Not only is the Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer ($19.99/11g) mighty expensive for a product from a drugstore brand,  its marketing is so gimmicky that any skeptic would pass by this product, deeming it all unfounded claims and minimal results. With these marks against it, the bronzer somehow managed to majorly impress me. And not just in that it’s-sort-of-kind-of-nice sort of way; I must say that it competes with my favourite bronzers.

Ingredients: Talc, Synthetic Sapphire, Mica, Dimethiconol Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Fragrance/Parfum, 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

Before I get into the part where I gush about my love for the bronzer, let’s get to the drawbacks that it has. There are only two shades that it comes in and I grabbed Bronzer, the darker of the two because it wasn’t all that much darker than the lighter offering and had those golden brown undertones that I tend to prefer. If you have medium to dark skin, I would say that you are likely out of luck with the range, as this one is maybe on the lighter side of medium. Physician’s Formula makes a big deal about their ingredients but I do note that the first couple of ingredients include talc and mica which are two minerals that people tend to have sensitivities to. Also they market the bronzer as being oil free on a technicality, instead they contain the butters which are essentially solidified versions of the oils themselves. The butters themselves do appear impressively high on the ingredient list, however, I must note that they will not improve the quality of the skin in the way that skincare products do – and Physician’s Formula argues that they do. My one last complaint is that fragrance appears so high on the ingredients list, especially of a product that boasts being superbly gentle on the skin. Note: The fragrance complaint is there but some will find the coconut scent incredibly pleasant and summery, especially in combination with the colourful packaging.

Just as Physicians Formula markets the bronzer to do, it applies with this creamy bendable texture that feels like a cream-powder hybrid – with the ease and practicality of a powder and the seamless finish and glow of a cream. Somehow it does manage to give that “lit from within tropical glow”, as cliched as it sounds. Because of the butters I assume, the formula is creamy and radiant but it reads as skin-like because the finish is satin-y without any noticeable shimmer. The pigmentation is medium but build able which makes it effortless to use even on my winter-pale complexion. I love its versatility for adding some warmth to the face in general and sculpting in smaller, more specific areas. On fairer skin, I think this bronzer will pleasantly surprise with its ability to add that sun kissed element without reading as orange-y in the slightest. For me, it’s highlight is that it lasts and lasts on the skin while adding that seamless glow to the skin. It doesn’t cling to dry patches or uneven texture in the slightest.

In terms of colour-comparison, I would be tempted to compare it to NARS Laguna because of its depth and golden brown undertones – but I haven’t examined them closely or anything.

Have you tried the Physician’s Formula Bronzers?

Maggie, x.