Benefit’s Hoola bronzer is easily one of the most well-known bronzers on the market. Countless beauty gurus have featured it in their YouTube videos, only making the product more popular.
Unfortunately, the Hoola bronzer is a bit expensive. The standard size of this bronzer is $30 for 8 grams, the value size is $44 for 16 grams, and the mini is $17 for 3.96 grams on Sephora’s website. For some people, spending this much money on a single makeup item isn’t justifiable, especially when there are plenty of products with more affordable pricing that perform just as well.
In this article, we’ll be showing you some of the best Hoola bronzer dupes. These dupes will be matches for Hoola’s cult-classic original bronzer shade, medium.
Why Is the Hoola Bronzer so Popular?
Before we get into our recommendations, we’d like to talk about why the Hoola bronzer is so popular. It’s important to understand what makes it a good product so that you can look for dupes with similar characteristics.
The Hoola bronzer is a holy grail item for so many shoppers for a few reasons. First of all, the original Hoola bronzer shade (medium) suits a wide range of skin tones. This is in large part due to the fact that the color is buildable. Those with fair skin only need a single dip whereas those with deeper skin can apply layers to darken the color to better suit them.
Not only that, but the bronzer is completely matte, so there is no reflective shimmer. The undertone is neutral-warm so it suits most skin colors. Furthermore, the Hoola bronzer’s soft formula makes it easy to blend, meaning no harsh lines. It can be used for both bronzing and contouring. As you can see, the main characteristics that make the Hoola bronzer so good are its shade, buildability, and blendability.
Now that we understand what makes the Hoola bronzer a beloved cosmetic for many, let’s look at some dupes.
Top 4 Best Hoola Bronzer Dupes 2024
1. Best Overall Pick: Rimmel Natural Bronzer Sun Light
Editor’s Rating:
Shade
The shade “Sun Light” is spot on for Hoola’s original medium color. Swatched side by side, you may not be able to tell the difference. Just like Hoola, this Rimmel bronzer is completely matte. Most importantly, the color never comes across as orange.
Buildability
When it comes to buildability, this product is a winner. The pigmentation is soft, so you won’t have to worry about putting too much on. At the same time, it can be built into a deeper shade without looking dirty or muddy. It’s not quite dark enough for deeper skin tones, but it works well for fair skin.
Blendability
The Rimmel Natural Bronzer is easy to blend despite being waterproof, so your contour or bronzer is never going to look like a harsh line. Not only that, but you can easily blend it out if you apply too much.
Value
This bronzer is a fantastic value because you get 14 grams of product for around a third of the price of the original Hoola bronzer.
Pros
- Color is nearly identical to Hoola
- Gentle, buildable pigmentation
- Blendable and natural-looking
- Excellent value
Cons
- Not dark enough for deep skin tones
2. Best for Cool Skin: NYX Professional Makeup Matte Bronzer Medium
Editor’s Rating:
Shade
The “medium” tone of this NYX bronzer is very similar to the “medium” Hoola bronzer. However, it may be slightly more orange, especially if you’re heavy-handed with it. It’s also completely matte, just like Hoola. The NYX medium bronzer looks especially nice on cool complexions, but it won’t work as well for yellow undertones.
Buildability
The pigmentation of this bronzer isn’t very heavy, but if you’re looking for something similar to Hoola, then that’s a good thing. The gentle pigmentation allows you to use as much or as little as you need, and this NYX bronzer is definitely buildable.
Blendability
This bronzer is super easy to blend. You’ll never have to worry about harsh lines, and if you happen to use too much, you can easily blend it out. Though it does blend nicely, it won’t completely disappear should you decide to bake your face.
Value
This product is just under $10 and you get 9.5 grams. The standard size of the Hoola bronzer is 8 grams, so you are getting a little more in the tub. Of course, this NYX bronzer is a third of the price of Benefit’s Hoola!
Pros
- Undertone suits cool complexions
- Buildable but soft pigmentation
- Excellent value
Cons
- Won’t flatter all undertones
3. Best Budget Pick: wet n wild MegaGlo Contouring Palette Dulce de Leche
Editor’s Rating:
Shade
It’s incredible how similar this wet n wild contour palette looks compared to Benefit’s Hoola bronzer. Swatched side by side, it’s hard to tell them apart. This MegaGlo contouring palette also happens to be matte (despite the “Glo” in the title). Though this is technically a contouring palette that includes a contour and a highlight shade, the contouring shade works great as a bronzer.
Buildability
This product is very pigmented! This doesn’t mean that it isn’t buildable, but you certainly need to use a light hand and build from there, especially if you’re fair-skinned.
Blendability
This product blends easily despite its cheap price tag. You’ll never have to worry about harsh lines, and you can blend it out if you apply too much. However, the product does tend to have a lot of kickback in the pan, so make sure you tap your applicator off before applying to avoid getting fallout on your face.
Value
You get a lot of product in this pan: 12.5 grams to be exact, although half of it is highlighter. It’s also usually sold for a third the price of Hoola, making it a pretty decent value for your money.
Pros
- Includes both contour and highlighter
- Contour very similar to Hoola
- Pigmented but blendable
- Budget-friendly
Cons
- A lot of kickback in pan
- Poor value if you don’t need highlighter
Editor’s Rating:
Shade
theBalm’s Bahama Mama bronzer is very similar in shade to the Hoola bronzer, but it is a tad deeper. Those with fair skin may prefer the Hoola bronzer for this reason as its slightly lighter shade tends to look a bit more natural. The bronzer is completely matte and shimmer-free.
Buildability
Though this bronzer isn’t harshly pigmented, a little bit can go a long way. If you have fair skin, this bronzer can still work for you but you’ll want to be very light-handed with your application, or it may look dark and muddy. For those with deeper skin, the color is buildable.
Blendability
This product blends pretty well for most, but if you’re fair-skinned, you may have to do a bit of extra work. Otherwise, it may come across as muddy. On the bright side, it doesn’t have an orange hue to it no matter how much you blend it out.
Value
This bronzer is much more expensive than the others on our list, but it’s still affordable. The full size contains about 7 grams of product compared to the Hoola bronzer which contains 8 grams; however, the Bahama Mama bronzer is $8-$12 cheaper depending on where you purchase it.
There is also a travel-size version of this bronzer which is under $15. Of course, being travel-sized, it only contains 3 grams of product.
Pros
- Ideal for darker skin tones
- Buildable color
- Easy to blend
Cons
- Easy to over-apply
- Not suitable for fair skin
- Slightly expensive
Which Dupe Is Right for You?
We’ve provided you with a handful of products that are great dupes for the Hoola bronzer. Any one of these would be a great choice, but if you’re having trouble narrowing it down, we may be able to help. We’ll compare and contrast each product to help you decide which one is the right choice for you.
Budget
If budget is the most important factor when you choose cosmetics, then the best options on our list would be either the Rimmel Natural Bronzer or the wet n wild MegaGlo Contouring Palette. These products are around the same price, so let’s look at the differences.
The Rimmel bronzer contains more product, weighing in at 14 grams. While the wet n wild hardly seems to contain less at 12.5 grams, you have to remember that half of the pan is a highlighter shade.
Of course, if you enjoy contouring your face using both a contour and a highlighter shade, then you may prefer wet n wild since it will be more versatile for you. The wet n wild bronzer is also more pigmented, which may be nice if you’re sick of wasting time building up your bronzer.
On the other hand, if you have lighter skin, then the Rimmel bronzer and its more subtle pigmentation will be more forgiving and overall easier to use.
Skin Tone
What people love about the original Hoola bronzer is that it looks great on numerous skin tones. Here is how you can choose the best dupe depending on where you fall within that spectrum.
Fair Skin
If you’re fair-skinned and looking for an affordable Hoola dupe, you may feel a bit skeptical about whether or not the drugstore can offer you a suitable option.
The best choices for fair skin on this list include the Rimmel Natural Bronzer and the NYX Professional Makeup Matte Bronzer. Both bronzers lack intense pigmentation, so you won’t have to worry about overdoing it on your first swipe. They are both buildable and easy to blend as well.
The NYX bronzer is a bit more orange than the Hoola bronzer (though that doesn’t mean it comes off as orange on your skin) whereas the Rimmel bronzer is closer to a true match..
Remember that with any bronzer option, the shade is only one part of the equation. Proper application can take your face from a muddy mess to a sculpted success.
Medium Skin
One of the major complaints about the Hoola bronzer is that it doesn’t cater to deeper skin tones. Since we’re focusing on products that match the original Hoola bronzer, we can’t promise that any of these will be a great choice for someone with especially dark skin. However, there are a couple of products on our list that work better for deeper, medium skin tones than lighter, pale skin tones.
These include theBalm’s Bahama Mama bronzer and wet n wild MegaGlo Contouring palette. The Bahama Mama bronzer is a good option because, while being close to the Hoola bronzer, it is actually a bit darker, so it lends itself to slightly deeper skin tones. The wet n wild palette, on the other hand, is more pigmented than Bahama Mama, making it a questionable choice for light-skinned folks but perfect for someone with tanned skin.
Both products are pretty easy to blend and can be built up on the skin. As we mentioned, the wet n wild Contour Palette will build up faster due to being more pigmented.
If you’re looking for something a tad deeper than the Hoola bronzer, then we think you should go with the Bahama Mama bronzer. If you want something affordable that works well for medium skin tones and doesn’t require a lot of build-up, then the wet n wild Contour Palette would be a great choice for you.
Bronzed Beauty
Benefit’s impeccable blendability, easy buildability, and versatile color have made it one of the world’s most popular bronzers. We’re big fans, but we also love these Hoola Bronzer dupes that offer similar results at a fraction of the cost. Are you ready to give them a try?
After you pick up your favorite new bronzer, have a look at some of our other guides! We have even more advice, whether you need to buy a new bronzer brush or are looking for some bronzer or contour application tips.