How to Use Glow Drops on Your Face

October 17, 2026

There is a certain kind of glow that looks like great skin rather than makeup, soft, dewy, and sun-kissed, as if you just spent a slow morning by the water. That is exactly what glow drops are made for. Instead of sitting on top of your skin like a shimmer, they build a gradual, buildable color that reads as if it comes from within.

At Lux Unfiltered, our take on glow drops is skincare-first, which is why our Sun Struck Tanning Face Drops blend right into your moisturizer and treat your skin while they add color. Here is everything you need to know about using glow drops, from how many to use to how to customize your glow.

Key Takeaways

Glow drops are customizable tanning drops you mix into your moisturizer or serum for a gradual, sun-kissed glow.
Start with just a few drops and build up over more drops or more nights.
The color develops over a few hours and looks lit-from-within, not like a topical shimmer.
A glow drop tan is not sun protection, so keep wearing broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher.

What Are Glow Drops?

Glow drops are concentrated tanning drops you add to your own moisturizer or serum to create a gradual, buildable, sun-kissed glow. The color develops because the drops use DHA, a color additive that darkens the skin by reacting with amino acids on the skin's surface. Because the color develops on your skin rather than sitting on top of it, the result looks like radiant skin, not a product you can wipe away.

What makes Sun Struck a little different is the skincare built in. The Classic drops are fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, with hyaluronic acid, so they hydrate as they gently build color, which is part of why the finish looks so healthy. If you want the story behind the formula, our post on the magic behind N°12 is a fun read.

Glow Drops vs. Liquid Highlighter: What Is the Difference?

It is easy to mix these up, since both promise a glow. A liquid highlighter is a topical shimmer that sits on the surface of the skin and washes off at the end of the night. Glow drops develop actual color that lasts for days and then fades gradually, so the glow looks like it comes from within rather than from a product on top.

The two can absolutely work together. Once you have a soft, developed glow from your drops, you can still tap a topical illuminator like our Beauty Balm Illuminating Stick onto your cheekbones for extra dimension on a special night.

How to Use Glow Drops, Step by Step

Using glow drops could not be simpler, and it slots right into the routine you already have.

Start with clean, dry skin.
Add a few drops to your usual moisturizer or serum in your palm and mix them together.
Apply evenly over your face and blend down onto your neck so the color looks seamless.
Wash your palms right away so they do not tan.
Let it develop, since the glow deepens over the next several hours.
The following morning, apply your broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen as usual, because a glow drop tan offers no sun protection.

You can blend the drops into whatever moisturizer you love, and something rich like The Cream makes an especially nourishing base.

How Many Glow Drops Should You Use?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is that it is up to you, because the drops are fully customizable. A simple way to think about it:

For a subtle, barely-there glow, start with just a few drops.
For a more noticeable, medium glow, add a few more.
For a deeper glow, build up gradually over more drops or across a few nights, rather than going all in at once.

Building slowly is the secret to a result that looks even and natural, and it keeps you in control of exactly how much color you want.

Classic vs. Bronze: Choosing Your Glow

Sun Struck comes in two options, so you can match the drops to the look you are after.

Classic

Classic gives a gradual, buildable glow with no immediate color, which makes it ideal if you like to ease in and control the depth night by night.

Bronze

The Bronze drops give an immediate bronze tint and a subtle shimmer for instant radiance, while a gradual tan develops underneath. If you cannot decide between the two, our Q&A with product development breaks down the difference.

Tips for a Flawless, Lit-From-Within Finish

A few small habits take your glow from nice to genuinely radiant.

Exfoliate and moisturize beforehand so the color goes on evenly.
Blend carefully around the hairline, brows, and jaw so there are no hard edges.
Because Sun Struck Classic is non-comedogenic and fragrance-free, it suits sensitive and breakout-prone skin, though it is always smart to patch test something new.
Keep hydrating daily so the glow fades evenly as it wears off.

Layering a lit complexion into the rest of your routine is half the fun, and our glass skin routine is a lovely companion for that dewy, lit-from-within look. When you are ready to build your lineup, the Face Glow collection has everything for a customizable glow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are glow drops?

Glow drops are customizable tanning face drops you mix into your moisturizer or serum to create a gradual, sun-kissed, lit-from-within glow with no UV. Because the color develops on the skin rather than sitting on top, it looks like radiant skin instead of makeup.

How do you use glow drops on your face?

Add a few drops to your moisturizer or serum, mix in your palm, and apply evenly over clean, dry skin, blending down onto your neck. Wash your hands afterward and let the glow develop over a few hours.

How many drops should I use?

Start with just a few for a subtle glow and build up over more drops or more nights for a deeper result. The drops are buildable, so you stay in control of the depth.

Do you apply glow drops before or after moisturizer?

You mix them into your moisturizer or serum and apply them together, which spreads the color evenly and hydrates at the same time.

Do glow drops clog pores or work on sensitive skin?

Sun Struck Classic is fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, which makes it a good fit for sensitive and breakout-prone skin. As with any new product, patch test first if you are unsure.