It’s no exaggeration to say that when Drunk Elephant launched in the UK back in October 2018, skincare obsessives shed a collective tear. Gone were the end of beauty junkies having to beg friends, family and colleagues to bring back a piece of the clean-beauty action from any and all trips across the Atlantic—the much-hyped Instagram brand was finally on British shores. But it isn’t just beauty insiders and editors whose heads have been turned by the buzz of this trending beauty brand—it's our fashion friends and style influencers, too.
So, what's the appeal? Maybe it's something to do with the chic packaging (neon lids that pop against stark white tubes) or Drunk Elephant's laid-back approach to application that feels fresh and new. Encouraging consumers to cocktail their products, all of the Drunk Elephant skincare can be mixed and matched as you see fit for a personalised approach to your beauty routine.
Whatever the reason, there's no doubting the brand's popularity. In fact, Drunk Elephant was one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in Sephora's history and continues to be one of its best-selling skincare line. So where should you start if you're new to the brand?
With prices ranging from £15 for a lip balm to £76 for a glycolic serum, I decided to break down every product in the range to give you the full lowdown on what the products do, how you should use them and how they've worked out for me. Keep scrolling for the full skincare scoop.
1. Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream
Who should buy this: People who have dark circles or puffy eyes.
This is the product that changed how I felt about eye creams. Containing a whole host of skin-brightening benefits, I reach for this eye cream on mornings when I am looking seriously tired. And I can also vouch for its efficacy on a particularly bad hangover. The vitamin C helps to alleviate the appearance of dark circles, eases puffiness, and generally adds a little spark to sallow skin. Which means that I can apply way less concealer than I would otherwise need to.
2. Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
Who should buy this: People whose skin feels tight and dry by the end of the day.
I truly can't get enough of this stuff. I add it to my morning moisturiser on dry days, mixing it with Drunk Elephant's potent glycolic acid (more on that later) and layering it straight onto my skin on makeup-free weekends. Formulated with provitamin B5 and pineapple ceramides, this is basically an incredibly hydrating gel. Dry complexions will drink this up, but it also works as a great base product to cocktail with some of the brand's more intensive treatments. I think of it as a glass of water for thirsty skin—more is more.
3. Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
Who should buy this: People who hate the feeling of heavy moisturisers on the skin.
Of the three moisturisers in the Drunk Elephant range, this one is my favourite. A water-gel texture, I loved the way that it sinks quickly into my skin without leaving behind any tacky residue. This is a great daytime option and perfect for before makeup. Plus, as a beauty editor approaching her mid-30s, I'm starting to think about ageing, so I'm pleased to note that this cream has been formulated to maintain your natural collagen levels—essential if you want to keep plump, juicy-looking skin as you grow older.
4. Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum
Who should buy this: People who want clearer, more even skin.
Scars, dry patches, discolouration, pores—this serum tackles it all. I have used a lot of glycolic acids in the past, but have found that regular use can cause my skin to break out. This one is different in that it's combined with a whole host of other acids—lactic, tartaric, citric and salicylic—to really penetrate your skin and remove impurities while raspberry extract and white tea help soothe your skin. This prevents your skin from becoming irritated, dry or sensitive as you might find with pure glycolic acids. I always find that my skin looks so fresh, even and bright the morning after using this, and with no redness or exacerbated breakouts.
5. Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser
Who should buy this: People with dry skin who want a nourishing cleanser that removes dirt and makeup without stripping skin.
Despite having oily skin, I love a cleansing balm—and this buttery-rich one is up there with the best of them. Apply it to dry skin and the blend of skin-nourishing oils will dissolve all traces of excess oil, grime and makeup in moment, leaving skin soft but dewy. Bonus points go the accompanying bamboo booster—a physical exfoliator made from bamboo and charcoal spheres. Mix a sprinkling with the balm once or twice a week for some skin-smoothing exfoliation.
6. Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial
Who should buy this: People who want more even skin tone and serious glow.
Disclaimer: I would totally avoid this if you have super-sensitive skin. However, if you want a skin treatment that's going to mimic the effects of a salon-standard facial in terms of how incredibly soft and bright your skin looks and feels then you won't be disappointed. It contains a 25% AHA and 2% BHA blend of acids so it really works to unclog pores, minimise fine lines and boost radiance. But the tingle is real.
7. Drunk Elephant Juju Bar
Who should buy this: People who have congested, spot-prone skin and want a cleanser that exfoliates at the same time.
Some people just love the feeling of cleaning their face with a bar of soap and water (hi, Dad), which makes this little cleansing bar feel decidedly old-school. The difference with this one, however, is the ingredients. It's enriched with deeply cleansing thermal mud, gently exfoliating bamboo powder and nourishing marula oil that works into a rich lather when applied to damp skin. I was really unsure about using this at first but can confirm it does a great job of sloughing away dead skin cells around congested areas like my nose and chin without leaving my skin feeling stripped. An underrated gem in the Drunk Elephant lineup.
8. Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum
Who should buy this: People with skin that has scars and pigmentation or whose complexion is looking tired and dull.
If you ask any beauty editor what product they'd recommend most from Drunk Elephant, chances are it'll be this vitamin C serum. I can confirm the hype is real, and the reason it's great is the potency of its ingredients. For me, it does an amazing job at reducing pigmentation and scarring, but I've also heard great things about the way it diminishes fine lines. A whack of pumpkin ferment and pomegranate extracts also work to gently exfoliate the skin so your complexion will feel softer and look brighter from first use.
9. Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops
Who should buy this: Anyone who wants seriously glowy skin.
Drunk Elephant do a few of these pigmented drops that can be mixed with your serums and moisturisers, but its their latest gold-toned version that I rate most highly. Its basically a gold-tinted serum with skincare benefits like niacinamide, but its beauty lies in the way that you can mix it with your usual moisturisers and serums to transform them into makeup-hybrid products. My skin looks sheeny, luminous and bright, but in a way that looks totally natural thanks to the shimmer-free finish. And if you want a more intense glow then you can apply it directly to your skin with your fingertips.
10. Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
Who should buy this: People with dull skin and who want a cleanser that'll brighten without dehydrating.
I'll just come right out and say it: I'm pretty loyal to the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, so I was pretty certain Drunk Elephant's cleanser wouldn't turn my head. How wrong I was! The formula uses coconut-based fatty acids and is rich in virgin marula oil, so although it's a jelly, it feels more luxurious than other gel cleansers. What I always notice the most is the way it creates such a rich foam when mixed with water. My skin always feels baby-soft after cleansing with this, and I don't feel like I need to reach for the moisturiser straight away.
11. Drunk Elephant A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum
Who should buy this: People who wake with lots of puffiness, or are noticing fine lines.
Drunk Elephant do eye creams really well and this is their "anti-ageing" offering. It's a serum rather than a cream and contains 0.1% vegan retinol along with caffeine and copper peptides to really smooth and brighten the skin. The texture is lovely—lightweight and refreshing—and it really helps to de-puff tired eyes and smooth the whole under-eye area out. If you have serious lines or wrinkles that you're looking to target then it might not be efficacious enough, but if it's the first flutters of under-eye lines then I think it's a great place to start.
12. Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
Who should buy this: People who have dry or dehydrated skin or love thick, buttery moisturisers.
On an everyday basis, this moisturiser is a little too rich for me. However, if your skin is on the oily side like mine, then I find that it actually works really well when used as a weekly hydration mask. It would be great for parched skin after a flight, too. Dehydrated or dry skin types, however, will undoubtedly drink up this oil-rich cream. It's brimming with fatty acids and moisturising extracts to deliver a steady dose of hydration that will keep your skin feeling comfortable all day and night.
13. Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil
Who should buy this: People who can only get one product from the Drunk Elephant range.
This is coined as the hero product from the Drunk Elephant collection: a 100% pure marula oil. Cold-pressed from the pip of the marula fruit, it's naturally high in antioxidants, vitamin E and omegas 6 and 9, so its something of a natural wonder at rejuvenating and nourishing your skin. Plus it's naturally antimicrobial, which means it also helps to soothe your skin and bring things back into balance. It's lovely alone (I press a few drops over the rest of my skincare when I want a more intensive hit of hydration), but for me, it works best when mixed with other serums from the range to create a personalised skin treatment. I've also used it on the ends of my hair when they've felt particularly dry; it really holds its own compared to more targeted hair treatments that I've tried.
14. Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
Who should buy this: People who have already tried and love retinol or who want to reduce fine lines and plump the skin.
I've written about this product many times after being seriously impressed with the results after my first time using it. I have used retinol before (if you haven't, then I'd always tread cautiously), but this one didn't irritate my skin at all. It uses 1% retinol to boost collagen production and promote skin renewal along with nourishing fruit extracts and fatty acids to pamper your skin at the same time. I've since found that mixing this in with Lala Retro Whipped Cream is the perfect skincare cocktail for me.
15. Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm
Who should buy this: People who like lip balm.
I always have multiple lip balms on the go, so I consider myself to be something of a lip-balm connoisseur. This one contains the brand's key ingredient, marula oil, which means it's intensely moisturising. Admittedly, it won't change your life, but it's a damn good balm if you're looking for a new one to pop in your handbag.
16. Drunk Elephant Bouncy Brightfacial Mask
Who should buy this: Anyone with dull skin that needs a boost, or if you have signs of pigmentation.
Not only is this my favourite face mask from Drunk Elephant, it's one of my favourite face masks from any skincare brand. It contains everything that my congested, spot-prone skin loves, including exfoliating salicylic and azelaic acids to smooth skin, clean pores, and brighten. Plus, there's loads of plant goodness like fermented green tea, pumpkin seed oils and chia to add plenty of glow. After use, I find that redness from old spots and discolouration on my cheeks look minimised. And I love that it doesn't come at the compromise of my skin barrier—there's ceramides, niacinamide and fatty acids to look after that too.
