Physicians Formula Light Bronze & Bronze Butter Bronzers Reviews, Photos, Swatches
Light Bronze
Physicians Formula Light Bronze Butter Bronzer ($14.99 for 0.38 oz.) is a light-medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation that was buildable to full coverage with two layers.
The Butter Bronzer formula is supposed to “smooth skin texture, brighten skin tone and deliver a gorgeous bronze finish.” The consistency was soft, smooth, and blendable without being powdery or dusty in the pan. It seemed to “melt” on the skin and looked satiny but not shimmery. The color lasted for eight hours on me before fading noticeably. There is a strong, coconut-based scent.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Dior Light Bronze (02) (P, $48.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Tower 28 Broad (P, $20.00) is less shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Victoria Beckham Beauty Dusk (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Rose Inc Parrot Cay (P, $36.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Chanel Medium (P, $58.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Medium (2) (P, $55.00) is less shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Becca Bali Sands (P, $38.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Chanel Medium Light (P, $58.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Benefit Hoola Lite (P, $30.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Givenchy Ambre Saison (P, $52.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (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, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Fragrance, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Lecithin, Polybutene, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Red 7 Lake, Titanium Dioxide.
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.
Light Bronze
PPermanent. $14.99.
Bronze
Physicians Formula Bronze Butter Bronzer ($14.99 for 0.38 oz.) is a medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and a golden, satiny sheen. This shade had more shimmer than Light Bronze, but it did not appear too shimmery on the skin. It had nearly opaque pigmentation paired with a smooth, almost cream-like texture that was easy to apply and blend out on the skin. The finish looked glowing on the skin without emphasizing my skin’s texture. It wore nicely for eight hours before fading slightly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Hourglass Golden Bronze Light (P, $52.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze (Original) (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- NARS Laguna (P, $38.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Buxom Backyard Bronze (P, $28.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- Giorgio Armani Warm Brown (21) (P, $38.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- MAC Matte Bronze (LE, $70.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Too Faced Pineapple Paradise (Bronzer) (PiP, ) is warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Coconut Beach (LE, $8.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- ILIA Novelty (P, $34.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Anastasia Golden Tan (P, $35.00) is less shimmery, warmer (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, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Fragrance, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Lecithin, Polybutene, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Red 7 Lake, Titanium Dioxide.
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.
Well those are so subtle that I wouldn’t have tecognized them as bronzers at all!
Really? They definitely seemed like bronzers to me based on the color of them!
Not my colors, but it’s nice to know that good quality makeup can be purchased for very reasonable prices 🙂
It is! 🙂
There’s no ingredients list posted, but does this have fragrance in there ?
They’re coconut-scented!
Well that’s a nice surprise; Bronze looks like a really good bronzer even for my skintone! Yes, this one would show up and give me what I protect my face from, a bit of a tan. LoL!
It just might! Better shot than the blushes 🙂
I bought this in the darker colour and loved the quality and the scent, but ended up giving it away. It didn’t show any colour at all on my skin, and I’m NC25 at my most tanned. It was quite disappointing.
Sad to hear it, Stephanie! 🙁 I’m about NC20/NC25 myself
Uh oh….and here I was all set to buy that one, and I’m darker at a current NC37. ?
I’ve used Light Bronze for over 6 months and I still adore it. I am very fair with neutral undertones and this shade is my go-to. The scent is amazing, and it makes the act of application a more enjoyable experience. It’s a shame that PF won’t expand their color range as their shades only seem to accommodate like, two skin tones 🙁
Happy to hear it, Brittany!
Just bought the Bronzer #6676 shade at CVS and they’re doing a promotion with ExtraBucks- spend $15 on Physicians Formula and get $10 in ExtraBucks. Everyone go now and get your overpriced PF loot! I combined other ExtraBucks coupons and paid less than MSRP for this and some face wipes from ELF.
I tested it on my hand and I like the smell and consistency. Not sure if I would pay full price for this but I’m glad it’s not orange!
Glad you are liking it so far! 🙂
Nope. These would NEVER work for my full blooded cousins. Therefor I won’t wear it.
I get its a good bronzer line for fair people, but I’m so SO sick of the racism and colourism in the beauty community. ?
Totally understand, Shannon! 🙁
I really like the way Bronze looks but I’ve heard people with just slightly deeper skin tones than mine (probably NC15-20) say that they had to pack it on for the color to show up. Pretty classic in my experience with PF bronzers (I have the InstaReady bronzer from last year and an older one with a cable-knit sweater pattern that I have to layer heavily to see anything on my skin). How hard would it be to make a “deep bronze”, hmm?
I might still try Bronze because the finish looks beautiful. Fingers crossed that this one will work for me.
Bronze showed up noticeably on me for sure (I’m somewhere between NC20 and NC25), but Light Bronze would definitely be harder to see.
Yes!
I have both of these, and I love them!
Frequent part of my routine.
I’m NC20.
These are the perfect color for me.
In summer, I use “bronze” and it gives me a believable tan.
Now, I’m using “light” which doesn’t look like a tan but adds much needed warmth.
I’m so glad you’re reviewing it. Hope they carry it forever ?
Glad you like it, Vanessa!
It’s great to see a DS, cruelty free brand coming up with fantastic products at a reasonable price. Whilst these would not suit me at all, I think they would work on lots of others.
Hopefully! 🙂
I’ve had the light one for a while now and like it. I think I’ll try the darker one now too. They look really good on you.
Thank you, Valerie!
I bought light bronze for my NW10 winter skin. Lovely color and the powder was very silky. But I couldn’t wear it for long because of the scent which was very overwhelming to me. I gave it to a friend.
Oh no, sorry to hear that the scent didn’t agree with you, Shari!
I actually preferred the Bronze shade (THEY NEED MORE SHADES) for my fair skin. The Light Bronze read too peach on my olive skin tone. 🙁
They definitely need more shades!
I bought the darker of these two, I will admit, because of the hype on YouTube. The shade was nice on my NW25 skin tone but I just cannot handle the scent. I know most everyone has mentioned coconuts but I get rancid movie popcorn butter. If this had been a more expensive product I would have returned it (well, I would have smelled the tester in store and not bought it in the first place ;/).
The formula sounds dreamy but like Almay, Physicians Formula doesn’t believe in dark people so I’m gonna have to skip out.
The “Bronze” shade bronzer is my absolute favorite. I find it really easy to use and difficult to “overdo” on my skin. I feel like mine doesn’t look quite as warm and shimmery as yours appears in the swatch, but it could be the resolution of my computer screen.
I feel like Physician’s Formula really didn’t need to come out with lighter bronzers. They needed to come out with a darker bronzer. I’m NC25 in the winter and NC30 in the summer and their is no way either of this would show on me. I’d really like to see a better selection from PF, not just stuff for fair white girls. Makeup Geek has done a really good job of creating bronzers for all skin tones for darker ladies who are looking for something bronze up with.
did you try the applicator it came with at all? how do you feel about it?
It gets the job done, but it’s not a brush I’d use personally – my fingers are too long to hold it with any semblance of comfort, and I prefer softer bristles myself.
i saw them at the store, looked at them in the pan and they didn’t look like bronzer colours to me. they look like pale people foundation powder. not sure if even the dark one would show up on me and i’m light-medium. someone in the comments said they wouldn’t buy this, even though they are pale enough, so as to not support a brand who wouldn’t even make a colour for medium skin people. it’s truly ridiculous. but i might give in if there’s a sale. i’ll feel a bit guilty, but it’s so cute and i wanna smell the thing too haha
This is on my list of wants, so happy to se you reviewing a few more affordable brands that are available in Canadian stores..
Beautiful! I could see both of these colors working for me. I’m very pale, and I’ve had a difficult time choosing a bronzer I’m willing to stick with. I’m going to pick up the light bronze color asap and give it a try. Thank you!