Physicians Formula Deep Bronzer Butter Bronzer Review & Swatches
Deep Bronzer
Physicians Formula Deep Bronzer Butter Bronzer ($14.99 for 0.38 oz.) is a medium brown with warm, slightly red undertones and a satin sheen. I had nearly opaque pigmentation that applied evenly on my skin and blended out nicely along the edges with little effort. The powder was soft, smooth, and dense without being too stiff or firmly pressed in the pan, so I could easily pick it up with my brush and apply it to my skin. This shade had a subtle sheen to the finish but wasn’t as shimmery as Sunkissed Bronzer in the formula. This shade wore well for eight hours on me.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Dolce and Gabbana Desert (P, $51.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- Too Faced Pineapple Paradise (Bronzer) (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar).
- ColourPop All the Feels (PiP, $8.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Tarte Park Ave. Princess #2 (LE, ) is darker (90% similar).
- bareMinerals The Ocean View (LE, $24.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Hourglass Golden Bronze Light (P, $52.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Persona Terracotta (P, $22.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Matte Bronze (P, $28.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Bronze Age (P, $68.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Gorgeous Glowing Beauty #4 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$14.99/0.38 oz. - $39.45 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be "ultra-rich" and "melt into skin" with a "creamy and soft texture." They are fairly pigmented with soft, smooth, and lightly creamy textures that are denser but not stiff or difficult to pickup or to apply. The powders sit well on the skin with natural, luminous finishes that don't emphasize skin texture. They tended to last around eight hours on me. They have a very strong, coconut scent to them that is apparent while on the face at times.
Browse all of our Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Synthetic Sapphire, Mica, Dimethiconol Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Octyldodeyl Stearoyl Stearate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Fragrance/Parfum, Polybutene, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Lauroyl Lysine, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Hexylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I know I’m about to be petty, especially with this being a ‘drugstore’ brand, but I really wish Physician’s Formula would put out truly deep colors. This is a beautiful product and I appreciate that it’s darker than the original, but it still looks like it’s better suited for people with medium skin tones. I’d love to see a milk chocolate shade with neutral undertones and just a hint of copper-gold sheen. It would be gorgeous for people with deeper, richer skin tones and give just enough of a warm sunny glow without being overtly reflective and too much like a highlighter.
Yeah, their idea of “Deep Bronzer” is more like medium bronzer. It definitely could be a LOT deeper.
I agree with you both! I’m an NC37 and this would work perfectly for me, but that’s just the upper edge of “medium” before one goes in to the “medium-tan” or “tan” ranges, I believe. I don’t see this “Deep” Bronze working above, say, an NC42.
You are exactly right! I am Nc42 and it is just a smidge darker than my skin – in the hairline where my face is a little darker it watches almost exactly.
I don’t think that is anywhere near petty, Andrew. Everyone should be equally able to purchase products that work for them and in the case of Physician’s Formula they don’t make an effort to be inclusive in any of their products, IMHO. They have some beautiful formulas and the blushes, highlighters and bronzers are really nice. My daughter has multi-ethnicities and cannot find products to buy from PF and I am super pale so cannot find pale enough shades for some of their products, In this day and age, with social media as it is, Physician’s Formula must be aware that they are choosing to exclude a huge portion of the worlds population. I will get off my soap box now!!
Well said Andrew.
Agreed. I’m medium/tan most of the year and I bought this after the original was useless to me. If this was just a little darker, it would be fine, although I would happily take it more than a little darker.
Definitely appreciate the reddish undertones in this bronzer! Those tend to be my favorite ones to impart a “spent a day at the beach” effect to my golden olive skintone!
bought this on a whim and i love it! glad i got the deep shade by accident as i’m light-medium and this isn’t anywhere close to deep, but i love the formula (and scent!).
Does this pull orange? I was looking at the one just called bronzer because it seemed less orange
I don’t think it’s orange, but I’m warm-toned.
So good that PF still can put out excellent products.
My only problem with the brand is their shade range – they generally put out a very limited range of shades – particularly devoted to the fairer end of the spectrum (without getting truly fair) and ignoring the shades that suit those with deeper skintones. It must be so frustrating that PF, with its great products, low prices, cruelty free status, is unavailable because of its limited range of shades.
Lmao at this “deep” bronzer. SMH. PF is cancelled for me. I can’t w them and all their shades looking the same
Love your makeup today! You look gorgeous!
Not sure I’d purchase this again as I didn’t find this to be much darker than the original Butter Bronzer (not the light, obviously) and it has a little more of a sheen.