Best fake tan for pale skin 2024: Get golden, not orange
These fuss-free fake tans for pale skin promise to give your complexion a healthy glow
Fake tan is a surefire way for pale-skinned people to get a healthy summer glow without risking sun damage. However, finding the best fake tan for pale skin can be a challenge – nobody wants to risk looking like an off-duty Oompa Loompa, but how can you know how suitable a fake tan is for your skin tone without trying it?
Luckily, we’ve tested a range of fake tans to find out which are the best for porcelain-skinned people. We’ve put a number of options through their paces and have found the products that will leave you looking sun-kissed and glowing, with not a hint of orange in sight. For application advice, read our guide on how to choose the best fake tan for you, linked below.
Best fake tan for pale skin: At a glance
| Best budget fake tan | Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula (~£6.49) | Check price at Boots |
| Best fake tan overall | Utan Cherry Almond Turbo Mousse (~£24) | Check price at Utan |
| Best gradual fake tan | Bronzie Gradual Fake Tanning Moisturiser (~£19) | Check price at Bronzie |
How we test fake tan for pale skin
We personally test all the fake tan we review. Our tester – in this instance, someone with naturally pale skin – tested all the products in the line-up over the course of several weeks.
The skin preparation is the same every time – showering, then lightly moisturising – as is the application of the fake tan, using a special mitt. However, when it comes to how long to leave the tan on for, we follow each product’s specific instructions. So in some cases it was only for a couple of hours and in others it was overnight. We made sure to note how quickly the product dried on the skin and whether any colour transferred onto clothing. Finally, we detailed all the product specifics, such as volume.
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The best fake tan for pale skin you can buy in 2024
1. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Gradual Tanning Moisturiser: Best budget fake tan
Price when reviewed: £6.49 | Check price at Boots
- Great for… natural results
- Not so great for… an instant tan
If you’re after understated results, then you’ll love the naturally sun-kissed look delivered by the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter gradual tan. As you’d expect, this formula smells absolutely divine – not remotely like biscuits, more like a rich chocolate scent.
Application is simple. Since it’s a gradual tanner, you can just use it as you would a moisturiser. Saying that, we would still advise using a glove for applications otherwise, you could end up with too much colour on the palm of your hands. Also, even though this product works gradually to deliver a subtle colour change, we would recommend being particularly careful around the elbows and knees. If there’s any sign of dryness, the product could cling on, leaving a not-so-natural looking splodge.
Key details – Size: 250ml
2. Utan Cherry Almond Turbo Mousse: Best fake tan overall
Price when reviewed: £24 | Check price at Utan
- Great for… a fast-acting tan
- Not so great for… overnight use
We love the versatility of the Utan Cherry Almond Turbo Mousse as it’s suitable for all skin tones. When you first apply this mousse, it looks really dark, but don’t be alarmed. What’s important when applying this fake tan is the time it’s on your skin, rather than its dark brown guide colour.
We’d recommend that those with pale skin should leave it on for only an hour. In our tests, this short time left us with a gorgeous subtle glow, without a hint of orange. Better still, those who aren’t a fan of the smell of fake tan won’t be turning their noses up at this tan’s light and fruity fragrance. For £24, you can’t go far wrong with this fast-acting tan.
Key details – Size: 150ml
3. Skinny Tan Wonder Serum: Best fake tan for smooth application
Price when reviewed: £20 | Check price at Boots
- Great for… glowing skin and anti-ageing
- Not so great for… overnight use
This tanning lightweight serum is suitable for all skin types, offers anti-ageing benefits and plenty of hydration. It has an impressive ingredients list that includes Q10, vitamin E and aloe vera, and the formulation has a shiny, shimmering finish.
That being said, we can confirm that this serum will not turn your skin glittery – the shimmer simply helps you trace where it’s been applied. Definitely wear a glove or mitt when applying this one, or your hands will get seriously stained. While the bottle recommends washing off the product after six or so hours, for paler skin we reckon two hours will suffice. The end result will be a light tan that’s free of streaks or dark blotches around the knees or elbows. It smells sweet, too, with a hint of coconut and vanilla.
Key details – Size: 145ml
4. Bronzie Gradual Fake Tanning Moisturiser: Best gradual fake tan
Price when reviewed: £19 | Check price at Bronzie
- Great for… gradual tanning
- Not so great for… an instant tan
Bronzie’s fake tan not only colours your skin slowly and gently, it promises to elevate its health, too. Containing ingredients such as macadamia seed oil and aloe, this formula delivers hydration and promotes collagen growth.
Use as you would a moisturiser, being super careful to wash the tan off the palm of your hands after application. On application, we found it dries quickly without any hint of stickiness, despite its hydrating properties. In around six hours, our skin was transformed, looking softly tanned and completely natural.
Key details – Size: 250ml
5. Green People Gradual Tan Moisturiser: Best fake tan for the face
Price when reviewed: £25 | Check price at Sephora
- Great for… facial tanning
- Not so great for… body tanning
This vegan and cruelty-free gradual tanner is made from sustainably sourced ingredients. It contains organic rosehip, green tea and prebiotics, is suitable for all skin types, and delivers a warm, natural colour over time. Unlike a tanning mousse, it can be used instead of your regular face moisturiser, and is even suitable for dry or acne-prone skin.
Be warned, though – in our tests, we discovered that a little goes a long way. In particular, be super-careful around the hairline and eyebrows, and blend it down your neck properly. It has a gorgeous sweet orange fragrance, free of the fake tan smell. By the end of the day you’ll notice a subtle, beautifully natural glow.
Key details – Size: 50ml
6. Age Defy+ Liquid Gold Tanning Drops: Best fake tan for travel
Price when reviewed: £38 | Check price at Sephora
- Great for… versatile use
- Not so great for… use on its own
There’s a lot to like about these tanning drops, but the main benefit is how easy they are to use. Simply add a few drops – 1-5 drops to face cream, or 6-10 drops to body lotion – to any moisturiser to achieve a natural, sun-kissed glow. The more drops you use, the deeper tan you’ll achieve.
The formula includes sustainably sourced ingredients such as seaweed and green tea, promising to protect the skin against free radicals. This adds anti-ageing benefits, which should give you younger-looking skin with continued use.
Designed for people aged 35 and over, for a customised tan just the way you like it, you can’t go wrong with these Age Defy+ Liquid Gold Tanning Drops. The small bottle, and the fact that you use so little, makes these drops perfect for taking with you on your travels, too.
Key details – Size: 30ml
How to choose the best fake tan for pale skin
With 86% of melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK caused as a result of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, it’s fair to say we need to take our relationship with sun tanning seriously. Luckily, the best fake tan for pale skin helps build a gradual tan without the sun damage. Here’s everything you need to know about fake tan, including how to apply it.
How to apply fake tan on pale skin
Unless you’re discerning in your choice of fake tan, prep your skin thoroughly and apply carefully, things can become messy very quickly for pale-skinned folk. We’re talking streaks and smears of orange, uneven tones and an overwhelming scent of biscuits. A poor application of fake tan is a nightmare – one that sticks around because you can’t simply hop into the shower, wash it off and start again.
Follow these steps to get the perfect application every time:
- Exfoliate with a scrub or brush to get rid of dry skin and dead skin cells. Pay particular attention to the knees, elbows, hands and feet.
- Moisturise skin thoroughly. Again, focus on the knees, elbows, hands and feet, since this is where dry skin tends to cling to fake tan.
- Apply fake tan using a tanning glove to avoid an uneven, streaky finish and bright orange palms. For an extra layer of streak-proofing, we’d advise using a big powder brush to buff out any fine lines and unevenness.
- Unless using a gradual tan which doesn’t need washing off, make sure you leave the tan on for the correct period of time as directed by the bottle. For some tans the golden colour will develop in less than an hour, while others need leaving overnight. If in doubt, pale-skinned folk will always be better rinsing tan off sooner rather than later, to avoid looking orange.
- Don’t use any soaps when rinsing off tan in the shower – just use warm water on its own. This is because soaps can disrupt the active ingredients in the tan, prematurely stopping the tan development process happening under your skin.
- Always moisturise after tanning to help lock in the tan, allowing it to last for longe
What different types of tan are available?
There are various types of fake tan available, listed below. As a general rule, those with pale skin should avoid products for medium or dark skin, which are likely to leave skin looking an orange or unnatural tone.
We’d also advise against applying fake tan in the evening and then hopping into bed, to sleep in your best white linen bed sheets. Many brands claim that their tanning products don’t come off on clothes or bed linen, but our experience suggests otherwise; almost all fake tan can and does transfer onto fabrics.
Instant tans, such as tanning mousses, come out of the bottle brown. You can see the colour going onto the skin and you’ll see its impact on the colour of your skin with immediate effect, before the shade sinks in and deepens over time. The transformation can be quite dramatic, with many formulations requiring you to wash them off a few hours after application.
Gradual tans are usually white or transparent in colour – like a normal moisturiser – but turn your skin darker 12 or so hours after application. It’s a less dramatic process, designed to build up colour over the course of a few days. Unlike instant tans, gradual tanning products don’t need to be washed off, so they’re ideal applied as part of a morning routine for those who want to tan and go. Many also have moisturising properties, which is an added bonus.
Tanning drops and serums similarly don’t tend to have a strong instant colour. Instead, these can be mixed in with any moisturiser and applied to the skin as such, developing over the next day. This makes them ideal for seamlessly adding into a skincare routine. Another major benefit to tanning drops is that you can customise how much tanning product you use, allowing you to dictate how deep your tan is.
Facial tanners come in many forms, from moisturisers to sprays and drops. Tans for the body are often darker than those for the face, so we advise buying two separate formulations so you have more control over shading. Furthermore, tanning products for the face tend to include ingredients that are mindful of issues such as acne or combination skin.
