When it comes to viral makeup products that deserve all the hype, bronzing drops are at the top of our list. It can be mixed with serums, moisturizers, and liquid foundations to give you a beach-like glow, or used alone to highlight and highlight your glow. The biggest name in bronzing drops is Drunk Elephant, especially their cult favorite, D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops.
While beauty-obsessed people seek the best of the best, the Drunk Elephant’s relatively high price may not be affordable for everyone. That’s why we scoured brands like Sephora, Ulta, Target, CVS, and more to find cheaper alternatives, and it turns out that there are plenty of other quality options on the market for a lot less.
What are Drunk Elephant Bronzing Drops?
Drunk Elephant D-Bronzy Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops

First launched in 2018, Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops deliver a sun-kissed glow with cocoa and peptides to strengthen skin’s defenses against pollution and environmental stressors.
Sunshine Drops come in 1-ounce bottles and cost $39, making them a luxury item. But thanks to the ultra-concentrated blend, you really only need to use a drop or two. So, if you like what Sunshine Drops do for your skin, it’s worth it.
shade: 1
price: $39 at Sephora
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How to Use Drunk Elephant Bronzing Drops
For a stunning, instant glow, shake the bottle and add a drop of D-Bronzi to your moisturizer. If you want to add more color, add as much as you want. You can apply sunscreen during the day or on top of it. But don’t skip the sunscreen!
D-Bronzi Sunshine Drops only come in one color, but the brand also offers Goldi Illuminating Drops and O-Bloos Rosi Drops, both of which work in a similar way.
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14 Best Drunk Elephant Bronzing Drops Dupes.
Drunk Elephant’s merchandise is so popular (thanks in no small part to TikTok) that it often sells out. Fortunately, these days it’s usually in stock and there are plenty of other competitors with great bronzing drops. Here are 14 affordable bronzing drop alternatives that provide a similar glowing effect to your face.
Note: Products reflect pricing and availability at the time of publication..
elf bronzing drops
we knew Our friends at elf were the first to jump on this trend. This brand has never met a makeup or skincare trend they didn’t like.
elf bronzing drops are made with vitamin E and sunflower seed oil and can be mixed with your favorite moisturizer, foundation, or other skincare products. You can also use the product alone to highlight areas where you want a little extra impact. Elf Bronzing Drops are available in three shimmering colors: Rose Gold, Pure Gold, and Copper Gold. Plus, they’re so affordable that you can get all three for less than the cost of a bottle of Drunk Elephant Bronzing Drops.
color: 3
price: $12 at CVS
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Pacifica Sunny Glow Bronzing Drops
Another affordable product, Pacifica Sunny Glow Bronzing Drops, is made with vitamin C, glycerin, and kakadu plum. Use this product mixed with serum or moisturizer, or applied on its own to add a glowing warmth to the skin when highlighting and contouring. These citrus scented drops are available in one color only. To get the best price for Pacifica Sunny Glow Bronzing Drops, don’t forget to add 10% discount coupon before checkout.
color: 1
price: $14.39 on Amazon
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MCoBeauty Super Glow Bronzing Drops
Australian beauty brand MCoBeauty has its own Super Glow Bronzing Drops containing jojoba seed oil, squalane and meadowfoam seed oil.
The bottle is similar to Drunk Elephant, and what’s inside is a really cool sequel. These Bronzing Drops are only sold in one color on Amazon (for now), but know that the brand sells more on their site. These include the gorgeous Golden Drops, which give you a radiant glow from within, and the Blush Drops, available in three colors (rose pink, peach pink and blush pink) for the perfect pretty blush look.
color: 2
price: $10.99 on Amazon
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Essence Drop of Sunshine Bronzing Drop
The latest product on the bronzing drop block is Essence’s Drop of Sunshine Bronzing drops. With a very wallet-friendly price tag, this product is oil-free, making it perfect if you prefer oil-free skincare and makeup. Currently these bronzing drops are only available in one color.
color: 1
price: $5.99 at Ulta
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L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer
This incredibly popular highlighting formula from L’Oréal provides a radiant tint that brings out skin’s natural radiance. With five color choices for a variety of skin tones, there’s a lot to like about Lumi Glotion beyond its price range. Jojoba, shea butter, and glycerin are also added to the formula to help nourish and care for your skin. Best of all, this product has a light, fresh scent.
Wear it alone, under foundation, or over makeup for a beach-side look. If you want an all-over glow, the brand suggests choosing one that matches your skin tone. Use light colors for highlighting and dark colors for contouring. However, unlike Drunk Elephant’s bronzing drops, this L’Oréal product is typically used on its own rather than mixed into lotions.
color: 5
price: $14.89 at Target
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Physicians Formula Butter Glow Bronzing Serum
This Physicians Formula product will make you feel like you’re on vacation (it comes in a bottle). Boasting a lovely coconut scent, this delightful serum contains murumuru butter, cupuaçu butter and tucuma butter to soften and condition the skin. Just add a drop or two of this serum to your face cream and voila! You can feel the beautiful colors and delicious scent.
color: 1
price: $14.99 at Target
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Physicians Formula Butter Glow Liquid Bronzer
Just in case you prefer creams over serums, here’s another product from Physicians Formula. This sheer, buildable formula delivers a warm, sun-drenched flush that brightens and hydrates skin. You can use it alone or mix it with foundation to create a healthy color at any time.
Made with the same three nourishing ingredients as the brand’s Butter Glow Bronzing Serum (murumuru butter, cupuaçu butter, and tucuma butter), it leaves skin soft and coconut-scented. Both are available in only one color.
color: 1
price: $15.99 at Target
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Milani Conceal + Perfect Sun Kissed Liquid Bronzing Drop
Another trick winner from Milani. The brand’s Conceal + Perfect Bronzing Drops are infused with nourishing ingredients including tripeptides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and cocoa extract. It also comes in three pretty pearlescent colors. These products blend very well and don’t cause any clumping that can occur with certain self-tanners or bronzing makeup.
color: 3
price: $16.99 at Ulta
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Authentic mood lighting glow drop
For a more subtle glow, try one of Versed’s Mood Lighting Glow Drops. It’s so light and easy to work with that it’s almost impossible to mess it up. Plus, it brightens your skin and brings out all its best qualities.
Versed’s drops contain vitamin E, antioxidant-rich blackberry extract, and peptides. Those with sensitive skin issues should note that, like Drunk Elephant, it is fragrance-free.
color: 3
price: $17.99 on Amazon
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First Aid Beauty Bronze + Glow Drop
First Aid Beauty Bronze + Glow Drops gives you dull, radiant skin. This serum strengthens the skin’s moisture barrier by supplying moisture with an ultra-thin texture that is not noticeable on the skin when blended.
These fragrance-free drops are made with vitamin B3 (aka niacinamide). This is a gentle and effective ingredient that evens skin tone and soothes redness.
color: 1
price: $28 at Ulta
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Morphe Hotshot Sun Drops
With six shades to choose from, Morphe Hot Shot is a great choice just for its shade range alone, but it offers so much more. It’s also affordable, fragrance-free, and contains nutrient-dense glycerin, niacinamide, vitamin E, and vitamin B5. This is on the more pigmented side, so if you want to get plenty of color with shine, this is a good choice.
color: 6
price: $16 at Ulta
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Indeed Labs Nanobronze Bronzing Drops
Indeed Labs Bronzing Drops with Hyaluronic Acid instantly bronzes, blurs, and hydrates skin in a tinted serum that diminishes dullness and delivers a quick glow.
Add just a drop or two to your moisturizer or foundation to achieve a healthy, radiant, sun-kissed glow that also provides blue light protection. Buy now and for a limited time get 25% off your purchase.
color: 2
price: $18.74 at Ulta
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Sai Glow Super Gel
Sai Gloi Super Gel Illuminating Primer is really lovely makeup. ~ no It’s often mentioned in the same breath as Drunk Elephant’s bronzing drops, but it’s a gimmick. Yes, there are some similarities, especially in that they offer the best benefits to the skin with sheer, light coverage. Other similarities include the brand’s inclusion of skin-friendly ingredients (glycerin, vegan squalane, rosehip seed oil), lack of fragrance, and emphasis on clean ingredients.
But Saie Glowy Super Gel Illuminating Primer stands in a league of its own with its versatile, universally flattering four shades and ability to give your complexion a gorgeous, rested/just-worked/returned-from-vacation natural color.
shade: 4
price: $16 at Kohl’s
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Lottie London Hot Glaze Bronzing Serum Drops
Lottie London’s affordable, buildable bronzing drops are matte than most of the competition, so they’re excellent if you’re looking for less of a shiny glow. These drops are made with hyaluronic acid, squalane, niacinamide, and coconut (they smell, too), and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a natural-looking fake tan.
Because Hot Glaze is a serum, it feels thinner than cream-based products, so once you get used to it, it is better to mix it with your skin care rather than use it alone.
color: 1
price: $10.99 at CVS
Shop now at CVS
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