A Review of the Clean Skincare Brand Drunk Elephant
You guys know I’m a loyal Biossance user (you can read my full review here) but I’m also a skincare junkie and love to try out ALL the products. I’m also always on the hunt for clean skincare products that deliver results. This had led me to cash in my Sephora points over the years for Drunk Elephant samples so by now I’ve tried out quiet a few of their products! Recently, my skin has been feeling super dry (hello winter!) so I’ve had to switch up my skincare routine. I figured now would be a good time to incorporate more Drunk Elephant products into my routine! Now that I’ve tried out quite a few of their products, I thought I’d share my thoughts!
Drunk Elephant Skincare Review
About the Brand
Drunk Elephant was founded by Tiffany Masterson – a stay-at-home mom from Texas who couldn’t find the kind of skincare products she was looking for, so she created her own. She realized that certain ingredients in skincare products were actually doing more harm then good so she set out to formulate products without the “Suspicious 6” – as Drunk Elephant calls them. The Suspicious 6 include – essential oil, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances/dyes, and SLS. Drunk Elephant products are also formulated without a bunch of other problematic ingredients like parabens, mineral oil, EDTA, PEGs, and more! Drunk Elephant products are also Cruelty-free! Some products are Vegan but you have to check the individual product for that info.
The star ingredient in a lot of Drunk Elephant’s products is Marula Oil. Marula is a great oil to use on your skin because of the high content of fatty acids and antioxidants. And Drunk Elephant gets it’s name from the myth that elephants get drunk off the fruit that falls from the Marula Tree!
Product Review
These are the products that I’ve had a chance to try out so far. I’ll be updating this list if/when I try out new products!
Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
This was the first full size Drunk Elephant product that I purchased. I prefer to use a simple, gentle cleanser on my face. Cleansers don’t need to be fancy, in my opinion, because you don’t keep them on your face long. You can apply this cleanser to wet or dry skin and massage onto your face with water to form a lather. Rinse and pat dry.
I have normal to dry skin and I don’t feel like this cleanser is drying. It claims that it can dissolve makeup but I don’t feel like it does a great job with that. When I’m wearing makeup I prefer to double cleanse and use an oil cleanser first and then use this Jelly Cleanser.
Overall, I like this cleanser a lot and it’s a product I’ve repurchased several times. It’s $32 but a little goes a long way and the tube does last me awhile. Apparently, you can also use this cleanser head to toe as a body wash or shampoo. Who knew?
Slaai™ Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser
I recently received a sample size of this butter cleanser and I’ve been using it for the last week or two. This is an oil balm that you massage into dry skin to remove dirt, oil, and makeup. It transforms from an oil to milk when you rinse off with water. You can add the DE Bamboo Booster (included with purchase) to this cleansing butter for exfoliation, which I think is interesting!
I’ve been using this in combination with the Beste Jelly Cleanser. I always follow up with another cleanser after using the Butter Cleanser to make sure I get all the residual oil off my skin.
Overall, I do like this butter cleanser a lot. It does do a good job of removing my makeup. I’ve used other oil and butter cleansers in the past but they all contain essential oils. I like that this one doesn’t! This is a product I would buy a full size jar of!
F-Balm, B-Hydra Serum, Cleansing Butter swatches shown above
B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum
My skin has been SO DRY recently that I needed a solution ASAP. So I ordered this hydrating serum and picked it up the same day at Sephora. It’s formulated with B5, ceramides, Sodium Hyaluronate (absorbs better than hyaluronic acid), and antioxidants so it should be SUPER hydrating for your skin.
I apply a few pumps to my skin after cleansing and toning. I use this product day and night. It has a slightly tacky feel after you first apply it but I don’t notice it once I apply my moisturizer.
Overall, I like this serum a lot! I’ve noticed my skin is less dry during the day. I also like that since this is a water based serum, it can be mixed with an oil. I will definitely be purchasing this again!
Protini™ Polypeptide Cream
I got the Protini Cream in a sample size awhile ago and used it up. This lighter-weight cream contains peptides and antioxidants to restore collagen and hydrate skin.
To me, this cream seemed more like a gel. It’s lighter than my go-to Biossance Omega Repair Cream. It’s been awhile since I used the Protini cream but I felt like it was more suited for the summer time. According to the website, you can mix the Protini Cream with their thicker Lala Retro™ Whipped Cream for an extra boost.
Overall, this moisturizer works but I prefer my Biossance Cream. I would be interested to try mixing it with the Lala moisturizer to see how that works. I do like how this moisturizer is packaged though. It’s a pump jar so the contents aren’t exposed to air and you don’t have to stick your fingers in the jar to apply.
Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil
Marula is rich in antioxidants and Omega’s and helps nourish, hydrate, and balance skin. Drunk Elephant uses a special process to extract the Marula oil so that it’s at it’s purest and most concentrated form.
I’m a huge fan of oils (I use them as the last step in my skincare routine to seal all the other products in and provide a protective barrier). I’ve been using Biossane’s Squalane oils for awhile now. I didn’t really see or feel much of a difference using the Drunk Elephant Marula oil.
Overall, unless you REALLY prefer Marula oil I think there are cheaper alternatives out there. After doing some research I feel like Squalane Oil is better for my skin and Biossance’s 100% Squalane Oil is $32 compared to DE’s Marula Oil which is $72 (and for a much smaller bottle).
F-Balm™ Electrolyte Waterfacial
F-Balm is an overnight facial that contains niacinamide, sodium PCA, plant squalane, five forms of ceramides, omega fatty acids, and powerful antioxidants to replenish skin’s barrier. It also has tiny beads of Vitamin F that burst upon application for extra hydration.
This “mask” feels amazing. It has a nice cooling effect. It’s a light cream consistency that you apply as your last step (after the oil) before you go to bed. It has a slightly tacky feel but I don’t notice it after awhile and it doesn’t bother me while I sleep.
Overall, I really like this mask and I use it nightly! It feels similar to Laneige Water Sleeping mask but it doesn’t have the extra fragrance and chemicals. I will definitely be buying the F-Balm Facial again.
Umbra Sheer™ Physical Daily Defense SPF 30
This physical sunscreen was one of the first full size products I bought from Drunk Elephant. It’s really hard to find a good physical sunscreen that isn’t took thick or made with silicones. Umbra has 20% Zinc Oxide and Marula Oil + a bunch of antioxidants to nourish skin.
This worked OK for me. It’s definitely one of the easier physical sunscreens to apply. It’s not too thick and it blends ok – I still found it leaves a slight white cast. It does make my skin feel dry though. I had to make sure that I applied a moisturizer underneath this sunscreen so I wouldn’t feel too dry.
Overall, I did not purchase this again. Biossance came out with a physical SPF 30 sunscreen and I liked that one a lot better. The Biossance sunscreen is even thinner, blends in better, and doesn’t make my skin feel as dry. However, the Biossance sunscreen is $30 and the tube is a lot smaller and only contains 14% zinc oxide. DE’s sunscreen tube is much larger and only $34. So if you are looking for a good mineral sunscreen at a better price then you might want to try Umbra.
Shop Drunk Elephant Products
Final Thoughts on the Brand
What drew me to this brand was that they formulate their products without essential oils, fragrances, and dyes. It’s actually pretty hard to find skincare products that don’t include those things. Since essential oils are natural, a lot of clean/natural skincare brands include them in their products. Don’t get me wrong – I love some essential oils (especially rose oil which is often found in Biossance products). Many skincare experts will tell you that essential oils can be really beneficial for your skin. Others will tell you that essential oils can cause skin sensitivities – even if it doesn’t feel like it on your skin. My philosophy is – most things in moderation and small doses are fine. But I’m happy to incorporate skincare products into my routine that don’t contain essential oils too! And fragrances and dyes in skincare products are TOTALLY unnecessary so I’m glad Drunk Elephant doesn’t include those.
Drunk Elephant gets an A+ for how they package their products. They avoid open jar containers which can lead to ingredient degradation and bacteria growth (when you stick your dirty fingers in the jar). That’s one thing that my fav brand Biossance gets wrong. Their moisturizers and some other products are still in open jar containers. Booo!
I also like how Drunk Elephant doesn’t avoid the use of synthetic ingredients. I like clean skincare brands that also do their research and use science to choose effective and safe ingredients. Not all natural ingredients are safe (i.e. Poison Ivy is natural but it’s not safe!) And likewise, all synthetic ingredients are not bad. Drunk Elephant will use a small amount of safe synthetic ingredients to maintain product efficacy and stability.
The only con for Drunk Elephant products is the price. They are pretty expensive. And Drunk Elephant never has sales (I’ve seen them have a Black Friday sale once a year). So it’s hard to get their products at a discount. However, Drunk Elephant is sold at Sephora so sometimes you can get 10-20% off during one of their sitewide sales.
Overall, I think Drunk Elephant has some really great products and I will continue to purchase them and try them out! I’ve heard amazing things about the T.L.C. Sujari Babyfacial Exfoliating Face Mask but it’s not recommended for pregnant/nursing women so I haven’t been able to try it out.
Phew! I hope this review was helpful! If you have any questions about these products, let me know in the comments!
