Drunk Elephant- what is worth it/what isn’t?!

[JesseKate]

I’ve been doing my research and thinking about switching (almost) exclusively to DE. Wanting to know peoples thoughts on what products are worth it, and which are just overrated.

[JackieBiscoe]

I bought both of their face bars in a set to try because I would like a bar face wash. It was only $16 for the small set. Definitely not worth it.

[cmnjtx]

DE has been so hit or miss with me. My skin hated Protini, made me super textured and irritated. I did like the TLC Glycolic serum and would consider repurchasing. The Shaba complex eye cream was a waste of money, imo. I saw no difference from it, but it did feel nice and layer well under makeup. I use the A Passioni retinol a few times a week, it’s the only constant product I have from them at the moment. It works well, took a little while to get used to it but that’s normal for any retinol. I used a whole thing of B Hydra as well and it just didn’t seem with the price. I also still have their facial oil but it’s a little thick and heavy for me, I prefer Herbivore’s Lapis Oil.

[Aarika2004]

I’m a DE 🐘newbie (3 weeks). I have tried so many different products for hormonal adult acne I was “blessed” with in my 30’s. Nothing has ever worked. I purchased the DE mini’s and since have switched exclusively to DE. On top of the acne I’m turning 52 so double whammy 😒. So far I love the product. My face looks much more healthy, hydrated, and the acne is about 💯cleared. I recommend, but it does Get costly to keep up.

[howconnie]

I like the marula oil and C firma, but I use cheaper alternatives most of the time.

[WinglessOne]

@JesseKate  The only DE product my mostly dry combo skin tolerates is the old version of Lala Retro. DE reformulated it and added ceramides. I haven’t tried the new version yet (still working through several deluxe samples of the old one) but I’m told it’s not quite as moisturizing as the old. Since I use Lala only in the winter, that worries me. (Lala’s too rich for my skin any other time of year). 

Things I’ve tried that didn’t work for me: 

Pekee Bar caused a very bad reaction on my eyelids (red sores and scaly dry patches) and a bumpy reaction on my cheeks. This was after I patch tested it for a week because it contains honey, an ingredient my skin generally hates. It worked well the first couple times I used it on my whole face. Then it beat me up and stole my lunch money. There are far better, truly gentle cleansers out there. 

Beste Jelly Cleanser was fine the first 2 nights I used it. The third night, it left dry patches behind. I recommend any Paula’s Choice gel cleanser over this one. Heck, I’ll even recommend CeraVe Hydrating cleanser over Beste. 

Protini isn’t moisturizing enough for me at any time of year. I had to apply 2-3 layers all over my face to match a single layer of my usual moisturizer (Youth To The People Superfood). I always have to layer moisturizer on my very dry undereyes, but not the rest of my face. Good grief. 

C-Tango always pilled a lot under my eyes, no matter how little I used or how long I waited for it to soak in before adding any kind of moisturizer over it. I never used it long enough to see any results. That much pilling knocked it out of my routine and kept me from trying C-Firma. 

I think I’m forgetting one... I’ll update if I remember what it is. But yeah, DE and my face don’t get along. Might be different for you, especially if you’re willing to use their line exclusively like they recommend. But there are as good or better options, some of which cost less. 

[creamcrow]

My skin hates DE

[snoflakefaerie]

I haven't tried the entire line, but I have found great results with both the C-Firma and TLC Framboos serums. It took me a while to find a vitamin c serum that doesn't irritate my skin. I have had better luck incorporating vitamin c in my routine now, but I don't see the immediate brightening effect with other serums like I do with the C-Firma. I also really love the Framboos for the fact that is has a relatively high concentration of AHA and BHA without irritating my skin. I tried it against the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow, and I got similar results, but DE didn't sting my skin at all and the Farmacy did for a short amount of time. FWIW, my skin is mostly normal, leaning to oily in the summer and combo in the winter, but never dry. 

I do like the Lala Retro for when I need some intense moisturizing, but if you aren't sensitive to silicones, you can probably find something cheaper. I'm on week 2 ish of using the A-Passioni retinol cream, and it's not doing anything bad, but I have been using retinoids for years. I would probably recommend just using Differin. If you haven't used any retinol before, I think A-Passioni is probably a higher concentration to start at than is necessary. 

The B-Hydra doesn't really do much for my skin, but I live in a relatively humid environment and don't have dry skin. The Marula oil didn't break me out, but there are oils I like better. You can also get 100% marula oil for much cheaper. I have gone through multiple samples and a couple of the full size of Babyfacial, and I don't get the bang for my buck from it that I do from the Framboos. But I use the Framboos 3-4x a week, so there might not be much more exfoliation possible for my skin. YMMV.

Finally, I hate the Umbra sunscreen. It smells really bad to me and gets worse with time, plus the formula doesn't feel very elegant, and is sort of glittery. Also, it does contain a silicone, which I think is crappy on DE's part in terms of their advertising. In relation to that, I will never try either of their soap bars, because when it comes to advertising no SLS, they substitute SCS, which feels deceptive. Neither are good for the skin, IMO.

I've got samples of the Protini, Shaba, C-Tango and Lippe balm all waiting to be used, but I have been more keen to try other things. I'll update if I get to them soon. Good luck with your decisions. I definitely recommend getting samples where you can to see how your skin responds before investing anything too much.

[mrsmouse]

@JesseKate , I haven't tried a ton of DE products, but from what I tried...

Worth It:

Drunk Elephant Protini™ Polypeptide Firming Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Nourishing Whipped Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL (I have dry skin, so prefer this over Protini, but I did really like both)

DRUNK ELEPHANT - A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream

Not Worth It (they work, but there are less expensive alternatives that work just as well):

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum with Hyaluronic Acid 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury  Face Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL

[tinabina26]

Like you I almost made the switch and bought the entire line from drunk elephant but I am glad I didn’t. I bought many of the drunk elephant products and the products I found that work best for me (oil, textured skin) is the drunk elephant TLC Sukarno BabyFacial and the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol cream. I have found the serums make my face extremely shiny and oily which I don’t mind at bed time but I don’t like it like that when I go to work or out running errands. I hardly ever wake make up so I don’t know how it would be if you put your make up over it. But I found that tatcha works best for my skin type for my moisturizer, serums, eye cream, etc. than Drunk Elephant. Their prices are still a little high but cheaper than D.E. Hope this helps

[Brutalitops]

@JesseKate I really think the only product I have tried by DE thus far where I wouldn't prefer an alternative at re-purchase time is the Protini. Pretty much everything else runs the gamut from meh to great but there are as good cheaper alternatives out there (and I've tried basically everything except the cleansers and the lip balm)

[Asche]

@JesseKate I've tried nearly all DE products and the products I repeatedly buy are Protini, Lala Retro, TLC and A-Passioni. I also enjoy both the Shaba and C-Tango eye creams. 

I liked the Vitamin C serum but not enough to pay the hefty price tag ever again. I also liked both the Pekee and Juju cleansing bars, preferring the Juju as it gently exfoliates. Pekee is a decent cleanser but leaves my skin feeling a bit dry. I also love the jelly cleanser, but you can get other cleansers that are great for a much cheaper price.

Totally not worth it imo: B-Hydra and the sunscreens. I still got burned after using the sunscreens, and B-Hydra does almost nothing for me. I have pretty dry skin though, and I think B-Hydra just doesn't provide enough moisture for what I need. If you don't have super dry skin, it might be worth trying out.

[faeriegirl]

@JesseKate  The Protini and Lala moisturizers, Shaba eye serum, Beste Jelly cleanser, and A passioni retinol are all loves and totally worth it. 

Tlc framboos serum, C- firma serum, B-hydra serum, and babyfacial are all good but I’m not sure if I’ll repurchase.

The bar cleansers, Slaai cleanser, C-tango eye cream, and lip balm were not worth it to me and I wouldn’t repurchase them.

[drrragon]

@JesseKate  If glycolic acid/AHA is part of your routine, look into DRUNK ELEPHANT - T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum I've tried so many AHA products over the years, and I like this one because the AHA is potent but not overly irritating to my skin, it includes BHA, antioxidants, sodium hyaluronate, and allantoin.  It's not a one-note product, plus I like the texture (light gel) that allows me to easily layer additional moisturizers as needed.

Others I've tried and really like are:

Drunk Elephant Protini™ Polypeptide Firming Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ AHA + BHA Mask 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Nourishing Whipped Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

DRUNK ELEPHANT - A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream

Might repurchase but plenty of alternatives are out there:

DRUNK ELEPHANT - C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum with Hyaluronic Acid 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

Drunk Elephant C-Tango™ Vitamin C Eye Cream 0.5 oz/ 15 mL

Unlikely to repurchase (good but I like alternatives better)

Drunk Elephant JuJu Exfoliating Bar 4 oz/ 120 g

Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar 4 oz/ 120 g

Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm 0.13 oz/ 3.8 g

Drunk Elephant Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser 5 oz/ 150 mL

Drunk Elephant Slaai™ Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser

In general I love this brand because I trust their formulations.  They're honest and up-front about the efficacy and concentrations of the active ingredients in their products.  Plus the concentrations are pretty high compared to other brands that tout an ingredient like retinol, then you see it's the 30th product down on the ingredients list.

[SportyGirly125]

@JesseKate for me and my skin concerns I love and use  Drunk Elephant B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum with Hyaluronic Acid 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

Drunk Elephant C-Tango™ Vitamin C Eye Cream 0.5 oz/ 15 mL

DRUNK ELEPHANT - C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum

[Ispend2much6]

@JesseKate  I don't know if you were aware of this, but DE has a set called "The Littles" which contains most of their items, if you'd like to try them before buying the full sizes.

https://www.sephora.com/product/the-littles-P442278?icid2=products%20grid:p442278:product

I haven't tried all of the products, but I really like the Protini, B-Hydra, and A-Passioni.