I have bought several products from Drunk Elephant, mainly because of all the rave reviews. After trying out a lot of their products, I think I can finally tell you if it is worth the price.
I have tried Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, Drunk Elephant Beate No 9 Jelly Cleanser, Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari BabyFacial, Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye cream, and Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum.
There is one thing that Drunk Elephant got going for it. The packaging.
Drunk Elephant does a wonderful job of packaging. It helps the product from oxidizing and remains “fresh” or active. Sometimes the dispensing is questionable (if it truly prevents 100% of the product from oxidizing). BUT overall it does a better job than most products. It keeps the product from contaminating the product and keeping it fresh.
Although the packaging is great, is it worth the premium price just for the packaging?
It is Worth the Price?
In my honest opinion, no. I know lots of people love the Drunk Elephant and a lot of people will probably hate me for writing this, but this is my opinion.
lots of other affordable options
If you take away all that fancy packaging, their products aren’t that great. By all means, I don’t mean that they are bad at all. It’s just there are better options especially when you take in the price.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum – $100 CAD or $80USD
I loved this vitamin C serum because of the L-ascorbic acid which is the golden standard of vitamin C. It is well known L-ascorbic acid is unstable, especially when it is exposed to the air. That’s why its great that their packaging minimizes the oxidation. However, I found an alternative. The Ordinary’s L-ascorbic acid, only $6 compared to $100CAD/$80USD and since The Ordinary’s ascorbic acid is in powder form it won’t oxidize. Obviously, The Ordinary’s vitamin c won’t be as elegant as its competition, but I think it is worth it if you are only paying ~$6, less than a 10th of the price.
{Check out my post on 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder: The One Item That You Must Try From The Ordinary}
As for the majority of their products, Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, Drunk Elephant Beate No 9 Jelly Cleanser and Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye cream I didn’t see much difference after using it.
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream $84CAD $68USD felt like any other moisturizer I have tried…except that it broke me out. Enough said.
Drunk Elephant Beate No 9 Jelly Cleanser $40CAD $32USD felt like a normal gel cleanser but for a big price tag. Why not opt for Glossier Jelly Cleanser for only $22 USD for 177ml or why not opt for the original simple cleanser? Cetaphil Gentle cleanser ~$10 for 473ml.
Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye cream, $78 CAD $64USD I know lots of people saw an amazing difference, but I didn’t see a difference. I have deep wrinkles under my eyes, but my wrinkles didn’t get away. I don’t have really dry under eyes, so that is probably why I don’t see a difference.
Sukari Baby Facial $80USD is probably the only item I would buy again. BUT be warned. It is a strong peel. I would definitely slowly get into it if you have never tried a peel before. If you want an alternative I would suggest The Ordinary’s acid peel but I have never tried it before. BUT I heard it has good reviews.
{Check out My experience and Review with Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial}
just because it doesnt have the “suspicious 6”, does it mean it wont break you out?
Drunk Elephants theory is that without the 6 suspicious: Essential Oils, Drying Alcohols, Silicones, Chemical Screens, Fragrance/Dyes and SLS you won’t have any skin concern. Because according to Drunk Elephant “the suspicious 6 ” are the root of most skin conditions.
Yes, if you do have sensitive skin it is best to avoid fragrance, essential oils, and chemical sunscreens. But not all alcohols, silicones are bad.
SILICONE
Silicone somehow got labeled the bad guy, which is not true. On the contrary, silicone is generally considered safe and are generally not known to sensitize the skin. Silicone is breathable and emollient.
Many people typically think of the silicone that is found in the kitchen. You would probably think “A layer of “plastics” that has no holes.” If you ever used a silicone mat before, you might have noticed that after using it, it becomes oily and is somewhat hard to wash off. That is because it is porous. It allows certain molecules to pass through it, making it hard to wash off. Glass is not porous, that is why I prefer to use glass when making meringue. And any baker would know that any fat that gets into your bowl, your meringue will not create peaks. When you wash your glass bowl, it is relatively easy to clean. Just because you don’t see anything passing through doesn’t mean it isn’t.
Alcohols
According to Paula’s choice, not all alcohol is bad for you. There are bad ones and there are good ones. The bad alcohols, SD alcohol, denatured alcohol, or, less often, isopropyl alcohol, are volatile liquids that dry quickly, leaving the skin degreased. While the good alcohols like fatty alcohols are non-irritating (they are typically labeled as cetyl, stearyl, and cetearyl alcohol). However, any product that uses alcohol as the main ingredient it probably isn’t good/beneficial for the skin.
I still broke out
Without the suspicious 6, I still manage to break out. After using the greatly raved The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream I broke out. I didn’t add anything new to my skin routine except for the Protini moisturizer. I am not sure if it is reacting with other products that I was using but I don’t think I can use up the moisturizer.
Conclusions
Overall, Drunk Elephant has some great basic products that eliminate the most common irritants such as like fragrance, essential oils, and chemical sunscreen. However, just because it eliminates the most common irritants, it doesn’t mean you won’t break out. Their packing is on point but that comes with a hefty price tag. You could probably find more effective products with half the price tag.
A beauty lover that loves everything about beauty and skincare. She is always on the lookout to find the new “it” product. Whether it is budget friendly or high end, she plans to share with others her beauty adventures and beauty experiences on this blog.