Drunk elephant: is it worth it? Part 2: From Active Products to moisturiser

T.l.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

Starting off on an absolute high! DE’s exfoliating night serum refines and resurfaces the skin to reveal a smooth, radiant complexion. It contains both AHA and BHA to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, unclogs pores, fades pigmentation, and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. Bonus: it also aims to minimise excess oiliness. Without the barrier of dead skin cells other products in your skincare will be absorbed more effectively. Great for skin of all ages too, since teenage skin often has clogging pores and mature has a slower cell turnover rate.

Key ingredients:

- AHA blend: a combination of glycolic, tartaric, lactic and citric acids that will exfoliate dead skin cells to reveal a smooth, bright and even complexion. Contains about 12%.

o AHA exfoliates skin to remove dead skin cells and rev up surface cell turnover to smooth and

brighten the appearance of skin, while BHA penetrates deep into pore walls to exfoliate and

unclog pores and provide greater skin clarity.

- Salicylic acid: exfoliates inside the pore to unclog and remove debris.

- Raspberry fruit extract: nourishes and soothes skin whilst protecting against environmental aggressors.

Also, a natural BHA.

- Cactus Extract and aloe: to calm

How to use it

PM: apply one pump to clean, dry skin, avoiding the eye area. A slight stinging feeling may be felt during the first few applications. Combat tingling by mixing the serum with an oil or moisturiser or using every other night. If you don’t introduce this product slowly then it might cause skin purging. Stop use if tingling is persistent or intense since it is a very active product. Also, if you have a patch of clogged, uneven skin, use T.L.C. as a spot treatment.

My review

This is probably the most active product I’ve tried from DE. It’s all about retexturizing and brightening with chemical exfoliants. It is a pretty full on since it contains glycolic, tartaric, lactic, citric, and salicylic acids. So, I wouldn’t recommend this for people with sensitive skin. But I’d definitely recommend this for oily/acne prone skin people since it targets acne, enlarged pores, and texture.

Honestly, despite the price point (which really does hurt), this product is one of my holy grails. My skin has gotten a lot brighter and clearer since I’ve started using it. I have naturally dry skin, so the constant exfoliation was great for brightening up my skin tone and keeping flaky skin away. For summer it was great, since we are all slightly oiler as well. For winter, in particular, I think I would recommend using this every other day for drier to normal skin as we produce less oil (we don’t need the constant clearing of excess sebum). Now that I have run out, I think I’ll give myself a week to see if there’s any difference in my skin without it. But honestly, I will be repurchasing eventually because it is a great product. I feel like cheaper products just wouldn’t be safe. DE spent a lot of time making all these chemical exfoliants stable and non-irritating, so for me its totally worth it!

A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream

A-Passioni™ is a really innovative product that is formulated with 1.0% vegan retinol with nourishing, superfood-rich ingredients to dramatically diminish the appearance of fine lines, deep wrinkles, and sun damage. Retinol and supportive peptides aim to plump, rejuvenate, and help skin’s clarity, tone, and texture. It also contains other ingredients that hydrate and protect environmental stressors.

What is retinol and why should you use one? I’ll be honest, I am very new to the world of retinol and retinal. Retinol is the gold standard for treating wrinkles and acne. As they help with cell turnover cycle (constant new skin basically) and stimulates collagen. I do want to write a whole blog post to understand more about them both, but this is just a quick side note xx

Key Ingredients

- 1.0% Retinol: Vegan retinol is amazing as it is stable, effective, and predictable. Which makes it good

for all skin types. At a 1.0% concentration, it can dramatically improve the look and feel of uneven skin

tone and texture, as well as ward off the sun damage and free radicals.

- Xanthophylls: carotenoid which protects against environmental stressors.

- Triple Peptide Blend: firms and strengthens the skin.

- Winter Cherry Juice: more pollution-fighting antioxidant carotenoid.

- Kale Leaf Extract: contains vitamins A and E, meaning a powerful antioxidant.

- Passionfruit, Apricot and Jojoba Oils: moisturizing and skin soothing.

- Virgin Marula Oil: contains antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9, to deeply moisturize

- Vitamin F: Soothing fatty acids (linolenic and linoleic): improves skin texture and suppleness and helps

calm sensitivities.

How to use

AM or PM: apply a pea-size amount or less after serums. I mix mine in with my night time moisturiser

Keynote: Start using just once or twice a week, gradually increasing use to every other night, and then every night. This is to avoid skin purging and irritation! Even though DE recommends wearing during the day, I would rather not just because of the increased sun sensitivity. Always use SPF as well.

My review

I wanted to start using a retinol because of its renowned anti-aging benefits (trust me it’s never too early to start prevention care). I would say I haven’t completely gotten into this product, so I feel personally I cannot give a full review of this product yet. However, on MECCA.com this product has 240 reviews at 5 stars, so that has to account for something. I’ve started using 1-2 times per week when I feel my skin needs a proper glow up. And so far, I love it. No reactions to the product either. I got this as a sample size around Christmas, and I’m still using the same tube. So, it definitely lasts a long time which is good because this shit is expensive. Retinols are another product that I stress buying from a reputable brand since it is such an active ingredient. I will give a proper review when I write the blog about retinols and retinal x

F-Balm™ Electrolyte Water facial

This cooling, quenching overnight mask plumps and restores with an electrolyte cocktail of ingredients. The perfect overnight mask for rehydrating hungover and dehydrated skin, making it soft and supple. Tiny beads loaded with vitamin F burst during application to deliver extra emollience and soothing hydration.

Key Ingredients

- Vitamin F (linolenic and linoleic): Fatty acids that hydrate, improve texture, and is inflammatory.

- 4-Electrolyte Blend (Coconut water, sodium PCA, magnesium PCA, and prickly pear): antioxidant and

humectant properties to hydrate, help barrier strength, and calm redness.

- Niacinamide: reduces of aging as well as uneven tone and texture. Also great for acne as well.

- 5-Ceramide Blend: Ceramides help fill the gap between skin cells, helping skin elasticity and

strengthening the skin barrier.

- Squalane: found naturally in skin. It hydrates, soothes, and prevents water loss.

- Quercetin: anti-inflammatory agent, promotes collagen production and healing skin damage.

How to use

Apply 4-5 pumps as the last step in your PM routine. I use it as an overnight mask x

My review

This is a solid overnight mask. Immediately after application, my skin was glowy and felt soothed. You can definitely see the moisture and feel the inflammation reducing when using this product. For a night mask though it is not as thick as you would expect. If you have issues with dryness or a dull complexion, I think this product could work well. But if you’re able to get the glow you want with your everyday moisturising products or have oily skin? Feel free to skip it. I feel there are similar products on the market for cheaper but may not have as many super ingredients. KLAIRS Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask, COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask, and ENATURE Skin Pot Sleeping Pack are great alternatives. I’ve tried the first two and absolutely loved them, they are also made cleanly.

Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil

DE’s facial oil is rich in critical antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9. Marula oil nourishes and balances giving an extra boost to help to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and redness. As a natural anti-microbial, it will not clog your pores and will help your skin not to produce excess sebum (ironic but once your skin has enough oil it will reduce the amount it produces – will write a future blog about oil and oily skin).

Key ingredients

- Virgin marula seed oil: a highly absorbable oil, rich in antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9, that hydrates, nourishes and replenishes the skin.

How to use

Apply 2-3 drops evenly to face, neck, chest, hands. I add it to my PM moisturiser for an extra boost.

My Review

Honestly, love this oil as it doesn’t leave any greasy residue and leaves my skin balanced, glowing, and healthy. I think it would be great for every skin type too! But let’s talk about the elephant in the room: 15mls for $60... Hell No! Thank god I got this in their little trial pack because I would not have brought it for that price. The Ordinary has a 100% Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil 30ml for $20. So definitely do your research because you're definitely just paying for the brand for this one.

Lala Retro™ Whipped Cream

This whipped cream delivers instant and sustained hydration to revive dull and dehydrated skin. This cream provides rescuing barrier support by reinforcing skin’s acid mantle and defending against the effects of everyday stressors. While the texture is thick and creamy, the formula never leaves skin greasy, making it perfect for most skin types (just not oily to thick I would say).

Key ingredients

- African-Oil Blend: nourishes, protects barrier, and brightens.

o Marula oil is high in antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9

o Mongongo oil is a super-antioxidant oil

o Baobab oil is rich in vitamin C

o Kalahari melon oil high in omega-6 acids

o Ximenia oil is rich in vitamin C

o Passionfruit oil is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin C

- Ceramides: help soothe and maintain the moisture balance of skin while protecting against water loss.

- Phytosphingosine: lipid that has powerful soothing and restorative benefits.

- Green Tea: antioxidant which is calming

- Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer: deeply hydrates skin.

How to use

AM and PM: Massage 1-2 pumps into face, neck, and décolletage.

My Review

Such a great cream! It is thick and creamy without being over the top greasy. It’s really important to get a moisturiser without fragrance and alcohol. Moisturising is an important step to maintain your skin's healthy cells and to protect it from irritation. So, if your moisturiser is doing the reverse you can get rashes and acne. When my skin was really sensitive, it easily soothed and hydrated the skin. But is it worth it? Sadly, probably not. For me, $90 is a bit to dear for a moisturiser and it didn’t even last me 6 months. For my dry skin, it was great in summer but coming into winter and it just doesn’t do enough. I think it depends on you and your skin as well. For sensitive skin types you might be willing to spend this amount for a good solid moisturiser. But for oily skin you could probably pass on this one for a lighter gel cream.

In Conclusion

To say the least, Drunk Elephant helped me get rid of my dermatitis and have much clearer skin. As someone who pays a lot of attention to ingredients, I think it is amazing that the brand formulates without the Suspicious 6 ingredients. Avoiding these ingredients can improve the health of your skin, if you react to fragrances and alcohol like me.

I believe the price for DE products reflects the time and ingredients put into their formulas. However, I do believe that some of their products just aren’t worth the price, as there are more innovative and wallet friendly alternatives out there. Clean beauty is also extending to the Korean market, so there are plenty of other brands now to choose from. I also don’t think that skincare is as "one size fits all" as the brand's founder has suggests. More sensitive skin would definitely react to most of the more active products mentioned.

Only now that I have used it DE, can I say that my skin is finally ready to break away and try other brands. However, if my skin ever reverted back to where it was, I would definitely repurchase DE because I know it works. I hope this review has helped you navigate the Drunk Elephant line!