The Best Body Shimmer for Deeper Skin Tones

Body shimmer on darker skin tones can look absolutely stunning when the formula is right. The trick is knowing what to look for. Gold, bronze and warm-toned formulas give you a lit-from-within glow that looks truly radiant. Here’s a roundup of four formulas that deliver exactly that.

Best for Accurate Shade Range

The winner for shade accuracy on this list. Designed in a true shade spectrum from Deep to Light-Medium so you can actually find a formula that matches your skin instead of guessing. The gel-based formula gives you a dewy, high-shimmer finish that feels lightweight and comfortable to wear. The tiny particles scatter light, creating an appearance of an internal glow.

Best Bronze Glow With Some Shade Choice

Available in two options: Copacabana Bronze, a warm bronzed tone and Rio Sunset, a champagne shimmer Copacabana Bronze leans warm and pigmented which looks gorgeous on the skin and gives a real sun-kissed glow. The lightweight, non-greasy formula is packed with coconut oil and makes a great choice for everyday wear or when you’re ready to turn it up.

Best Multi-Use: Shimmer With SPF

The shimmery glow isn’t the only thing that makes this one stand out. It’s also broad-spectrum SPF 30, which is a genuinely useful combo for anyone who wants glow and sun protection in one step rather than layering separate products. The only formula on this list is sold in one “suitable for all skin types” version with no options for shades or finishes, so the caveat is more direct here. It’s a reasonable bet for deeper skin, rather than a confirmed match, and its golden natural-origin pearl particles.However, it’s water resistant, so you need to be as diligent as any other SPF in terms of reapplying (more on that in our SPF reapplication piece).

Best for an Antioxidant-Boosted Glow

A fast-absorbing spray-on dry oil, enriched with Kakadu plum (a true source of high vitamin C) as well as macadamia oil and coconut oil and a bronze-gold pearlescent shimmer. Like the Nuxe option, this is one universal formula, with no shade or finish variations, so the same honest caveat applies – its warm, gold-based shimmer is a reasonable bet on deeper skin, rather than a tried and tested match. The antioxidant angle is a legitimate point of difference from the other three, even if it is a smaller factor than the shimmer and glow itself.

The Bottom Line

Finding the right body shimmer for darker skin tones is all about the undertone. Warm, gold-based formulas are really beautiful and provide the kind of glow that complements the richness of your skin. Fenty’s shade-matched range is the most accurate starting point for you. Sol de Janeiro, Nuxe and Coco & Eve all deliver something different to the finish. Start with warmth and you can’t be wrong.

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