Hailed as ‘sunshine in a bottle’ across social media, Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops are designed to give skin an illuminator-meets-bronzer glow, with a lightweight formulation that boasts a host of added skincare benefits.
And people can’t snap them up quickly enough – the little white bottles are regularly sold out, especially when summer isn’t really summer-ing here in the UK. Plus, despite a tsunami of dupes flooding the market since D-Bronzi took off, it’s still the most searched for product in the liquid face bronzer category.
D-Bronzi has also now been joined by two sister shades, B-Goldi Bright Drops and O-Bloos Rosi Drops, for a luminous and subtly flushed finish respectively. Both promise the same skin-nourishing benefits as the original, but do they deliver?
How we reviewed the Drunk Elephant bronzing drops
Drunk Elephant, which is known for its cult skincare products and cute #shelfie-ready packaging, claims these glow-giving formulations will flatter every complexion.
So, we decided to put them to the test on three members of the beauty team to see how they performed across a range of skin types and tones. Obviously, we’re only covering a tiny sample of the full spectrum of skin tones out in the world, but we hope our honest thoughts will help you to decide whether you want to give them a go and, if so, which ones you should reach for.
How to apply
The drops are designed to be mixed into your daily moisturiser or serum, and then simply blended all over your face for a subtle, shimmery, but non-glittery complexion boost.
Alternatively, some users prefer to apply them neat all over. For targeted enhancement, you can build up the drops in areas that would naturally flush or catch the sun, or apply them neat to cheeks, cheekbones or eyelids, depending on the shade you’re using.
Our verdict on the Drunk Elephant bronzing drops
Florence Reeves-White, senior beauty writer, GHI
Combination skin, 29, looking for a fresh-from-holiday glow
It’s a bold statement, but I think bronzer would be my desert island beauty product (alongside the bare necessities of a toothbrush and some shampoo, perhaps). As a reformed sunbed user (I grew up in Essex, I’m sorry), bronzer means I can protect my skin by wearing facial SPF and keeping my face in the shade, but still enjoy the holiday glow that makes me feel more confident when I look in the mirror.
Powdered bronzer formulas have always had my heart, largely because the colour payoff is way more intense. I basically inhaled the best bronzer I could find as a teenager – Benefit's Hoola – and still do when I can get my hands on it (although RIP the flat-edge brush).
But since leaving my greasy teenage years behind, my skin is too dry in patches for a matte product. Plus, thanks to brands such as Glossier and Merit, glowy, dewy skin is just so in. So, when I was asked to try out the Drunk Elephant drops that I’d read (or, rather, watched hundreds of TikToks) about, I jumped at the chance.
I put them on in the morning before work (excuse the dishevelled hair in the pics) and wore each of the three shades on different days. I must admit the rose gold O Bloos drops made my skin just look slightly reddish, so they didn’t really work for me. The other two shades, however, had me checking out my skin in the mirror repeatedly throughout the day.
Despite wearing no other makeup, they both gave me a lasting gleam. I looked instantly healthier and was confident to go makeup-free with both. The lighter golden B-Goldi shade was far more subtle, and would be good for mixing into moisturiser in winter for more of a highlighted effect. It gave me a healthy radiance, but I wouldn’t write home about the pigment payoff. However, it’s designed to be a luminising serum, rather than a tanning product, so it’s perhaps unfair to judge it harshly because of that.
For me, the D-Bronzi drops were the jewel in the crown. Not only do they have anti-pollutant properties (a mix of antioxidants helps boost skin’s defences against environmental stressors – much needed for me, living in London and cycling through exhaust fumes on the daily), they also give a bronzed and dewy finish once rubbed in. I used them neat without mixing them into anything else, then didn’t need another powder bronzer on top.
For a night out, I’d love to use them as a liquid eyeshadow, too, and match my lids to my cheeks for an earthy-toned, glimmer-y look. I'd probably pass on the rose gold shade, but I'll be using the other two on rotation for the rest of the year – if I can keep them away from my Gen-Z little sister, that is.
Favourite shade: D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
Lynne Hyland, senior beauty editor, GH
Dry-ish complexion, 40s, looking for a fuss-free skin boost without a tidemark
As somebody who put contouring in the ‘life’s too short’ category around 2015, I’m always drawn to a bronzer that can be flung on with fingertips. D-Bronzi scores highly on that front; in fact, I suspect an actual drunk elephant could slosh it on with a tipsy trunk and end up looking slightly less grey.
Of all three shades, the OG was the clear favourite for me. D-Bronzi is subtle enough to work nicely on both my fake-tanned and au naturel complexion, despite them being about five foundation shades apart. I especially liked it as a St. Tropez add-on, whether it was lending extra lustre to a fresh faux glow or topping up day four fade. It was easy to blend a bit extra where the rays would naturally hit, giving a sunkissed look without a telltale tidemark. (A bit extra on the neck and ‘dec’ worked well, too.)
When it came to the Rosy O-Bloos shade, I thought the subtle pinky tint was actually rather pretty, as if I’d had a lightly invigorating facial massage. I happily added extra on my cheeks to lean into that Goop-y, I-love-my-lymph-drainage vibe.
My pictures don’t show much difference between D-Bronzi and B-Goldi (the latter is a subtle formula, so it’s tricky to capture on camera), but you’ll have to trust me when I say that in real life they were quite distinct.
I wanted B-Goldi to turn me into an ethereal, House Of The Dragon sort but, compared with D-Bronzi, it fizzled out a bit on my complexion when I used it all over. I did prefer it as a luminiser, dabbed neat on to my Cupid’s bow and cheekbones, so I’ll be doing that in future.
However, for me, there’s one clear winner: D-Bronzi. It will definitely be the Elephant in my room.
Favourite shade: D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
Denny Daily, beauty & grooming tester, GHI
Combination skin, 36, on the hunt for a ‘I woke up like this’ product
Bronzers are my secret weapon for adding warmth to dull skin – I use them to contour, adding dimension to my face when I’m feeling a little flat. I normally opt for lightweight foundations or tinted moisturisers as a base, but when I’m looking to add a little extra glow, I’ll also use a highlighter underneath the tinted moisturiser for some subtle radiance.
This product is the love child of both these ‘no-makeup makeup’ products, promising to add shimmer to lacklustre areas and a burst of faux sunshine to my complexion. However, if I’m being totally honest, there wasn’t enough pigment to work as a proper bronzer for my skin tone.
Of the three, the D-Bronzi drops worked best for me and gave my skin a natural, luminous glow. I would have liked more warmth or a deeper shade, but for a natural shimmer and summery-looking skin, this should be the shade you reach for if we have similar skin tones.
My tip: Don’t apply other products on top of the drops if you want to maintain their full effect – use them for days when you want to show off a ‘my skin, but better’ vibe while running errands or meeting a friend for lunch, rather than a full-face makeup look.
Favourite shade: D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
14 April 2025: This article was updated to reflect the latest stock levels and prices. We also adjusted headlines and seasonal references and linked to other relevant Good Housekeeping content.
Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches. She’s committed to sharing recommendations for products that truly work and make people feel confident and healthy. Prior to this she was at Tropic Skincare, where she worked closely with biochemists in the lab, delving into the functions of each fresh, natural ingredient and conveying its efficacy to her audience in easy-to-digest terms.
With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.
When she isn’t packing for a trip away, working out, eating out or reading up on retinol serums, you’ll probably find her experimenting with her film camera and building her portfolio of portraits. Florence’s photography can be found at florencereeves-white.com, her Instagram is @florencereeveswhite and her twitter is @floreadsnwrites
Beauty Director Lynne has spent the past two decades testing and reviewing the latest in everything from skincare and aesthetics to spas, fragrance and makeup. When she's not being a human guinea pig she loves to immerse herself in a deep bath, a good book and large glass of iced rosé.
