Quick verdict
Australian Glow is one of the most rebought self tan brands in Australia, and it earned that position on the Priceline shelf rather than the editor table. The 1HR Express Self Tan Mousse Dark at $24.99 is the bottle that did the work: a one-hour develop, a warm-golden undertone that reads natural on fair and olive skin, and a finish that fades evenly rather than patching at the ankles. For face, the Self Tan Drops are the second buy. For an event, Platinum is the deeper, longer-wearing option. The result is the rare review where the cheapest pick is also the one we keep coming back to — among the best fake tan in Australia at any price.
What is Australian Glow?
Australian Glow is an independent Australian self tan brand founded by Liz Agresta. It is Australian-made, vegan, cruelty-free, and stocked nationally at Priceline as its primary chemist-shelf retailer. The range sits in the mid-market price tier — the everyday bottle, not the wedding-day splurge — and is built around three formats: express tanning mousse, face tan drops, and a deeper Platinum mousse for event tanning. The brand grew on Australian retail shelves rather than influencer launches, which is why most readers know it from a Priceline aisle. Editors come back to it for the same reason: a golden undertone that doesn’t pull orange, and a price point that lets it stay in rotation.
Best Australian Glow products ranked
Across our testing the three Australian Glow products worth shortlisting are, in order: 1HR Express Self Tan Mousse Dark for the everyday body tan, Self Tan Drops for the face, and Platinum for a deeper, longer-wearing finish for events. The 1HR Express is the bottle that earned the brand its place on the Priceline shelf — the formula most reviewers describe as “the one I keep restocking.” The Face Tan Drops sit alongside the established tan-drop category from Isle of Paradise and Tan-Luxe and hold their own at a lower price. Platinum is the option for readers chasing a deeper finish without moving up to a salon brand. Beyond these three, the body polishing mitt is a useful add-on for application.
Australian Glow 1HR Express Self Tan Mousse review
The 1HR Express is the bottle that anchors this Australian Glow review. At approximately $24.99 at Priceline, it is the cheapest one-hour express tan we rate in the top tier. The mousse texture is light, dries quickly, and develops in one hour for a wearable result — or can be left up to four hours for a deeper finish. The undertone reads as warm golden rather than orange or cocoa, which is the technical reason it suits both fair and olive Australian skin. Fade is the other axis it wins on: even over five to seven days, with no obvious patches at knees and ankles when application is done with a mitt. It is beginner-proof in the most useful sense — if it’s too dark, rinsing earlier shortens the develop. This is the Australian Glow product to buy first.
Australian Glow Face Tan Drops review
The Australian Glow Self Tan Drops for face are the second buy in any rebuild of your fake tan routine. The format is a dropper that blends two or three drops into a nightly moisturiser; the colour builds overnight and is fully customisable to depth. Against the Isle of Paradise and Tan-Luxe drops that dominate this niche, the Australian Glow version is the cheaper, more accessible option — sold at Priceline rather than ordered through DTC or MECCA. The undertone matches the body mousse, so face and body don’t fight each other under daylight. The drops are the right choice if you want a face tan that reads as a healthy flush rather than a separate product, and the right entry into the brand if you already own a face moisturiser you love.
Australian Glow Platinum review
Platinum is the Australian Glow event tan — the formula our reviewers reach for when the photos matter. It develops longer than the 1HR Express (three hours rather than one) and reads deeper on the skin, with the same warm-golden undertone holding through the depth. Wear is in the five to seven day range with proper exfoliation between applications. Against a salon-grade pick like Loving Tan 2HR Deluxe, Platinum doesn’t quite match the cocoa-warmth and salon-fade evenness, but it does so at roughly a third of the price and on the Priceline shelf. The honest answer: Platinum is the right Australian Glow product for a holiday, a wedding party, or a dinner where you want depth without leaving the chemist budget. The 1HR Express is still the better everyday choice.
Australian Glow vs Bondi Sands
Australian Glow vs Bondi Sands is the comparison most readers come into this review with. The honest read across both ranges: Bondi Sands owns the supermarket shelf and the cool-neutral undertone that suits a particular Australian skin tone, especially through the fragrance-free Pure water-based foam. Australian Glow owns the chemist shelf and the warm-golden undertone that most readers report as more flattering on fair to olive skin. On price, Australian Glow 1HR Express ($24.99) and Bondi Sands Pure ($24.95) sit within cents of each other — the choice is undertone, not budget. If you have read complaints about your last tan looking grey or ashy, try Australian Glow next. If your last tan ran orange, Bondi Sands Pure is the safer reset. Both belong in the Australian fake tan shortlist.
Australian Glow vs Loving Tan
Loving Tan is the cult MECCA pick — the 2HR Express Deluxe Mousse at $44.95 holds the cocoa-warm undertone and the salon-grade finish many readers describe as their wedding-day tan. Australian Glow doesn’t try to be Loving Tan. The 1HR Express is the everyday option, the bottle you actually rebuy at Priceline; Loving Tan is the bottle you splurge on once. On undertone, Loving Tan runs cocoa-warm, Australian Glow runs golden-warm — both flattering on most skin tones, with the cocoa note slightly more sophisticated on olive skin. On fade, Loving Tan still wins on evenness over seven to ten days. On price-to-performance, Australian Glow wins outright. The simplest read: own both. Use Australian Glow weekly, save Loving Tan for the events. For the broader category, our best fake tan in Australia ranking covers both side by side.
Is Australian Glow good for beginners?
Yes — Australian Glow is arguably the most beginner-friendly self tanner sold in Australian retail. Three reasons. First, the 1HR Express format means the consequences of going too dark are short: you can rinse off at the hour mark and see the result before committing. Second, the golden undertone is forgiving — it doesn’t pull orange the way some mass-market mousses do, which is the most common first-time fake tan disaster. Third, the price tier is low enough to make mistakes affordable. For first-time application, the Medium shade is the right starting point; move to Dark once you know how the colour reads on your skin. Pair with a mitt for streak-free application. The brand is one of the best self tan for beginners on the Australian market right now.
Does Australian Glow look orange?
The most-asked question in our reader inbox on this brand: does Australian Glow look orange? The short answer is no — the formulation is built around a golden-warm undertone rather than the orange-leaning pigments that caused early-2010s mass-market fake tans to read unnatural. In testing across two skin tones, the 1HR Express developed as warm-gold rather than orange under daylight, indoor warm light and fluorescent. The exception is over-development: leaving the mousse on far longer than directed, or layering it daily without rinsing the previous layer, will deepen the colour beyond the formula’s intent and may shift the read warmer. The fix is straightforward — follow the timing, exfoliate before reapplying, and start with Medium if you are concerned about depth. For fair-skin specifics, our best fake tan for fair skin guide ranks Australian Glow in the top three.
Where to buy Australian Glow
Australian Glow is stocked nationally at Priceline — this is the everyday retailer for the full range, including the 1HR Express Self Tan Mousse, Face Tan Drops and Platinum. Selected SKUs are also available at Big W and through Coles and Woolworths beauty aisles at certain locations. For the complete range, including the body polishing mitt and Self-Tan Removal Mousse, the Australian Glow official website is the direct source. Pricing is consistent across stockists, so the choice is convenience rather than savings. For most readers, the Priceline shelf is the right answer: the 1HR Express Mousse is usually in stock and often appears in the chain’s frequent self tan promotions.
