, like some mousses can be, and applies smoothly.
It’s not very moisturizing.
Ease of Application
Its dark color guide makes it easy, especially for beginners when it comes to the application. You can make sure you haven’t missed any spots and you can clearly see where you need to blend.
Because the color guide is so dark, you need to be careful otherwise it can get messy.
Make sure you apply lotion to all your dry areas, like heels, knees, and elbows, before applying for a more even color.
Drying Time
Mousses generally tend to take longer to dry. This one is no exception, at about 45 minutes to an hour.
Smell Before Application
This is one of its HUGE plus points. The scent of mango and guava is just divine.
Smell After
By day two, the smell of DHA will be stronger than the mango and guava fragrance, assuming you’ve left it on overnight to shower in the morning.
Color
This one is a bit different from most of the others as the full color doesn’t develop for 2 days. If you try this product and are going for a darker tan, leave it on overnight and shower the following morning.
Once you’ve showered, you may think your tan is not as dark as you would have thought, but don’t rush to do another application, it will actually darken even more.
This one can dry a bit streaky if you don’t blend it properly.
Tan Longevity
This is one of our longest-lasting tanners on our list, lasting about a week before you start to notice a significant lightening.
The Bottom Line
Its quick and easy application and its long-lasting dark color make Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam our pick for the top budget self tanner for men.
This is one of the darker self tanners and will continue to darken over a couple of days. Though it’s one of the best smelling self tanners out there initially, it does smell like DHA after a while.
It’s also not the most moisturizing formula on the market. But given that it is the most budget-friendly of our options, those are things that you can probably overlook for the price.
- NATURAL LOOKING, SUN KISSED SKIN WITHOUT...
- ANTI-CELLULITE WITH ZERO NASTIES. This...
- SMELL SO GOOD, YOU’LL WANT MORE. Our...
- EASY APPLICATION WITHOUT ANY TRANSFER....
- CRUELTY FREE, VEGAN AND ALL NATURAL....
Honorable Mention Loving Tan 2 Hour Express
Loving Tan 2 Hour Express gets our Honorable Mention for its convenience and overall tan. This one is great to use last minute before a night out, or if you just need a tan in a pinch. It develops in 2 only hours and you’re good to go.
That’s what we call express!
This one is on the higher end of the price range for self tanners, but the convenience of getting a tan in two hours is something that is worth paying for.
Key Features at a Glance
- A tan in 2 hours!
- deep and natural colour
- strong smell
- One of the more expensive self tanners
The Details
Product Look and Feel
Loving Tan 2 Hour Express is a bubbly mousse with an airy texture.
The mousse has a very dark brown color guide.
Ease of Application
Easy to apply and blend without streaks. We would definitely recommend using a tanning mitt or glove because of the dark colour guide. It will protect your hands from staining and will help you apply the product more easily.
Drying Time
Though this mousse takes about 30 minutes to dry and can feel a little sticky while drying, like most mousses, you can wash this one off after 2 hours.
You just have to be careful not to get it all over the place while you’re waiting.
Smell Before Application
It has a sweet, nutty sort of fragrance, mixed with a little DHA. It’s not the worst smelling self tanner out there, but it definitely isn’t the best.
Smell After
You can still smell the DHA over the fragrance while you’re waiting the 2 hours for the color to develop, but it will go away after you wash it off.
Color
Loving Tan 2 Hour Express produces a nice overall natural bronze colour, which darkens even more over the next few hours.
Tan Longevity
Lasts 5 days and unlike a lot of self tanners, fades evenly with no splotches.
The Bottom Line
Loving Tan 2 Hour Express gets an honorable mention from us because of the fact that it’s ideal if you need a tan fast. In only two hours you can get a nice, relatively long lasting tan that fades evenly.
- Made By Tan Lovers For Tan Lovers –...
- Colour Guide Technology – The built-in...
- Professional Strength & Dermatologist...
- How To Use – 1. Apply moisturiser...
Conclusion
We chose the best self tanners that produced the best overall colour results, keeping in mind ease of application, fragrance and longevity, which is what we’ve found that most men are looking for in a self tanner.
If we’re going to be totally honest, there really is no difference between men and women’s self tanners, apart from the marketing. We thought you would appreciate us recommending a self tanner that comes in a pink and white tube that is a better product, over a self tanner that was an inferior product, just because it came in a black jar and had motorcycles and skulls on the label.
