The beauty industry has come a long way in prioritizing inclusivity. But for women with darker skin tones, the hunt for the perfect bronzer still poses challenges: Too chalky. Too orange. Too transparent.
“Bronzers are a big part of the beauty industry, but there really are only a handful of shades and tones used in the bronzer products on the market,” explains Los Angeles–based makeup artist Sir John. “There’s definitely an opportunity to develop shades of bronzer for each and every skin one—especially for women with medium to dark skin.”
So too agrees celebrity makeup artist Delina Medhin, whose clients include the likes of Issa Rae and 2 Dope Queens star Phoebe Robinson. “In my experience, a lot of the brands available [in drugstores and department stores] either lack inventory or the colors needed to enhance deep skin tones,” she says. “There are a lot of women-of-color-owned cosmetics companies that have shades for deeper skin tones, [but] most of them are only available online or in select stores.” Thankfully, social media has given these brands more visibility, and, in turn, the cosmetic industry is catering to dark-skinned women more than ever before.
The key to finding the right bronzer for brown skin is all in the undertones, says Medhin. For those with medium to tan skin, she suggests looking for a bronzer that skews grey-brown or a light golden color. Sir John, who is responsible for all of Beyoncé’s beauty looks, says olive shades of bronzer also work beautifully for these skin tones. For deeper skin, he suggests shades infused with warmer hues, such as red, gold, and copper, in a buildable texture that you can layer. On medium to dark complexions especially, he stresses that bronzer doesn’t just contour cheeks but can be used to sculpt and highlight the highest points of the face to chiseled effect. Here, pro favorite bronzers suited to darker skin tones.
