7 Clean Self-Tanners That Actually Work

Once upon a time, having a clean beauty routine meant rubbing coffee grounds or organic sugar on your body and muddling your own face masks in the bathroom. Now, it just means actually taking a second to pause and read ingredient labels (because that's what Emma Watson would do). Now more than ever, we actually care about what we're putting on our faces — and on our bodies.

If you can easily pronounce and identify every ingredient in your lipstick, deodorant, and nail polish, then you should be able to do the same for your self-tanner. While most products on the market do still include chemical tongue-twisters, trust that you can have an effective glow without synthetic, potentially bad-for-you formulas.

Here's the thing: Most self-tanners have to include at least one crazy-sounding chemical, dihydroxyacetone (DHA). It's a colorless compound created through microbial fermentation that reacts with the amino acids in your skin to reveal that temporary bronzed hue — but it's considered to be safe, posing zero health risks to the consumer (even according to EU standards). Plus, coating your skin in a chemical that eventually washes off is a whole lot better than baking in UV rays, right?

Ahead, shop the clean self-tanners we love — and that your skin will love, too.