Bondi Sands Gradual Tan Comparison and Review

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How to cite: Wong M. Bondi Sands Gradual Tan Comparison and Review. Lab Muffin Beauty Science. June 5, 2017. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://labmuffin.com/bondi-sands-gradual-tan-comparison-review/

Bondi Sands make some of my favourite fake tan products. Here in Australia they’re pretty affordable and easy to find. Since I’m pretty slapdash at applying fake tan, I much prefer gradual tan products – that way all my uneven applications can average out over a few days, and no one has to see me as a splotchy oompa loompa (although that tends to happen regardless). Bondi Sands has a huge range, including 6 different gradual tan products at the moment, all of which contain both dihydroxyacetone for rapidly developing colour, and erythrulose for a longer-lasting tan. Here’s my review of 4 of them: Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk, Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam, Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam for Men, and Everyday Liquid Gold Gradual Tanning Oil.

Bondi Sands Gradual Tan Comparison and Review

Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk

Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk (375 mL, $17.99 AUD at Priceline, $29.99 at Amazon) was my first Bondi Sands product. As I’ve reviewed before, has a light cocoa butter scent that effectively masks fake tan smell. It dries quite quickly, and is reasonably moisturising, which is important because well-moisturised skin makes the tan apply more evenly and fade more slowly.

Since I last reviewed the Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk, Bondi Sands seems to have changed the bottle from round to flat. It still has the convenient pump lid that’s a winner when you’re trying to juggle mitts and sticky skin. It also applies nicely with your hands as well, if you don’t have a mitt handy.

Ingredients: Water, Dihydroxyacetone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cocoglycerides, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Laureth-7, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Isobutylparaben, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Fragrance, Polyacrylamide, Ethylparaben, Cetyl Phosphate, Triethanolamine, Erythrulose, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben.

Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam

Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam (270 mL, $19.99 AUD at Priceline, $29.99 at Amazon) has the same cocoa butter scent as the Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk, but in a watery foam format. It’s a clear liquid that comes in a bottle with a foaming pump on top. It works a lot better with a mitt than bare hands, since the foam dies down into flat liquid pretty quickly. I found it easier to spread than the milk but it didn’t give quite as intense a tan, probably because it was very easy to apply a lot less. Applying two layers made a big difference, and didn’t take any more time because it dried so quickly.

This performed surprisingly well moisturisation-wise, even though I wasn’t expecting too much from such a light textured product. Price-wise it works out to be dearer than the Milk, but the convenience factor makes up for that in my opinion.

Ingredients: Aqua, Propylene Glycol, Trideceth-9, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polysorbate 20, Dihydroxyacetone, Ethoxydiglycol, PEG-5 Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Erythrulose, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA.

Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam For Men

Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam For Men (200 g, $17.99 AUD at Priceline) comes in a pressurised can, much like shaving foam. It comes out as a blob of very stiff foam, and it’s pretty entertaining to watch it puff out. Because it’s so thick, it’s easy to apply with your hands or a mitt, though I still preferred the mitt (I have callouses that fake tan loves). The colour was a bit deeper than the pump version with a single layer. The scent is an aquatic sort of aftershave smell, which is where the “for men” part comes in. I found the scent really pleasant, and it drew a lot of compliments, so I’d say it’s definitely unisex enough for women to use.

It dries quickly, and is decently moisturising although it does contain a high amount of alcohol, which may be dehydrating if your skin is prone to drying out. The only possible issue is the price point, which is above the other two by weight, though of course the three products need different amounts for the same effect so it’s hard to compare.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Alcohol, Butane, Isobutane, Propylene Glycol, Propane, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Dihydroxyacetone, Polysorbate 20, Ethoxydiglycol , Fragrance (Parfum), Erythrulose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Farnesol.

Everyday Liquid Gold Gradual Tanning Dry Oil

Everyday Liquid Gold Gradual Tanning Dry Oil (270 mL, $19.99 at Priceline) is the gradual tanning version of the very popular Liquid Gold Self Tanning Dry Oil, which I’ve avoided previously because of my aforementiond bad-at-tanning issues. The gradual tan version has the same delicious coconut scent as the Liquid Gold, which I much prefer over the cocoa butter scent. This comes in a spray bottle – you’re meant to spray it on then rub it in using your hands or a mitt in circular motions, not just mist it all over your body and walk out the door. I totally didn’t originally think that because that would be silly and I’m all sorts of not-silly.

Like the original Liquid Gold, the “dry” means non-greasy. It leaves a slightly tacky feeling thanks to the high concentration of glycerin in the formula. The stickiness is a good thing for your skin, since dihydroxyacetone dehydrates your skin, and the tackiness is glycerin trying its darnedest to hold onto the water as it attempts to run away. I love the tropical holiday scent of this product but I found it a bit less convenient than the foams, since the spray dispensed less product so I had to pump it more times to cover the same amount of skin.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Dihydroxyacetone, PEG-8, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Metabisulfite, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate , Fragrance (Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Erythrulose, Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Coumarin, Xanthan Gum, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil.

Verdict

All of these products are great, and I’ve used them all for extended periods in the past. But my favourite at the moment is… Everyday Gradual Tanning Foam For Men. I’m surprised too! It’s the perfect combination of efficient and effective, and the scent is unusual for me and doubles up as fragrance.

These products were provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. This post also contains affiliate links – if you decide to click through and support Lab Muffin financially (at no extra cost to you), thank you! For more information, see Disclosure Policy.


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3 thoughts on “Bondi Sands Gradual Tan Comparison and Review”

  1. Great review! I am a huge fan of the Bondi Sands Tanning Mousse, but I haven’t actually tried many of their gradual tan products – I’m a little too impatient for that!!! However, I am SO intrigued by the men’s one!! I have only heard really great reviews, which at first I was quite surprised by but I guess makes sense when I really think about it. I really want to see what the hype is about it! xx

    Chantalle | http://www.ceceandgrace.blogspot.com.au

    Reply
  2. I usually just embrace my paleness, but now that I need to wear more skirts and dresses for work, fake tanning my legs might be needed. I will see if we get Bondi Sands here in Germany, the fake tan smell is what usually puts me off the most.

    Reply
  3. Hi Michelle! I’ve stumbled across your website and already learnt so much! One question on self tanner that I haven’t been able to find online is- why do people t st and rate self tanners on the resultant color, when the active ingredient in all of them is the same- DHA?! (And soemtimes erythrulose). I also read that the resultant color is based on your skin chemistry. So this means something that makes me orange will look great on another person! Hence defeats the purpose of blogs commenting on which tanner makes them orange and avoid?
    I’d love your opinion on this. I look forward to hearing from you! 😀

    Reply

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