Index / e.l.f. / Putty Bronzer
e.l.f.

e.l.f. Putty Bronzer.

e.l.f. Putty Bronzer
Save to Pinterest
Blush & Bronzer
About this product

A creamy, blendable bronzer in a small pot, designed to add a natural-looking warm tone to the cheekbones, nose and face.

Full ingredients

Phenyl Trimethicone, Silica, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyethylene, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Phenoxyethanol, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Red Iron Oxide (Ci 77491), Yellow Iron Oxide (Ci 77492), Black Iron Oxide (Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200)

More from e.l.f. 58 products · Guru Score 89% →

Guru Score

92%

Yay

5 experts · Moderate agreement

What the gurus are saying

Sheer enough that you can't really overdo it: that's what keeps this cream bronzer coming up in the takes, with gurus describing a soft, matte veil that blends out without turning muddy, orange or cakey. It melts into foundation and suits oilier skin, and the pot is small. If you're nervous about dark contour, it's easy to layer on a little more where you want it.
Synthesized from 5 expert reviews · most recent take September 2025

What they liked

  • Blends seamlessly into skin
  • Natural finish despite full coverage
  • Works across all skin types

What they flagged

    Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

    Type

    Blush & BronzerCream

    Key actives

    Vitamin E

    Formula notes

    Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

    Where to buy

    Opens a store search. We may earn from these links.

    Scan it in the shopFree iPhone app. Scores in the aisle.

    What the gurus are saying.

    Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

    All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
    ✓Yay
    "Some of the products from this line have even gone on to become cult favorites for them, like the Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder."
    ✓Yay
    "I really like this as a drugstore option. [...] I really like these formulas, they're very creamy and blendable but they have a little bit more of a matte finish, so if you are a little bit more oily, they're easy to work with, they're easy to blend and they just [...] blend forever, so they're really really soft. It's like this beautiful soft matte. [...] It's a little bit more tan than some of these others."
    All 2 takes from Alexandra Anele
    These are the BEST Bronzers for Warm Olive SKIN
    "I really like this as a drugstore option. [...] I really like these formulas, they're very creamy and blendable but they have a little bit more of a matte finish, so if you are a little bit more oily, they're easy to work with, they're easy to blend and they just [...] blend forever, so they're really really soft. It's like this beautiful soft matte. [...] It's a little bit more tan than some of these others."
    Lindsay Lohan Inspired Makeup
    "This is a little bit softer in color for my cheekbones so I'm using this to kind of carve out my cheekbones. It's not quite as gray or purpley cool toned as the Wet n Wild one, so it looks a little bit more natural on [...] my skin tone. This is a great color for my nose."
    ✓Yay
    "Another one of my favorite bronzers this year is the e.l.f Putty Bronzer. [...] It's much smaller than the other one, but it does the same job, blends beautifully, and looks great on the skin."
    All 4 takes from HotandFlashy
    Beauty Faves + Fails! Makeup, Skincare, Self Tanners! May 2023
    "The elf Putty Bronzer is so easy to work with, it's just so easy to get it on. It looks so really nice and natural on the skin because it's sheer and it blends out really easily."
    BEST Makeup of 2023! Drugstore + High End | Mature Beauty!
    "Another one of my favorite bronzers this year is the e.l.f Putty Bronzer. [...] It's much smaller than the other one, but it does the same job, blends beautifully, and looks great on the skin."
    NEW Drugstore Makeup Try-On! Reformulated True Match Foundation | Nothing Over $15!
    "The color is not too orange, it's nice and sheer, and it seems like it's going to not end up looking muddy which is good. [...] Most of the contours I buy are super dark and I'm really afraid to put them on, but this is really nice, it's almost like an invisible sheer little veil, like the subtlest little wash of color. It's really good and I'm definitely a keeper with this. This is really good and I'm really happy with the e.l.f Putty Bronzer."
    Full Face of DRUGSTORE Makeup DUPES With All Day Wear Test!
    "What I love about both of these is that they're not opaque, they're very very sheer going on, and so if I need to put on a little more that's fine because they are so easy to blend and they're never going to look dirty or muddy. The e.l.f. is seven dollars for a third of an ounce, so if you triple it to get up to an ounce that's really like 21 dollars for the same amount, still 11 dollars less even ounce per ounce. They blend out beautifully and look fantastic on the skin."
    ✓Yay
    "For cream bronzer, somebody said the e.l.f. Putty Bronzer specifically, and I literally would choose it over any other bronzer I own. The way it just seamlessly blended out onto the skin, I love how that looks. I was so excited to see somebody mention this because it gave me an excuse to use it again."
    Top Pick: bronzer
    ✓Yay
    "The e.l.f Putty Bronzer is one of my absolute favorite, favorite bronzers. It sits incredibly well on the skin, no matter what kind of skin type. For something that's full coverage, this does have a really kind of natural finish. It doesn't look crazy, crazy full. It doesn't look cakey on the skin. I [...] love the way it just looks fully blended with a foundation. Melts in with it beautifully."
    Sponsored

    What the evidence says.

    Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

    Sunscreen filters

    Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

    Source: DermNet

    Vitamin E

    Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

    Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

    Frequently asked.

    What is e.l.f. Putty Bronzer?

    A creamy, blendable bronzer in a small pot, designed to add a natural-looking warm tone to the cheekbones, nose and face.

    Is e.l.f. Putty Bronzer worth it?

    Yes. All 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 92%.

    What is e.l.f. Putty Bronzer's Guru Score?

    e.l.f. Putty Bronzer holds a Guru Score of 92%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

    Same formula, worth a look.

    Products built around the same core actives as this one, with what the experts make of each.

    See how they stack up →

    Similar products worth a look.

    Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

    Compare side by side →

    Spotted something on this page that doesn't look right? Let us know.

    Share this score

    Add this badge to your blog or website. It links back to this page and updates itself when the experts change their minds. Free, no sign-up.

    Then paste it into your site's HTML or embed block.

    This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

    A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

    Subscribe to the digest