The Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops have had a large media presence recently, starting with the drops trending on TikTok. Plenty of positivity surrounds these products; the truth, however, starts here: these tanning drops settle splotchy and aid in surface breakouts.

One morning, I ran up to my sister’s room to steal her clothes and found the small, light green dropper bottle of The Isle of Paradise Medium self-tanning drops on her vanity. Of course, I took them, as any older sister would, and began the testing process.

Isle of Paradise’s products are cruelty-free and one-hundred percent vegan, organic, and are made using certified organic ingredients, and this product includes non-sensitizing ingredients, hypoallergenic ingredients, and pure oils. The brand says that the peach-colored drops were created for a light tan. For a medium tan, they offer a green bottle, and for a dark tan, they offer a violet.

My sister had purchased the green bottle, which was supposed to present a golden-type glow. I added the drops into my moisturizer one night and applied the mixture evenly on my face and neck. I woke up with orange hands. This is obviously a consumer-error and wasn’t a problem with the product—I didn’t think to wash my hands after moisturizing. At first, I loved these products; my skin looked radiant the morning after my first application. Within a few days of use though, my feelings towards this product were altered.

The tan collects on my hairline, it collects on the sides of my face, and it collects on my neck. I only added a couple of drops to my moisturizer, but the result was still harshly uneven around the frame of my face. This product also made my skin breakout after maybe four uses. Obviously, skin flare-ups are common with self-tanning products, but this is marketed to “reduce redness, calm the skin, and improve your karma.”

Shortly after my sister “lost” this product, it returned to her vanity table.

Traditional self-tanning foam is something I tend to veer away from. Other than Bondi Sands Self-Tanning foam, which is my all-time favorite brand for self-tanner, these kinds of applicators and sprays have left my skin with a noticeably orange hue. I also don’t like the smell of artificial tanning products and certainly don’t like the way the film feels on my skin as it sets. Not to mention the wrath my mom gives me when my white bed sheets are also tinted by morning. The Isle of Paradise Drops seemed to be a perfect solution, especially through the winter months when only my face is visible. With these reasons in mind, my fight to make these drops work was not over yet; I purchased the light tanning bottle in hopes to fix the uneven blotches from the medium tanning drops.

Isle of Paradise’s peach bottle of solution is formulated with a complex called Oxy Glow, which works to brighten the skin. My skin, at its natural state, isn’t super fair, so I didn’t find these drops to have any real tanning effect. My face definitely brightened up, but this product is also a thumbs down from me. Adding these drops to my night routine definitely had negative effects on the state of my skin. The added weight of the serum nightly was clogging; overall, the pros did not outweigh the cons.

During the winter season, any glimpse of a tanning opportunity calls my name—Isle of Paradise just isn’t a suitable option. Save the thirty bucks and hang tight. The real sun awaits, and it’s much more thorough.