HELP!! Reaction to Drunk Elephant products

[BrunaRe]

Hello there! I recently started using DE line of products and need some advice. I never used anything on my skin, period. No sunscreen, serum or even moisturizer. Besides a very mild hormonal acne, I’ve never had any major problems with my skin. But recently I (finally) realized that time is flying by and I needed to start a skincare routine (I’m gonna be 27 soon), and after much research, I decided to go for DE products, due to the fact that I LOVE their philosophy. I bought the sunscreen, “the littles”, and the Protini moisturizer (which I love), and one of my mistakes was starting everything together. Unfortunately my skin had a bad reaction to it, starting with strong milia around my mouth and then very red, dry and irritated cheecks. I read about “the purge”, but I never had ANYTHING on my cheeks and what I experienced wasn’t acne, it was a reaction, so I believe “purging” is not the case. So I’m not sure what to do here. I really want to love DE products, but I’m scared to keep using it. What should I do? I read about multiple possible causes, and don’t know what is the most possible one. Sunscreen? Vit C ? Night serum? Should I just throw everything out and buy another brand, should I stop just a few of them? Please help! Thanks in advance!

[RageCage27]

I had a reaction to Drunk Elephant sheer face sunscreen. I wasn’t sure if it was the Dermaclara eye patches I’ve used but had been using them for a month already with no reaction. After the first use it felt like I had a sunburn around my eyes and my temples. It feels like a chemical burn. Will be returning but I do hear people rave about DE products. Hope this helps someone. Xo

[loveyall]

Girl, I had a reaction rom DE products, too (TLC).  I stopped using and recovered. 

[mariaemitchell]

same thing happened to me - in fact i still have tiny skin color bumps around my chin and my forehead that are slowly going away. i had to discontinue it all , except Sukari & i’m tentatively going to add protini back since i’ve had good luck with that before i tried everything DE. I switched to Farmacy Honey grail & honeymoon glow since honey is supposed to be so good for inflamed skin - so far so good! i haven’t had 1 breaakout since. I use the cleanser also. get STRIDEX wipes from cvs to get those breakouts down quick. it’s drying so i suggest using the wipe just alone on the breakout than around the face and don’t moisturize the area, go around the effected area so the BHA (salicylic acid) in the stridex wipe can do its job. i get the red box. 

[MichP31]

Hi!

i, unfortunately, have been having the same issues. I introduced the products all at once and my skin broke out. I never had acne and for the most part have clear skin- I was just looking to up my skin care. Sadly, I broke out into painful red bumps on my cheeks (attaches pic). 

I am now in the process of stopping use of all DE products aside from the protini and my break out has gotten more painful. I am on day 3 of just moisturizing. I wanted to know if you introduced the products again and if it cleared you up? If so, how long did the initial break out last?

i just want to know if I should even continue using these products. Thanks

[athewinn]

Yikes, that looks like it hurts. 😞 I’m sorry that happened to you. What type of skin do you generally have? Dry? Oily? Sensitive? What products did you use?

[powpow85]

I did the same mistake of using everything at once. My skin got irritated so I cut back to only using cleanser and Moisturizer ( beste and Protini) for one week. Then I added B-hydra for the second week. After the Marula oil when I felt my skin needed more moisture at night time. And by the 4th week I was doing great my skin was clear and looking gorgeous. So I added the C firma every other day and the TLC once a week. By now I have learned to use only what I need. I can tell by looking at the skin the morning. Good luck and please don’t throw them away 🙂

[Anonymous]

This was really helpful! Thank you for sharing! So basically using all of the products at once caused the problem and not the products themselves?

[skcfan]

Hi @Anonymous 

It could be using all the products at once that is causing a problem, but you might also be sensitive to an ingredient. Even natural/clean products can cause issues depending on your skin. The problem with trying everything an once is that it's harder to pinpoint what was causing problems and what was okay.

[BrunaRe]

@powpow85 Great to hear you had the same experience and succeeded afterwards! I emailed them also and they told me basically the same, so I’m definitely following the advice! I really want to love their products! Thank you so much!

[powpow85]

I love them! My favorite is Protini even in summer time. DE is my favorite skincare brand for sure. I have learned to choose products from other brands too but always with an eye on the suspicious 6. 

[6come6]

@BrunaRe~ DE has great products that I’ve had success with. In fact, I see C-Firma and Sukari Babyfacial keeping their places in my skincare lineup. As for the TLC night serum, I unfortunately had to stop using it. I usually don’t have bad reactions to AHAs, but my skin just doesn’t work with it. Each time I used it, I had pimple like pumps on my skin and texture. Once I stopped using it, my skin went back to its normal state before using it. Protini is a fantastic moisturizer and didn’t not give me any adverse reactions. I agree with the previous post and stop using the products. Reincorporate each individually and see what happens. Best wishes⭐️

[BrunaRe]

@6come6 thanks for the reply! I emailed the company and they replied within an hour with the same advice, so I’m following to see what happens! Hopefully their products will be as good on my skin as their costumer service! Thanks again for sharing your experience!

[Kim888]

@BrunaRe Of course you should do what is right for your skin and you but I think the best thing to do is stop using all of them and introduce them 1 at a time back into your routine. I know it's hard to resist using everything new at once but you'll have now way of knowing what the culprit was otherwise. 

My guess is either the TLC Serum or the Vitamin C serum is the culprit. The TLC serum can cause purging and it can go on for 2-3 weeks (although it doesn't sound like that's whats happening to you). Vitamin C serum's in general can cause break outs/reactions for a lot of people so I wouldn't be surprised if it was that either. 

The protini cream is pretty gentle and I haven't really heard anyone having an issue with that so I would try using that alone first. If it goes ok then you could add in the TLC serum maybe every other day and see if that goes ok. 

I wouldn't throw everything out - they are definitely a brand where everything might not work for everyone. I love their protini cream and TLC serum but I was allergic to their eye serum just for example. 

[BrunaRe]

@Kim888 thank you for your reply and it’s good to know your experience as well. I emailed the company and they gave the exact same advice with a routine suggestion for the next weeks. Their costume service is awesome and after seeing so many people with great experiences, I’m definitely giving them another chance, slower this time! Thanks again for your help 🙏🏻

[Stronza]

DE protini and cantaloupe face wash have me the worst allergic reaction I've ever experienced with any skin care product EVER!! Horrible breakout itchy hives all over my cheeks and jawline, right before the holidays. What a joke and waste of money. My skin was soo itchy it was nauseating. I wish I could get my money back to be quite honest or at least a store credit for 75$ that I spent of my hard earned money to suffer and look like I have acne which I never had before. What a shame, stay away from this product. Horrible experience.