From a SheFinds reader: I think I've tried almost every self tanning product out there and my problem is the smell. They all give me great color but after about an hour they reek! Until I find a brand that doesn't stink, I have a drawer full of useless tanning products and a lot of money wasted.
This is a great question that segues so perfectly with our Self-Tanner Guide. Test-driving all these bronzing lotions and build-a-tans has left me all kinds of brown and all kinds of stinky, and all my self-tanning friends have the same complaint—what's up with the stench?Self tanners themselves aren't to blame—it's the science behind them that makes you smell like a sweaty, overripe fruit (yuck, just thinking about that distinctive odor gives me the willies!) Most self tanners contain an ingredient called dihydroxyacetone, or DHA. It's the DHA reacting with your skin's proteins that produces that natural-looking glow… and that heinous smell. I have found that the absolute worst offenders are the formulas, specifically lotions, that try to mask the odor under tropical, beachy top notes of coconut or banana. I don't want to smell like a spoiled pina colada, thank you very much.
One of the best I've tried so far (and I've tried a bunch) is