The best face tan in Australia, ranked.

Drops

Drops are the skincare-native format: DHA carried in a serum-grade base that you mix into your usual moisturiser in your palm and apply as one step. Depth is dialled by drop count rather than by shade, the Isle of Paradise formula runs from 2 to 12 drops, and because the colour goes on blended through a cream it has nowhere to streak. On the face the colour develops over several hours and fades in roughly three to four days, so a couple of nights a week holds the tone. The format rewards restraint, and the full field is ranked in our tanning drops guide.

Waters and mists

Waters and mists sit at the other end of the routine. They go on after your moisturiser has absorbed, usually about five minutes later, and read as a skincare step rather than a tan. The Bali Body water layers under moisturiser and makeup and builds over successive coats; the James Read mist is the travel play, warmth without pigment, sprayed and massaged in. The trade is control: you cannot dial a mist the way you can count out drops.

What about your body mousse

Technically usable, practically not worth it. Body formulas are built for thicker, oilier skin and often run heavier in DHA, so on the face they read too dark, settle into fine lines, and cling around the nostrils and hairline. If you do borrow a body product, use a fraction of the amount and blend far more carefully, the full technique is in our guide to fake tanning your face.

Mists and waters want clean, bare skin. Makeup, sunscreen and facial oils form a barrier that blocks even development, so cleanse, pat dry, then apply. Drops are the exception, they are designed to travel in your moisturiser. Either way, give the tan four to six hours before makeup goes on top, so the DHA develops undisturbed.

Save the rich serums, facial oils and stronger actives for after the tan has developed and been rinsed; piling acids or retinoids on the same night can irritate skin and lift the colour unevenly. And SPF stays non-negotiable. A fake tan provides no UV protection at all, so sunscreen still goes on daily over the top in the Australian sun, summer or winter.

Colour clings wherever skin is dry or textured, which on a face means the eyebrows, the hairline, the sides of the nose and the lips. Tap a light moisturiser onto those zones a few minutes before applying so they take less colour, and wipe any product off the hairline hairs themselves with a damp cotton pad. That is what prevents the dark band at the roots, and what stops blonde or grey hair staining.

Work in light circular motions from the centre of the face outward, then carry whatever is left on your applicator down over the jaw, the neck and the tops of the ears so there is no hard edge. Start lighter than you think you need. Over-application is the most common cause of an orange or patchy face, and a second layer can always follow once the first has developed.

If it still goes wrong, go gently. A little facial oil or cream cleanser buffed with a damp flannel lifts a dark patch, and a missed spot takes a dab of gradual tanner blended outward, a format we rank separately in the gradual tan guide. Sensitive or reactive skin should patch test on the jaw or behind the ear and wait 24 hours, general cosmetic caution rather than medical advice. And if you are pregnant, topical DHA self-tanners are considered safe by most dermatological authorities, but read our guide to self-tan in pregnancy and check with your obstetrician before adding anything new.