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- Instagram-favorite beauty brand Coco & Eve released its second product last year, the Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam ($39.90), and it has been getting a lot of hype.
- The self-tanning mousse is made with a vegan formula and comes in three shades: Medium, Dark, and Ultra Dark.
- I tested it out and although I wasn't a fan of the scent, it gave me a natural-looking sunkissed glow that lasted for a week.
- See also: The best self-tanners
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Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam Shop at Ulta External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user." Shop at Coco & Eve External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user."Because of my fair Irish skin, I have to buy the lightest foundation shades, I can wear SPF100 to the beach and still come home sunburnt, and even the correct shade of bronzer looks a little orange against my complexion. I'm not one of those people who loathes their paleness — I accepted the skin I'm in long ago — but when I do want a sunkissed glow for formal events, the only way I can really achieve it is from a bottle. That's why I was excited to try Coco & Eve's popular Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam self-tanner, the second product from the viral Instagram brand.
I've tried spray tans at a salon before, but personally, I prefer the DIY route. One spray tan costs $30, while Coco & Eve's $40 self-tanner contains 10-20 full-body sessions and comes in a lotion form you can apply at home. To see if it lives up to the hype, I gave it a try. You can read about my experience and see the results below.
The ingredients
Coco & Eve's Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam is a vegan formula with 100% natural DHA and, according to the brand, "no nasties." The key ingredients are virgin coconut oil, mango fruit extract, fig fruit extract, and cocoa seed extract. To find out what exactly I would be putting on my body, I reached out to Dr. Ronald Moy of Moy Fincher Chipps Facial Plastic and Dermatology for a comprehensive breakdown.
One of the main active ingredients in most sunless tanning products — and the second ingredient listed in Coco & Eve's formula — is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), Moy tells Insider. "When applied, it reacts with the skin's surface layer to darken the skin and simulate a tan, [making] this method of tanning much safer as opposed to tanning out in the sun for hours on end."
Moy also says that virgin coconut oil "is believed by some to have potential benefits including keeping the skin moisturized," and adds that cocoa seed extract is believed to "improve the skin's complexion."
Tom Reynolds, head of brand at Coco & Eve, also tells Insider that the self-tanner is made with what the brand has dubbed as "Cellushape" technology, which is derived from lotus flowers and "delivers anti-cellulite benefits by restoring lipolytic activity (the same action that occurs when exercising) to tone, improve the 'orange peel' effect, and reduce thigh and buttock volume."
My experience using Coco & Eve's Self-Tanner
I wanted to try the self-tanner after working out, so after I finished exercising, I took a shower, dried off, and exfoliated with Coco & Eve's Deluxe Exfoliating mitt (sold separately for $12). Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of the mitt. It kept sliding around my hand as I tried to exfoliate in a circular motion per the instructions. I probably would have been less frustrated using a dry brush.
From there, the application process was simple. I pumped the product directly onto the applicator mitt and applied the mouse to my arms, legs, stomach, chest, back, and shoulders in small, circular motions. A pump or two per section went a long way.
The mousse dried quickly, but I still laid a blanket over my chair for the two hours I had to wait before showering, just in case. You can also apply the self-tanner before bed and leave it on overnight, but I knew I would be way too paranoid about stains, so I chose the quicker option.
The Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam has a tropical mango and guava scent. It sounds lovely, but it's very sweet and very strong, and to be honest, it gave me a bit of a headache. My husband even said he smelled me before saw me.
After the two hours were up, I hopped back into the shower and watched as some of the color drained from my skin. What remained was a soft, sun-kissed glow that was truly the perfect shade for me. It wasn't too dark or too light, and most importantly, it wasn't the least bit orange. It also lasted about a week or so before I noticed any fading.
Cons worth mentioning
Overall, I was really impressed with Coco & Eve's Sunny Honey self-tanner. The only major caveat worth mentioning is the strong scent. I'm hard of smelling, so when I think something smells strong, that's really saying something. It was just too sweet and it made me feel a little nauseous.
Bottom line
Self-tanning is a much healthier alternative to traditional sunbathing, which can cause skin DNA damage. A lot of self-tanner looks fake because, well, it is, but Coco & Eve's Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam gives skin a finish that looks as natural as possible.
At $40 a bottle, Coco & Eve's self-tanning foam is on-par with other self-tanners. However, in terms of quality, I'd definitely say Coco & Eve has an upper hand. The tan looks natural and lasts about a week or so without any special maintenance.
If you're looking for a vegan-friendly self-tanner that's easy to apply, sets in only a few hours' time, and leaves your skin gorgeously sun-kissed and nourished, the Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam is a great option.
Shop at Ulta Shop at Coco & Eve Julia Guerra Julia Guerra is a contributing beauty/style and fitness writer for Insider Reviews. With over six years of writing across both verticals, she is forever testing all things makeup and skincare, fashion, athleisure, products that benefit women's health, as well as the best home gym equipment. A full-time freelance writer and editor based in New Jersey, Julia previously served as a health and wellness reporter for Elite Daily and kick-started her career in the e-comm space as the beauty editor for BestProducts.com from 2015-2017. Julia's bylines have since spanned across publications like InStyle, Insider, SheKnows, Eat This, Not That!, MindBodyGreen, and more. When she's not writing (for work or creatively), you can find Julia curled up on her couch reading, practicing yoga, exercising in some capacity, adventuring with her husband, or spending quality time with family. Connect with her via Twitter @j_guerra27. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Read more Read lessYou can purchase syndication rights to this story here.
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