When it comes to the beauty brand's skincare beliefs, less is more
It's not easy to stand out in a market as saturated as skincare. But Drunk Elephant shot to cult status seemingly overnight, and for good reason: "It works, plain and simple," says founder Tiffany Masterson. The colourfully capped bottles and countless cameos in celebrity "shelfies" probably help, too.
Following the recent launch of the brand's hair and body collection—which keeps to Drunk Elephant's philosophy of eradicating the "Suspicious Six" ingredients; essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances/dyes, SLS—we caught up with Masterson to talk about taking care of the skin you're in, her self care practices during lockdown and why starting a brand takes serious guts.
(Related: 5 Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands To Try)
Do you believe that less is more when it comes to skincare?
Tiffany Masterson (TM) Customers who have long described their skin as 'sensitive', 'acne-prone' or 'combination' are discovering that their skin was just confused and sensitised. It wasn’t their skin, it was the ingredients they were putting on their skin. I believe skin is skin and I don’t formulate for marketed 'types'. I want to respect the basic function of the skin without disrupting and confusing it.
Everyone has skin and all skin functions the same way, just like our livers, hearts and kidneys. How skin and other organs behave is largely a result of what we consume internally and apply externally. I became suspicious of a certain six ingredients, and believe that they are at the root of almost every skin issue we hear about—essential oils, silicones, drying alcohol, chemical screens, fragrances/dyes and SLS. Once I removed them, my skin was totally transformed and I’m hearing the same from my customers.
(Related: The ABCs of Beauty: Skincare Experts Explain Vitamin C)