Best liquid bronzer 2022: From Dolce & Gabanna, Drunk Elephant and more

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

New York-based, vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand Milk Makeup has just added this liquid bronzer to its collection and we’re obsessed. From a natural sheer touch of colour to a sun-lit glow, you can build up the intensity seamlessly thanks to its hybrid skincare make-up formula. With skin-loving ingredients to promote hydration, like hyaluronic acid and mushroom extracts, even dry skin types will love how smooth and natural feeling it is on the skin.

The formula is shimmer-free and comes in three shades to flatter all skin tones and ages, imparting a matte finish that still leaves the skin looking dewy. Use it on its own or over make-up for a natural “I’m just back from holiday” warmth. Plus, it makes a nice eyeshadow to match.

Best: For subtle warmth

Rating: 8.5/10

The no makeup collection founded by the renowned US dermatologist is made for those that want a soft and effortless look, hence the name. With some clever skincare make-up formulations in the line-up, the liquid bronzer is enriched with vitamin C ester and isn’t new but still hard to beat.

The universally flattering shimmer-free shade will suit fair to tanned complexions that are looking to enhance their natural beauty with a believable sun-touched glow. Use to contour or apply where the sun naturally hits your face and you’ll be asked where you’ve just come back from. Plus, this one is great for dialling up the colour in your foundation in the summer months when our skin tones may go up a shade.

Best: Luxury formula

Rating: 8.5/10

This beautiful bottle, adorned with the fashion house’s iconic motif, is just made to take pride of place on a dressing table. The performance matches the packaging in beauty, as the ultra-light, water-based gel warms up the complexion with a natural golden hue. Mix in your moisturiser or foundation for an all-over glow or apply straight to the skin as a bronzer, the choice is yours.

It’s a universal shade, so don’t be alarmed at its initial colour when it comes out of the dropper. The key is to use it sparingly if you’re light-skinned (like our tester) for the most seamless sun-kissed effect. You’ll find it won’t dry the skin out, as it’s infused with hydrating ingredients, and you’ll love the divine floral fragrance that adds to the opulence.

Best: Shade selection

Rating: 9/10

With six shades to choose from, you’ll find a liquid bronzer to suit you no matter your skin tone. Our tester found she even had to go up a shade to match her fair complexion, so the lightest offering “beach vibe” will even flatter the palest of skin tones. The formula is so sheer that it’s impossible to be heavy-handed with the gel-to-watercolour texture. For ease, simply dab to the higher points of the forehead, cheeks and nose and blend in with fingers, building up to find your desired dewy coverage. We can see why this is a celeb favourite!

Best: For sensitive skin

Rating: 8.5/10

The go-to brand for even the most sensitive skin has developed this all-natural radiance booster with skincare benefits. The pearlescent drops are made with mica or “nature’s glitter” which when used directly on the skin leaves a golden shimmer wherever you choose to place it – we especially loved it on cheekbones for a bronze highlight. But for us, the product really comes into its own with one drop in our daily moisturiser for an all-over subtle radiance that will make you want to skip coverage on top. Plus, it’s packed with hyaluronic acid and sea kelp to boost hydration and vitamin C rich lemon fruit water for added glow.

Best: Shimmery formula

Rating: 8/10

If you’ve not been introduced to Jones Road yet, it’s the new make-up brainchild of legendary MUA Bobbi Brown who is no longer associated with her famous namesake company. Combining clean formulations with high-performance makeup, we’ve loved everything we’ve so far tested from her new beauty brand – including the shimmer face oils. Just as many of the Jones Road products are multi-tasking, the bronze shade (as well as the midas on fair complexions) make excellent bronzers with a light-catching shimmer. Simply apply to the high points of the face to add dimension to your bone structure or mix in with your moisturiser for subtle warmth.

Best: For pale skin

Rating: 8/10

Designed to be mixed in with your existing skincare, be it your serum, moisturiser or oil, for an all-over warmth to the skin. This is another you-can’t-go-wrong formula, as one drop into your daily moisturiser leaves a very natural healthy-looking hue. It’s made up of a cocktail of skin-protecting antioxidants, skin-strengthening peptides and nourishing ingredients, so you’re also adding extra goodness to your skincare routine. And it’s free of silicones, fragrance and essential oils, so if you’re looking for a “free-from” bronzer or have skin on the very sensitive side, this is ideal.

Best: For customising

Rating: 8/10

If it’s versatility you’re after, you can’t beat this water-like liquid bronzer that you can mix with skincare. For subtlety, use on bare skin to show off a natural complexion or as a bronzer on top of foundation – we can’t decide our favourite way to use it as it works brilliantly in every way.

With added skincare benefits from the included hyaluronic acid and cupuacu extract to boost hydration, and vitamin C for natural skin-brightening, this leaves skin feeling smooth and comfortable. If you’re into exotic fragrances, this is a tropical holiday in a bottle. Pick from a shimmer or shimmer-free formula.

Best: For pore blurring

Rating: 8.5/10

If you’re familiar with Indeed Labs’ infamous skin-blurring cream nanoblur (£19.99, Boots.com), this couples its skin-diffusing tech with skin bronzing pigments. For best results, we liked to drop it into our day cream and use as an all-over wash of warmth; that way we can make use of its clever optical-blurring skin formulation. We found one pump enough for a lit-from-within-glow, and two for a real sun-kissed finish, but it also works brilliantly when used on its own. It even goes the extra skincare mile with hyaluronic acid to boost hydration levels and skin-protecting botanical extracts.

Best: For face and body

Rating: 8.5/10

If you’re looking for a liquid bronzer that can be used on the body with ease, as well as the face, look no further. Simply spray the bronzing water-mist onto the skin on show, for an instant streak-free glow that dries in seconds. It leaves behind a shimmery effect if you shake the bottle or a matte finish if you don’t – how clever is that!

For the face, we recommend spritzing it directly to a buffing brush one spray at a time to build up the colour and you’ll get the most natural-looking effect. It’s difficult to describe to you how beautiful the scent is. A summer-holiday must have!