Best fake tan for older skin 2024: Foolproof, moisturising tanners we’ve tested
We’ve tested tonnes of tans to find the best fake tan for older skin – these are our top picks
The glow you get from spending time in the sun is unbeatable, but as we get older it’s important to take care of our skin. Using the best fake tan for older skin is by far the healthiest way to achieve a glowing tan without risking your health under harmful UVA or UVB rays.
Thankfully, the days of streaky legs and orange faces are long gone – these days, the best fake tans are gentle and adaptable to your natural skin tone. Older skin is thinner than younger skin, so tans suited to older skin tend to build gradually and offer a light coverage.
To help you choose the right fake tan for your mature skin, we’ve tested a range of fake tans and assessed their colour, development time, evenness and suitability. Only the very best are listed here. If you need more information before you buy, check out our buying guide to choosing the best fake tan for you – or if you’re in a rush, see our at-a-glance pick of the best fake tans for older skin immediately below.
Best fake tan for older skin: At a glance
| Best for a natural tan | Tropic Summer Skin Gradual Tanning Lotion (~£20) | Check price at Tropic |
| Best hydrating fake tan | Sunescape Instant Self Tan Mousse (~£23) | Check price at Revival |
| Best fake tan with SPF protection | Tancream (~£40) | Check price at Amazon |
The best fake tan for older skin to buy in 2024
1. Tropic Summer Skin Gradual Tanning Lotion: Best for a natural tan
Price when reviewed: £20 | Check price at Tropic
- Great for… a natural tan
- Not so great for… instant colour
If you want a natural-looking tan, the Tropic Summer Skin Gradual Tanning Lotion is our top pick. Its stand-out ingredient is allo-melanin, which is a clever antioxidant that has been clinically proven to mimic the natural colour of your skin, giving a natural-looking tan that’s perfect for your skin tone.
This is especially good for anyone who’s never self-tanned before, as it gives you a light natural-looking glow. If you want a darker tan, the lotion is buildable, so you can reapply the next day, and the next if you like, until you achieve the tan you’re looking for.
When we used the Tropic tan, we loved how the coconut oil, aloe vera and golden jojoba oil kept our skin smooth and hydrated, and the beetroot amino acids and mango butter in this product also protected our skin against environmental stress. Both of these factors add anti-ageing benefits, which are ideal for those with mature skin.
2. Watermans Browned Off Self Tanning Foam: Best fast-drying tan
Price when reviewed: £15 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… transfer-free applications
- Not so great for… first time users
One of the main worries over self-tanning is that your lovely golden glow will transfer onto your clothing or end up staining your bed sheets. With Watermans new Browned off Self Tanning Foam, you won’t need to worry.
In our tests, we thought the foam covered our skin smoothly, mattifying quickly to give you a soft and dry tan that stays on your skin and doesn’t leave any residue on clothing or sheets. That being said, since it dries so fast, those applying fake tan for the first time may struggle to get an even, streak-free application before the product dries.
The key ingredients, aloe vera and vitamin E, create a creamy tanning foam that cares for your skin. We found it to be long-lasting after just one application, but if you want to go darker just keep applying until you reach the right tan for you.
3. Sunescape Instant Self Tan Mousse: Best hydrating fake tan
Price when reviewed: £23 | Check price at Revival
- Great for… dry skin
- Not so great for… a long-lasting tan
Enriched with coconut oil, tamanu oil and macadamia oil, the Sunescape Instant Self Tan Mousse is great for hydrating your skin while it tans. Having tested the mousse, we could really feel the tan hydrating our legs while bronzing them up a treat. Other active ingredients include organic aloe green tea, vitamin E and cranberry and pomegranate extracts – antioxidants that help to soothe dry skin.
The tanning mousse comes in a fun range of shades titled ‘Week in Fiji’ and ‘Summer in Santorini’, rather than light, medium and dark. While we found this a little confusing, you’ll need to pay close attention to which shade you’re buying. The Week in Fiji is a lightweight medium shade that gives your skin a soft glow and helps to eliminate the appearance of any irregular skin tones, cellulite and stretch marks. It dries quickly and lasts around 48 hours, washing off easily in the shower. If you want a darker tone, go for ‘a Month in Maui’.
4. Tancream: Best fake tan with SPF protection
Price when reviewed: £40 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… SPF protection
- Not so great for… a fast tan
Let’s be honest, self-tanning doesn’t mean you won’t go out in the sun. Even if it’s only a walk around on holiday, or going about your daily life, we all go out in those rays at some point.
While most self-tanners don’t offer any sun protection, Tancream has SPF protection built in, so you can self-tan and stay protected against harmful sun damage at the same time. We love that you can use it on your body and your face, so there’s no need to switch between products.
Tancream creates a soft glow within hours that goes on to develop into a tan over the next couple of days, so you don’t need to use it every day – once every 3 or 4 days keeps your tan topped up and glowing. That being said, its SPF protection only lasts a few hours, so make sure you use suncream on days when you don’t apply the tan.
5. St Tropez Gradual tan Classic Daily Firming Body Lotion: Best for anti-ageing
Price when reviewed: £18 | Check price at Boots
- Great for… anti-ageing
- Not so great for… an instant tan
Not only does this St Tropez tanning body lotion build your tan the more you apply it, but it also builds more youthful-looking skin over time. The inclusion of plant based marine algae in the ingredients prevents the degradation of college and elastin, which means you’ll have firmer skin the more you use it.
Other ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and upcycled raspberry and blueberry seed oils, hydrate the skin and protect it from environmental pressures (chafing winds, for example) and improve skin texture.
In our tests, we thought the lotion went on smoothly without any streaks or blotches and it lasted for 3-4 days. It’s a thick creamy lotion and just two applications will take you to a medium tan. If you want to stay light with just a hint of tan, one application is enough.
How to choose the best fake tan for you
By now we all know that it’s best to avoid spending too much time in the sun or using sunbeds, especially if your skin is mature. That’s because UVA rays cause wrinkles and age spots, and UVB rays can, at worst, cause cancer. Using fake tans helps side-step these risks.
How much should I spend?
You don’t have to spend a lot to get a good glow, but it really depends on what you want from your fake tan. Most self-tanning foams, mouses and lotions are around the £20 mark and for that you get a good fake tan that gives smooth coverage and might be hydrating, or fast drying, anti-ageing or all three.
If you want something a little extra, like the SPF protection element, you can double that price. Of course, there are even cheaper fake tans on the market, but if you don’t want streaky lines and blotchy coverage, it’s worth paying a little more for tans that we’ve tested and know work well.
How should I apply fake tan on mature skin?
Older skin is thinner and usually dryer than younger skin, so it’s important to prepare your skin before you apply your fake tan. Without preparation, you might find your fake tan is patchy and it might not last long. Follow these steps every time to make sure your tan applies smoothly and lasts as long as possible:
- Before you start, exfoliate the skin to get rid of any dead skin cells and buff the skin. This should help products to penetrate deeper into the skin’s layers.
- Then moisturise to eliminate any dry patches and allow the fake tan to glide on smoothly.
- Make sure you continue to moisturise the skin daily after you’ve fake-tanned, to ensure the tan lasts as long as possible.
When applying fake tan, always use a tanning mitt: if you’re tempted to dive straight in with your hands, resist this temptation. Apart from avoiding getting fake tan all over your hands, which, trust us, isn’t easy to remove, a mitt will give you better coverage and will work the tan into any wrinkles so it doesn’t settle there.
Do I need a separate fake tan for my face?
Although some fake tans are suitable to be used on the face as well as the body, for older skin it’s advisable to use a separate, specially formulated face tan. Thankfully we’ve also tested the best fake tans for your face.
The skin on your face is more delicate than on your body and you need to take extra care with the products you apply there. Face tanners are made to provide extra moisture, to be gentle, and to protect your skin. Choose a tanning misting spray for a hydrating gentle face tan, or tanning drops that can be applied as a serum that nourishes your skin while giving you a gentle glow.