We all know by now the dangers of sun-tanning. Not only can the sun leave us with "shoe leather" skin, but we run the risk of skin cancer.

But getting a golden glow is possible to achieve without baking in the sun. These days there are a number of excellent sunless tanners or skin bronzers that can give you a sun-kissed look without the hazards of exposure to UV rays, or without that fake orange color of self-tanner products of old.

There are many varieties of self- tanners, from creams and lotions to sprays, gels and foams, and even handy towelettes (best used for touch-ups). What they all have in common is their active ingredient, DHA, dihydroxyacetone, which is a nontoxic sugar that temporarily darkens skin. Remember, though, that most of these products don't contain sunscreen, so be sure to apply sunscreen as well if you will be in the sun. Learn more about the best sunscreen ingredients to ensure broad-spectrum protection from the sun.

How Long Does a Sunless Tanner Last?

A sunless tan will last anywhere from one or two days on up to four or five days. The most long lasting self-tanners are Glow Fusion, Fake Bake Sunless Tanner, L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Dual Action Instant Bronzer and Self-Tanning Lotion, BananaBoat Summer Color Sunless Tinted Lotion, and Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning Sunless Spray. All of these will last up to about 4 days. You may get up to 5 days with Neutrogena Micro Mist.

Which Self-Tanners Offer the Best, Most Natural Looking Tans?

Fake Bake Sunless Tanner, Coppertone Endless Summer Sunless Tanning Gradual Tan is favored by many beauty magazines for giving users a natural, streak-free tan. L'Oreal and Neutrogena self-tanners also give a beautiful, even bronze glow. SkinCeuticals Sans Soleil Sunless Tanner also gives very natural color without streaks.

GlowFusion: Our New Favorite Sunless Tanner

GlowFusion™ - This is the best product we've found to give you a natural looking tan that dries very fast and is odor and stain-free! We were tired of having to wait while our sunless tanner dried and even after waiting and waiting, some tanners still stained our clothes. We were really impressed with GlowFusion—a great new self-tanning product that goes on easily, doesn't streak, stain or have a strong chemical odor. Best of all it, it gave us a beautiful, natural looking tan that maked us look like we just returned from St. Barts!

GlowFusion is formulated with a blend of vitamins and antioxidants which helps give your skin a glow and protect it from sun damage, and the natural sugarcane-derived formula works with your skin's natural keratin proteins to create your own customized shade of tan. You can find GlowFusion™ at Sephora.com

BEST RATED SUNLESS TANNERS

Here are our picks for the best rated sunless tanners, based on how long the tan lasts, ease of application, and most natural color. There are many variables and they are subjective. Some people prefer a gradual tan gained by several applications of self-tanner so they can better control the color achieved. Others want an instant bronze tan.

SUNLESS TANNER	GlowFusion	Fake Bake Sunless Tanner	Coppertone Endless Summer Sunless Gradual Tan	L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Dual Action Instant Bronzer	Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning Sunless Spray	Skin- Ceuticals San Soleil
Tan Duration	up to 2 weeks	from 4 to 7 days	about 2 days	3-4 days	up to 5 days	about 2 days
Ease of Application	Clear mist sprays on and dries quickly, doesn't stain clothes.	Dark temporary tint makes application go on smoothly and streak- free.	Goes on easily and smoothly. Mild formula can be used on face.	Cream is tinted for easy, even application.	Salon-style airbrush application using aerosol spray. Take care to spray evenly.	Lotion goes on easily for nice smooth application.
Depth of Tan, Naturalness of Color	Produces beautiful, natural looking tan. No streaking	Results in a beautiful, glowing, natural looking tan.	Provides even streak-free, natural tan. Can be reapplied for deeper tan.	Gives a deep bronze tan like you just returned from San Tropez.	A beautiful bronze tan that looks like it was airbrushed on in a salon.	Offers a very natural looking streakless tan and doesn't stain clothes.
Comments	Dries fast, doesn't stain clothes. No chemical smell. Contains vitamins and antioxidants to help protect skin from further damage.	Fake Bake features self-tanners for the face with peptides to fight wrinkles plus sunscreen, body polishes and more. Read our detailed review of Fake Bake here.	A favorite for its streak-free and most natural looking tan	Contains a bronzer so you have instant color. Also comes in a gel that dries in 5 minutes, but it is not tinted.	Colorless spray is handy for hard-to-reach spots like the back and shoulders.	Contains erythrulose, a unique DHA enhance that helps ensure a more even, streakless, longer lasting tan without increasing dryness. Has a fairly strong fragrance that hides the traditional chemical smell of self tanners.

Resources for Buying Self-Tanners

Drugstore.com carries a large selection of self-tanners including Neutrogena, BananaBoat and L'Oreal. Drugstore.com offers free standard shipping on orders of $49 or more and with drugstore.com dollarsT you automatically receive 5% back on your nonprescription purchases. Drugstore.com has excellent guides on vitamins, herbs, women's health, weight management and health issues.

You can find Fake Bake and SkinCeuticals San Soleil Sunless Tanner at SkinStore, Inc Their prices are competitive, they have a no-hassle return policy, they will ship internationally, free domestic shipping on orders over $99, and they have a great educational section with lots of skincare info.