Gone are the days of the heavy-handed, often orange-hued bronzers of the past. Today, the best bronzers have had something of a facelift, with more nuanced undertones, easily blendable textures, and finishes designed to mimic a natural sun-kissed glow. Not to mention, many now incorporate skin-care ingredients as an added benefit, resulting in lightweight formulas that can be worn on bare skin or layered seamlessly over other color cosmetics.
Vogue’s Favorite Bronzers
Best Stick: Rhode Pocket Bronze, $25
Best Airbrushed: Charlotte Tilbury Bronzing Powder, $59
Best Sheer: Merit Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer, $32
Best Bronzing Drops: Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops, $58
Best Neutral Undertones: Saie SuperSuede Radiant Baked Bronzer, $32
Take, for example, Rhode’s buzzy summer launch, centered entirely around bronzed, sun-kissed skin. The collection introduced what would quickly become a bestseller for the brand: a peptide-infused bronzing stick in a format identical to its Pocket Blush. It was a reminder that bronzer is no relegated to full glam—it can be the missing puzzle piece in an everyday, pared-down makeup routine too (that’s right, minimalists! There’s no need to be afraid.) At times when sunshine is difficult to come by, bronzers can be a speedy way to make skin look healthy with little effort. Even as we bask in sunny days through the end of summer, it amps up the warmth with ease.
Plus, a good bronzer does more than just deposit a luminous sheen—with proper placement, it can enhance cheekbones, define the jawline, and add dimension to collarbones. Playing with light and shade allows you to create depth for a lit-from-with-radiance that looks deceivingly natural.
Whether you’re searching for a shimmering golden hue that doubles up as a great highlighter, or a matte brown ideal for contouring, find Vogue’s pick of the best bronzers below.
In This Story
How to Choose a Bronzer How to Apply
How to Choose a Bronzer
How to Apply Bronzer
What’s the difference between a contour and a bronzer?
How We Tested
Meet the Experts
Best Stick: Rhode Pocket Bronze
Why We Love It: For those already devoted to Bieber’s blush, Pocket Bronze follows a familiar formula in a new complexion-enhancing format. The portable, retractable cream stick delivers warmth and definition rather than a wash of color, blending easily across the cheekbones, temples, and other areas where the sun naturally hits. The non-comedogenic formula combines peptides and tamanu oil to support hydration, while kaolin clay helps absorb excess oil and improve wear. Available in eight shades across neutral and warm undertones, there’s plenty of room to find a finish that complements your complexion.
Editor’s Experience: Getting my hands on Pocket Bronze was a true treat. I opted for the shade Sunbed (a cool undertone, suited to those with light-medium to medium skin). I opt to swipe it on the tops of my cheeks, nose, and either side of my forehead; but instead of using my fingers to blend, I’ve been using the stippling side of the new brush. I do think the shade still manages to pull slightly warm on me, but overall, no major complaints. —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
Natural, skin-like finish
For those with neutral undertones, some shades might be too warm
Best Sheer: Merit Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer
Why We Love It: Beloved for its easily blendable texture, Merit’s Bronze Balm is one of the simplest beauty products to apply, enriched with emollient fatty acids to aid in skin’s moisture levels. Given the semi-sheer finish, it’s pretty hard to mess up the blending of this balmy stick—there’s no fear of muddy overdone bronzer here. Pro makeup artist Anastasia Vavina previously told Vogue this stick is an excellent choice for a paired-down makeup routine for a “one and done” color stick—swipe it along the eyes too for an easy, bronzed look.
Semi-sheer finish is easy to blend and beginner
Semi-sheer finish is easy to blend and beginner friendly
Shade range may not be suitable for deeper skin tones
Best Bronzing Drops: Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops
Why We Love It: Both Jennifer Aniston and Helena Christensen have mentioned these bronzing drops as their go-to product for achieving a freshly-tanned look. “They lend a glow to the skin and help me build a believable tan on a variety of skin tones,” says celebrity makeup artist Suzy Gerstein, emphasizing their blendability and versatility.
Hydrating and buildable formula
Formula isn’t entirely non-comedogenic, so may not suit acne-prone skin
Provides a believable just-tanned look, with long-wearing results
Best Neutral Undertones: Saie SuperSuede Radiant Baked Bronzer
Why We Love It: Saie’s powder bronzer debuted
Why We Love It: Saie’s powder bronzer debuted earlier this year, following the success of the its baked powder blushes in 2025. While the clean beauty brand already had a well-loved liquid bronzer in its lineup, SuperSuede offers an even more foolproof application. Inspired by the kind of sun-kissed glow you might get on a tropical vacation, the formula lives up to its name with a texture that feels remarkably suede-like: smooth, soft, and diffused. A simple swipe is all it takes to blend the powder into skin, with no additional buffing required. Those with neutral undertones will also appreciate the shade range, which includes options like Amalfi for light-to-medium skin tones and Portofino for tan to dark skin tones.
Editor’s Experience: I tested Saie’s SuperSuede back in December (two months before launching). Before work, I headed over to Saie HQ and had my makeup done by their head makeup artist, Stevie Nelson. I was honest with her that I was generally bronzer-averse, since products can easily look orange on my neutral-olive skin tone. SuperSuede, though, changed my mind—the bronze was so natural, and so neutral, it was almost undetectable. And yes, I got loads of compliments as soon as I arrived back at the Vogue offices. —C.C.
Natural, blurred finish
Some feel the deeper shades lack range
Clean, non-comedogenic formula
Best Powder Bronzer: Charlotte Tilbury Bronzing Powder
Why We Love It: Fans of Charlotte Tilbury’s airbrushed setting powder ought to give its corresponding bronzer a try to. Similarly, the pressed bronzing powder offers a buttery smooth texture, thanks to hyaluronic acid and silica, while mica prevents the product from going patchy. Meanwhile, the micro-milled powder blends for an airbrushed effect. Plus, given it’s soft matte finish, this bronze particularly matches a natural look.
Large pan of product
Some find the shade undertones skew warm
Best Shade-Inclusive: LYS Beauty No Limits Cream Bronzer Stick
Why We Love It: There’s much to love about Black-owned beauty brand LYS, from its shade inclusivity to its high-performing formulas. Its contour stick—a viral TikTok phenom—boasts seven shades, covering fair to deep skin tones. The formula packs green tea extract for soothing and antioxidant-rich rosehip oil for skin brightening.
Vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, talc-free
Not completely non-comedogenic—contains two potentially pore-clogging ingredients
Easy to apply—just swipe on, blend, and go
Inclusive shade range offers options from the fairest to deepest complexions
Best Cream: Fara Homidi Essential Bronzer Compact
Why We Love It: Fara Homidi knows more than a thing or two about high-end skincare-makeup hybrids. Case in point: This powder bronzer is packed with humectants and botanically- derived oils which do more than just impart a natural-looking, post-beach day glow. The formulation also delivers a dose of hit moisture with added antioxidant protection.
Editor’s Experience: I love the way this bronzer blends. A hybrid unlike anything I’ve ever used before, it offers the best part of cream and powder formulas. The matte finish is perfect to diffuse skin while adding dimension. —Kiana Murden, beauty shopping editor
Hydrating formula with a natural finish
One of the pricier formulas on our list
Unique powder-cream finish that diffuses skin
Limited shade range
Source: www.vogue.com
