The Rise and Potential Fall of Drunk Elephant
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Tiffany Masterson began Drunk Elephant by closely copying a product she was selling from Malaysian brand Wonderbar, taking an African myth of elephants becoming drunk after eating the marula fruit and reframing toxic ingredients as a problem in skincare. Taking all of these things in a melting pot, Masterson had the recipe needed for success as she combined effective skincare with a backstory to bolster it's memorability. It's no secret that Masterson is not a chemist, nor is she a dermatologist, but she is clearly a phenomenal marketer and an incredible salesperson, evidence by their $845 million sale to Shisheido Japan. Though they've had their fair share of scandals, nothing so far has taken the brand into a true 'fall' era, though that is how the consensus seems when looking at online sources about the brand. Theres a discrepancy between public opinion and quantitative data like searches and sales that is fascinating about Drunk Elephant and it's certainly a brand Ill be keeping an eye on in the near future for any upcoming changes
Fashion Channel: / @understitchyt
Patreon: patreon.com/understitch
Shisheido acquisition announcement and plans (in English): corp.shiseido....
You make the best videos! So educational 🙏
Youre a phenomenal businesswoman, thank you so much for your ongoing support 🙌
I just want to make one thing very clear that “clean beauty” is more of a marketing buzzword than it actually is a change in how your skincare and cosmetics are made. It just simply does not exist.
Non-toxic too is a marketing term. Generally cosmetics are heavily about marketing really, very little is truly new and a lot is based on perception. Theyre luxury goods after all 🤷
True.
Certainly, while the term "non-toxic" and "clean beauty" can sometimes be used as marketing buzzwords, there is merit in recognizing that certain beauty products do adhere to higher standards of cleanliness and safety than others.
@@EllaLuz-z5oI suggest you look into cosmetic chemistry on TH-cam. Because all labs have standard procedures. Regulations play a big part in that. Labs that don't follow regulations or standard practice, are often due to the result of human exploitation. Chemophobia has really rid the nuances of how products are produced.
@@EllaLuz-z5o i would argue that’s not true. the word “clean” does not have any federal regulations, so brands can make up their own version of what it is and there’s nothing to stop them from lying
I work at Sephora, for 15 years. I remember how big of a deal it was when it came out... The popularity died. I never got any great results from the products myself.🤷 Now girls between 10 and 15 are in love with it and come into the store and steal it constantly and make huge messes with it because ticktock smoothies.
I’m sorry but this is hilarious
They found a way to market to a new market, time will tell if it made sense or if the stolen losses will not have been worth it 🤷
I Personally think it is overpriced. Just use bubble or something 1:14
This makes me so glad I don’t have a TikTok. Social media ignorance is absolute bliss.
Tik tok made me do it lol
It's crazy that they charge $40 for a bar of soap and claim the profit margin of that product is too low 🤦
I want to know what the profit margin was so bad 💀
I never liked their soaps. They leave my skin DRY and CRINKLY.
Depends what it costs to make
@@eatmyoctopusA lot of soap/skincare makers in the comments have said their ingredients cost pennie's
I was never fascinated by the products of Drunk elephant.... they're overpriced, overhyped, and there are more affordable alternatives.
Well, looking forward to your video on KVD beauty.
Shes very high on my list, Im interested to find out more
I think the price was so out of hand that I never even considered a serious buy for me
the controversies and prices of the brand have always kept me away. did get a sephora sample of a moisturiser once tho and i did really enjoy it. but i’ll never buy from them
I’ve tried various drunk elephant products and tbh they were not worth the price at all. It’s kinda sad how many little kids want products from that brand lol .
They seem really popular on tiktok rn
I’ve been a hobby soap maker for 15 years and have been making my own skincare preparations. When I see someone made a multimillion dollar company based on a bar of soap for which the ingredients cost literally pennies, I struggle to comprehend what kind of people are actually buying into this stuff. I had a look on their website and diseected some of the ingredients list and I can tell you the stuff is truly nothing special. Their margins must be astronomical.
@@KsenijaCelner I'm starting (but struggling) to start my own makeup line. And along the way I've learned its all abt your integrity and creativity. Playing pretend wont serve anyone in the long run.
My 9yo niece asked my dad for a 70$ cream for her birthday. She's 9, she doesn't need that 🥲
@@underskinYTI think it’s bc the Kardashian kids posted a TikTok of them using the products. So of course other 9 yr olds want it.
idk, it always bothered me that they put turmeric in their vit c oil. Obviously it was only put in to hide any hint of the vit c going rancid by making it an orangey color and saying it was the turmeric, not the fact that their serum was inactive...
Oh thats interesting
I LOVE the baby facial mask, but it's ridiculously expensive. So I did some searching and found paulas choice has a similar mask for half the price, so I switched to it.
Yeah but also half the product 😢 that’s the thing about Paula’s choice, they seem cheaper but most of their products are half of what you get from Drunk Elephant
@iiswhoiisss4410 I know, I'm very torn between the two but if I only have 45 bucks the paulas choice works nor quite as good as baby facial but I just can't afford it right now
Which PC product?
@Maidenhair it is the skin perfecting 25%aha+2%bha exfoliant peel rinse off mask. Sheesh it's a mouthful but it's great
@@Knuckles2868doesn’t the ordinary aha peel work similarly
I think you’re missing how huge it is with teens and tweens now. The brand is HUGE on TikTok
That is the reason it is falling. Once the tweens get a hold of something the older groups stop buying. It becomes “uncool” and tends to shrink in the market
I think its certainly a strategy theyre going for for brand extension, and it seems to be working. Young people have a lot of buying power bcs of their parents and getting them in young has the potential to make life long customers
@@underskinYTI think the hype of this brand within tweens would eventually fade out (as trends do) and then the brand would eventually TANK
Surprising you didn’t mention they’re currently in a lot of headlines around the demand for the products from kids/preteens
Yeah maybe I should have, I think its certainly a smart way for them to have started what I said in the end about finding a way to extend the brand’s lifespan
@@underskinYTthey're not specifically marketing to tweens. It's social media type and word of mouth. I've spoke to brand reps and they are actually trying to pull away from that image by marketing and producing new products aimed at mature skin. Because while they have popular products amongst tweens, their once flagship products are becoming their worst sellers because of the active ingredients.
OH!!! This explains why the DE testers are DISGUSTING AF!!!! I don't use the testers but I walk by the DE to get K18 & CosRX, and every DE tester looks as if a foundation, bronzer, blush, moisturizer & serum got drunk, mated & then threw up simultaneously.
What’s really interesting is Drunk Elephant started being featured to me in social media (I’m in the U.K. so I’ve never heard of it before). I suspect that social media algorithms thinks I’ll like DE because I like brands such as Korea’s Romand & SKIN1004 and Japan’s Hada Labo & Biore UV.
When I do look up DE I mostly see young girls using it on their “aesthetic girl” posts. Given their marketing you explained, I can see how it can convince people going for that “aesthetic” trend.
Oh I just went to a skin1004 event the other day (I was a +1) and their marketing team was so incredibly nice!
One thing I can clarify the animal testing part is:
The 'loophole' for Mainland China market back in 2019 was through e-commerce, Drunk Elephant entered the mainland China market via Alibaba's TMall International where consumers can buy the product directly from outside of the "border" basically bonded warehouses. They don't have to follow the mandatory animal testing law since they did not sell products physically inside the region. Many other brands were doing the same, such as Fenty Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury (which had showrooms for consumers to try but they still had to order online). Until the gov updated the law in 2021, now brands like Aesop is rapidly expanding in the mainland.
Brilliant, thank you 🙌
I’ve seen many tik toks mentioning the rise of Drunk Elephants popularity with children / pre-teens. Any thoughts on that?
I've seen christmas wishlists from kids on X (which were posted by their relatives) where the children are asking for skincare from Drunk Elephant and lipoils from Dior. Why are these kids watching skincare content? Otherwise why would they ask for these products?
IMo its all to do with social media, its just the modern form of advertising, and especially now advertising on TV is so heavily regulated towards children while its so unregulated online, it leaves more space for influence
@@chandelierprincessAlso the DE packaging with bright colors appeals to teens. The price though 😮
I noticed that too and now seeing that animation sequence at the end of the video, I can see that this is no accident.
It’s true!!
Drunk Elephant gave me one of the worst adult breakouts- only second to SK-II Essence... but they took months to fix all the blackheads that formed, omg it was the worst! But I tried to give a bad review on Sephora & it disappeared in a week. I'm convinced they had a team in there to downvote & report all reviews that had pictures of rashes because I saw others mysteriously disappear! (This was back in the old days when it was first introduced to Sephora). That was my only review in 50-100 approved and deleted, so that says something.
Hmm yeah that is suspicious
I had the same experience, I feel you.
SK-II essence was the ABSOLUTE WORST!!! I broke up and it lasted for DAYS!! Horrible product IMO.
I am always cautious of brands that have only positive reviews for that reason, it cannot be possible and usually is because money has power over the reviews.
@dreamcatcher75418 right?! Everyone was pushing it so hard on YT, & it didn't do anything except give me a rash/acne. I asked around & people were telling me it was the "purge" period, so I used it for a week like a dummy. My local Sephora was shocked to see a SK-II product get returned, but no way I'm keeping using something that expensive that ruined my skin (for 3 months). Also, is it just me or was the smell vile as it dried?
I have used the brand before and even featured on their instagram.and I must say, what really works is building a skincare habit, and does not need to be this expensive.
Its expensive for marketing not for product. But then if we exclusively wanted good product thered be no need to keep changing bcs we would all stick to the same
I’m not sure if DE ever has a “fall” it’s still pretty popular amongst people who haven’t done enough research and are willing pay for overpriced products and branding
Exactly! I feel this lady want them to fall... but DE here in Canada are going strong , now recently we have them in shopper drug mart too , not just Sephora
What Im forseeing is a rebrand down the line to move the packaging onto something newer while keeping the product the same/similar. I dont want them to fail, my opinion is moot really, but having been going so long, any brand will need to switch it up to keep fresh
I feel like the OG consumers STILL love their products.
From what i gather, Hyram and Cassandra are going through cancellation themselves, Hyram for being uncertified skincare "specialist" with questionable team-up with The Inkey List who has their own list of mishaps, such as being caught selling Salicylic Acid Cleanser labelled 2% when test showed it actually higher (4%??)! LOL. Cassandra is also being called out for for not disclosing ads and affiliate links and also that shady purple sunscreen collaboration with Isntree that (she said) she did not get the profit from the sales. Like what?
I hate companies who market clean non toxic skincare equally as I hate skincare companies and influencers who fear monger fragrance and aromatics in skincare!
Honestly influencers arent my forte tbh, I dont follow the scandals very closely, I guess Im just more interested in branding and retailing than I am in individuals as people. I watch them mostly to see how products are received by the public than the people themselves tbh, so I often just dont see when they have problems like this. So thank you for the information 🤍
Well said! Although I still wish more brands formulate skincare without fragrance simply because alot of us don't react well to fragrance. But ofcourse, fear mongering is always a big red flag in a brand.
What 4% salycid acid that weird for friendly brand skincare
@@anamikakhan593have you try Cetaphil? I can use fragrance in my skincare routine cause it's get me the feel of shower
@anamikakhan593 I agree, I can not handle fragrance but maybe it's fine for some
I am a follower of Caroline Hirons, and I remember when DE spoke negatively about her, even though she had promoted and spoke so positively about their products. I think Caroline had just talked about how they may want to change something about how they promoted the product and DE’s team went off on her. It never sat right with me and I won’t buy anything from them since.
I could be wrong, a couple people coented about CH so thts why Im asking, but I dont think she ever made a video about it no? I included Hyram because he gave a rundown of what happened is all
@@underskinYT she never made a video about it, but posted about it on her website. That’s where I read about it. Hard to put stuff from a blog in a vid like yours. Loved your work, DE will probably continue to rise, but I am cool with not contributing to it.
@@mprice333 Okay I see, thank you for the information. I definitely do use blog posts as text in my videos, so yeah, Ill be more careful to include the original source instead of using another's summation (or I could do both) Thank you 🤍
Once these companies get sold it is always going down the drain. Prices go up, quality and formula go down. I saw that happening with a lot of former owned by founder brand which were sold to estee lauder, chanel etc. such as Paulas's Choice, NYX, the ordinaty etc. However, I never purchased anything from DE because it is horribly overpriced, just like dermalogica. After checking the ingredients I couldnt find anything that was worth the price. There are so many great branda out there, smaller ones, which have great formulas at lower prices.
Its so frustrating that this is often the case
I'll reiterate what others have said here: "clean" or "non toxic" beauty is BS. Anyone who actually understands cosmetic chemistry and isn't ethically challenged will tell you to stop worrying about "chemicals" in your beauty products, because literally everything that exists in physical form is made of chemicals, and being unable to pronounce something is a the fault of the reader, not the ingredient. As a dyslexic, I understand reading is hard, but everything has a chemical name along with its common name, and we just have to accept that.
For sure, totally impossible, but great for marketing
Col video. I've been using DE since their launch. I still love their moisturizers and their BHA TLC treatment. TLC really cleans off all the dead skin and I'm left with beautifully fresh skin the next morning. I don't really use their other product because of the price point. I feel like i can get the same for less but I swear by those two OG products. What I like the most is that the moisturizers aren't perfumed. I wish other brand would sell moisturizers with out perfume as well.
If theres one thing my skin hates more than anything else its scents. Immediately if it has a scent I know I will react to it and I hate that bcs so much of it smells so good
The fact that they are marketing their products for children I won’t go near the brand, kids skins are going to be ruined.
Well, they say that they are not doing any kind of social media marketing, so whether they are actively doing it or whether it has naturally been picked up by younger kids that still up for debate
I wonder if DE's overwhelming success with tweens/teens will be their eventual downfall. I've never been obsessed with the brand, but the only time I hear about DE anymore is with stories of young girls terrorizing Sephora workers and patrons for their skincare smoothies. If a brand's main clientele is becoming spoiled mean girls I fear those characteristics will get attached to the brand itself (especially after their PR thing). And how long until this young audience moves on to the next trend, leaving the DE brand with the label of "skincare for the wealthy mean girls in school"?
I dont think it will be tbh, getting a younger consumer base on board is nearly always a way to guarantee future success. If you can get brand loyalty early on then you can get a lifelong customer, its why Europe is so careful about it and why so many brands (think like McDonalds) had to change so much
love this video. so happy I found your channel!!!
Thank you!!
Friends 10 yr old daughter asked for a bunch of drunk elephant for Christmas… like what?.
You didn't ask for anything like this when you were a kid? I asked for so many random things, OPI or Jessica nail polish, Garnier caffeinated eye roller, a bunch of stuff
@@underskinYTgood point. But the question is...did you get all that as presents? I do recall asking for a Clarins body oil when I was twelve year old I think, and I did receive it. But it was just that. (I saw it on vogue I guess, which was as damaging for a twelve year old to read back then as tik tok nowadays). I may have the wrong idea, but I do feel that parents buy a lot more and more expensive beauty products for their children.
10:16 loveeee the marketing tidbit. This really made me realize a lot and makes me a smarter and more critical consumer
Im glad, marketing is powerful, one should always be sceptical (but fair too)
I hadn't heard of Drunk Elephant before a few weeks ago when I started seeing it all over TikTok, very interesting to see their history 🙏
Glad you enjoyed it 🙌
Drunk elephant's retinol (A Passioni cream) is still by far the most irritating retinoid I have ever used, and that includes prescription retinoids.
What was also problematic was the fact that Drunk Elephant suggested that it could be mixed with their glycolic acid product, which is terrible advice and a recipe for a damaged skin barrier.
Finally, they've had problems with their customer service, in that their approach seemed to be 'the customer is always wrong'. When customers made complaints about the products, Drunk Elephant reps told them they must be using the products wrong. It was as if the statt couldn't countenance their products not working for everyone.
I didn’t have and issues with the retinol. It has amazing reviews.
So many complaints about the retinol, I didnt realise it wS so widely hated
@user-mz7de3kc3d That's irrelevant to me though, as it ruined my skin for over a month after I used it. The ingredients list for the retinol is extremely long, which makes it more likely to irritate the skin.
And Drunk Elephant advising customers that they could use it with their glycolic serum was just plain irresponsible - that's a recipe for destroying the skin barrier.
You should do "Proactiv" next, it was so popular and now people barely mention it.
Oh thats actually a great idea
the fact that DE is more expensive than Tatcha just completely blows my mind
Isnt tatcha under Unilever though? They tend to have cheaper price points
I would love to see you do a deep dive on Tata Harper and her name sake brand- 100% natural and the queen of green non toxic skincare her brand states!
Ill add it to my list 🤍
Full if essential oils
No mention of the Caroline Hirons interaction with D E and how that came to being. Also there was a PSA to parents not to buy any expensive skincare for teens /tweens due to the rise in demand of DE on Christmas lists.
Yeah, Caroline Hirons was a huge supporter until she wasn’t. She interviewed Tiffany twice! But then DE’s socials recommended some sketchy “cocktails”, she called them out and then they personally attacked her. Hyram was responding to DE being awful to her.
I thought I was clear in adding CH from the Hyram video that explained it, because I dont think she ever made a video about it? (I could be wrong)
On the PSA tho, I dont mnow if anyone would listen to that? Didnt your parents by you clealry older products when you were young? I had a bunch (St Ives comes to mind 💀💀)
@@qwp0983probably she got paid by DE until she wasn’t. I used to follow Caroline but eventually I realised she is not a dermatologist and she makes a (very good) living out of brand sponsorship (she would promote creams from Chantecaille and stuff like that). Since I only have limited time for TH-cam, I decided to follow real experts like dr Dray instead.
So informative!!! Love your content
Im so glad you enjoyed it, I thought the start of DE specifically was so interesting
@@underskinYT definitely!
I’m coming to understand marketing and advertising so much more.
Especially how it can potentially make or break everything
I will admit that despite being well aware of DE’s very valid critiques I’ve still given in and purchased (and repurchased) quite a bit from them 😳their packaging is hard for me to resist, and some of the products really are quite good! That vitamin C in particular 👌🏼 The moisturizing creams however have always caused me pretty bad reactions. I’ve since been trying to support smaller indie skincare brands .
Oh thank you for that, I havent tried it myself because I have such sensitive skin and often kind of have to stick to moisturisers
Look at the main ingredients of the moisturisers and buy a version from Cetaphil, Dermaveen, Alpha Keri, La Roche Posay etc. Paula's Choice as well. Spend money on your serums, but not necessarily your moisturiser.
Yep I agree with you. Cerave PM has been my savior for years. Also I refuse to spend on a cleanser that is just going to go right down the drain! Simple is better & I need to be better about not wanting to try new stuff with cute colors haha
@@abbyc.4458 the Cerave PM has niacinamide in it. Great moisturiser. I buy the Cetaphil Advanced Daily Hydrating Lotion. I need hydration more than moisture on a daily basis. I love it.
In Australia, I like buying the Mecca own range of serums and oils, as they are more affordable alternatives to luxury brands and do just as good a job.
Honestly, same, I love some of their products. Personally, the Vitamin C serum, B-Hydra serum, Maracuja oil, and Jelly cleanser are great. It really depends on someone's skin.
Though people often criticized their ingredient lists, I remember James Welsh mentioned one time (unrelated to DE), that even if the ingredients are the same, the quality (where they sourced it from), the formula or procedure they used to create their products would still be different. Just like how, 2 chefs could have the same ingredients to make a cake, but the cakes can still be different from each other.
Such a detailed brand study! Thank you.
Thank you so much 🙌
legit the only people I see using drunk elephant are influencers who get sent the products for free and 10 year olds who are ruining their skin cause they convince their parents to buy it for them because the packaging is cute and colorful lol
They claim not to spend anything on influencer marketing, so Idk if this is grey area and gifting isnt spending for them, but its oft championed for sure
I worked at Sephora right around when they started carrying and OMG the internal training videos were hilariously over serious and pompous. As an aside, I think an understitch episode on ManRepeller would be interesting.
So Im now going to need to see that training video 💀
(Also Id love to do that too)
Yeah. I remember going to Sephora trying to buy something but it was just so many preteens all over and ruining the testers. Like why don’t they stick to Cerave or start at the bottom with Proactive at least….
Okay but we stan Cerave here, Im too sensitive int he skin not to stan Cerave 💀
i became an esthetician during the rise of drunk elephant and i always thought they were extremely overrated. for those formulas and especially for those prices, it's better to buy professional grade products instead.
I do wish I knew more about the chemical side and the biological side of cosmetics, I think that’s one area where my knowledge is really lacking
I love my drunk elephant products. My acne prone skin is so much better in this dry cold weather. I just wish it was more affordable.
Thats great! Im glad you found something you love 🤍
What really works for good skin is good sleep, exercise, low stress, prescription skincare, in office procedures and basic trusted products from drugstore brands like Eucerin, Cerave and Vanicream.
Most people dont need much more than that for sure
Hi, I've been watching your content for a little while now and I've come across no one else that does videos with such meticulousness. With that being said, will you eventually be doing a video on the Rise and Fall or Potential Fall of Glossier? Thank you!
Do you know, I was really interested in doing a rise and fall of glossier, but since the book came out, it seems that every channel has exactly that video, and I just want to be able to provide more value than that. So for now I’m waiting, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t have something later
Expensive brands need to justify their price point. Drunk elephant was never able to do that
For a long time they had a wonderful differentiator, of course times have changed but they certanly used to be able to justify well
Can’t believe this video didn’t talk about how ONLY 9 year old use there products now. Who knows what this brand is responsible for in terms of insecurities in minors.
I think thats part of the brand extension I go over at the end, but Im not sure if its purposeful so Id rather have that for a follow up when we know more 🤍
Elephants have been known to get "drunk" when they eat fermented fruit off the ground. This is not a myth, studies in the past ten years have discovered why elephants are affected this way.
"In fact, elephants are likely exceptional lightweights because they - and many other mammals - lack a key enzyme that quickly metabolizes ethanol. The findings highlight the need to consider species on an individual basis"
They are not the only type of animal that can get inebriated, just the biggest and probably most surprising.
Elephants do not eat food from the ground by choice 🤍
One of the first times I heard about drunk elephant was when a beatyguru I follow said that after some months of using the vitamin C product, it started to form some weird things in the product that cause an elergic reaction even though it was stored properly.
Oh thats not great, I didnt hear that myself
I was given a couple of their products which I like a lot. However, in my experience, when it comes to buying skincare it pays to be exclusive and stingy. I ditched everything for a while, cleansing only with spring water then slowly implemented in products made with whole plant extracts, and saturated fats (shea butter, tallow, squalane), no essential oils or fragrance. Finding a skincare company that showed the process of making the product, including the purpose of each ingredient, and why they dont use surfactants/etc really helped me understand what i was putting on my skin and what i dont want to put on it. It's hard to find but the products are 🔥🔥🔥
Im so glad you found soemthing that works so well for you!
loved the video! you should do one about Gisou and Glow Recipe
oohhhh great idea, I didnt think of them before, let me add them to my list
I subscribed. I really like this video. I never knew where drunk elephant came from, I kept hearing about it everywhere else. Never actually bought their products though. Also, you mentioning that the market invents problems like making body hair unappealing and selling shaving stuff never occurred to me ahaha. I guess they make money off our insecurities.
Thank you so much! And yeah, thats what cosmetics is right? Its cosmetic, it finds our insecurities and sells us stuff to ‘cure’ them. Fascinating industry
@@underskinYT I'm still glad for deodorant becausepeople be really sweating and smelling REAL bad without them, that's not a problem "created" by the marketing industry imo 😭 (unlike body hair)
I’ve never used drunk elephant products, and I typically stick with The Ordinary and CeraVe. I’m also looking to try éthique’s products because they are better for travel, take up less space, and harm the environment less. This was very interesting!
Theres always so much hate for CeraVe but I also love them 💀
I use two of their serums and really love the formulation and effect it has on my skin. A few years of use in and I see no reason to stop using DE.
Same here
If you like the product then there really isnt a reason to stop. So much of beauty is marketing, cosmetic if you will, that if you find what works its just best to stick to it
I missed you not mentioning the brand becoming a TikTok trend with tweens now having embraced it. This could go either way for them. I've seen some backlash in the media with articles on how several products (especially serums) have far too many active (anti aging) ingredients for children's skin. Also the brand embracing this trend is a turnoff, at least it is to me, an adult.
I get it, but it doesnt seem like this was intentional from the brand, almost like theyve got caught up in it. Perhaps Ill do a follow up some time in the future though because it has affected them and theyve even made statements about it since this video came out
the bar cleansers really helped and cleared up my skin, sad its not available in stores anymore iirc
The juju bar? Or pekee?
Thanks for the insight to help my own research 😊
Glad it was helpful!
can you do a video on niche perfumes?
My perfume videos dont traditionally do as well tbh, I did want to initially, but to grow I kind of have to go where the views are 🤍
Thank you so much for very informative videos. I really appreciate learning about marketing techniques
Im so glad you enjoyed it! The marketing and retailing of cosmetics is just fascinating to me
Heat video. I tried a variety kit and the TLC facial twice. Both purchase had a defective jar and left lots of product in the bottom of the airless pump bottle. Research showed I wasn’t the only one by far. At 80 bucks per bottle I never purchased anything from them again.
Oh thats so crappy, noone likes bad packaging
“Consumers that know you in a toxic way” sounds amazing haha
💅
I am not watching much skincare content anymore and even when I do, I never hear of them. But seeing on Tiktok that all the kids (8-15 year olds) want DE, is so weird. Where is the hype coming from? What influcers are the kids watching???
The two big ones for DE were Alix Earle and Hyram which is why I talk about them specifically in the video. They had such an impact that Tiffany herself thanks them in interviews. They grew pretty hard from influencer endorsement (which they claim to have never paid for)
I work for Ulta and this holiday season I can’t begin to tell you how many kids that were under the age of 14 asking for Drunk Elephant.
They are buying the bronzi and rosy drops mostly
♥️ Love your content. I’d really love a video on the rise and downfall of Leandra Medine regarding Man Repeller and her “brand”.
I would love to do that, but itd definitely be on my fashion channel
I vote on this one too!
I would be curious to see this type of video on Kate Somerville
Added to the list 🤌
The design of the bottles is a large part of the success in my opinion. They managed to create a brand which feels new yet expensive and hence desirable. It made you think they are really high quality because of the buzz, price point and packaging.
The packaging is made in Korea, I believe the same factory as Dr Jart
I tried a bunch of DE products and they did nothing for my skin. The Marula oil is nice but there are so many great skincare products today, I doubt I will support the brand in the future.
I agree that there are so many products, its a bit like fashion in that way, its just so so hard to know where to go for what will suit you best and isnt just hype
I remember returning their whipped cream to Sephora, and when the cashier asked what’s the reason and I replied « it irritated my skin » they looked at me like I was the biggest liar on the planet.
You? You had a bad experience? 👽🛸
I’m so surprised by this. I have used DE regularly in 2016-2017 and really
Found the pink cap, blue cap, and the baby facial and luxury Marula oil to work really well. Maybe there are cheaper alternatives but I have used The ordinary’s marula oil and didn’t find it as nice as the DE one. They may be overpriced and I did stop using it because it was pricey and I also moved on to other skincare products. But I think the points are fair. There are less expensive items who probably work just as well. At the end of the day, skincare is most effective when it’s used consistently. The packaging definitely made me happy with it on my shelf and I looked forward to using it.
Even though you moved on, Im glad you found something that worked for you and brought you joy to look at though, that in itself is so difficult these days
I’ve been a DE user since about 2017. I started with the two duo samples and after my 4th purchase, I decided to buy the normal sizes. Honestly, I love those 4 products from them. I worked in dermatology and tried all the L’Oréal lines (La Roche Posay/Vichy/Cera Ve), plus skincare I purchased and returned like Naturium, Mad Hippie, Korean skincare lines, etc. (I’m not going to list every product ever but hopefully you get the point). None of their products worked for me the way the DE products do. I use other brands products (pimple patches, benzoyl peroxide, face wash, and cosrx) so I’m not strictly DE, but I can’t knock a product that I’ve continuously gone back to.
Note: I’m also 32, the lower end of the age range which should be using their products.
I honestly wish I could use more products. I test them if I can get my hands on them, but my skin is so painfully sensitive that I just have to love skincare and makeup from afar. Maybe thats why Im so fascinated with the marketing and history side, because its my way of engaging with it 🥹
With Avène, Shiseido only owns the importing rights to Japan through a partnership with Pierre Fabre, the private French pharmaceutical company that owns Avène. The photo representing the brands they own is misleading.
Okay thank you
I used a few products years ago. Most of it was meh, but I did love a couple but the brand lost me because of the Caroline Hirons situation.
It was very invalidating for sure
Ive tried several of their products and although they are good, they’re not worth the price, since you can get the same results from other brands. I love glow recipe products because although they seem cutesy and gimmicky, they work for my skin for a much lower price. Despite this, i dont think the brand is flopping or plateauing at all. Every time I go to Sephora they’re always a lot of people in the DE section, and their products are always at the front of the store.
Yes, their products are certainly marketed into their higher price point, but seemingly only to the joy of consumers, who, as you say, are really popular right now
This is all so true! Especially the influencers part. I was part of their PR list and when I wouldn’t buy into their facism and desire for insistent praise, I was PROMPTLY removed. Their “fans” and people on their PR list are absolutely FERAL and will lose their minds on you for daring to contradict their love of their beloved brand.
I never understand why brands dont hope for positives and negatives in a review becasue if youre negative-free thats a huge red flag that the review isnt honest or is heavily biased
Evidently, they have been marketing heavily towards tweens and teens on tik tok. Two of the skincare subreddits I follow were flooded with parents over the past couple months asking if DE products were okay for their 9 (?!?), 10, 11-14 year olds. That the price point alone wasn't enough of a signal to these parents that they aren't blew my mind. (And no, the kids weren't just asking for gentle cleansers and moisturizers lol. exfoliants, the vitamin c, and/or retinols were always included.)
I had similar discussions with parents, mostly online and one in real life. How on earth is it normal to buy adult pricey beauty routines, you say tweens, but I actually talked to parents of a 8 year old. 😮. I already commented above so I don’t want to repeat myself but this year, not only I heard of a lot of parents buying DE as a gift, as well luxury beauty advent calendars...what??
I feel like we were like this too as kids though, different price point but St Ives, the Garnier eye roll on, YSL touche eclat, like why would I possibly need that at that age? But thats what I wanted, just because of marketing rly
@@underskinYT nah, it's really not. our equivalent would be if we were asking for Chanel or Calvin Klein, not some st ives from the drugstore. it never would have occurred to us to ask our parents to buy us luxe products from JC Penney's beauty counter, & our parents never would have considered actually doing it for a minute.
I used to use their moisturizer. It was a good product for me, but I realized there are lots of other good moisturizers, at a lower cost and without such hostile customer services. I didnt really care about the "non toxic" marketing strategy, but seeing them lash out and use fake accounts was enough to turn me off the brand. They would also respond very defensively to anyone who asked questions in their comments section.
Good social media is so key these days, its a wonder how brands continue to get if wrong 🤷
I remember many years ago when I bought the physical sunscreen. I thought I bought the best sunscreen ever, but it turned out to be the worst I ever bought. Horrible texture, leaves white cast and cause itchiness that lasts for days. Bought from Sephora and I commented about the product but sadly my comment was screened out. Will never buy anything from the brand anymore.
Hate when comments disappear, its such a red flag to me
First off I can't stand their name. I think it's really unclassy and tacky. Second off. I've never bought anything from them because of that tacky name. And third off - this new viral trend going around with the Sephora kids on TikTok and TH-cam and everywhere else is literally gonna be their undoing, and it won't phase me at all for them to be irrelevant.
It’s extremely popular in Australia for young girls 😩
Theyve primarily got a young audience
@@underskinYT and they eat it up, I’ve seen 8 year olds throw a fit because they can’t get the bronzi drops or the retinol
@@georgianewman4549 As a fellow Australian, this is equal parts sad and hilarious.
When I was a teenager I remember one of my first ‘serious’ skincare purchases was one of the mini sample packs from DE. I had sensitive skin so the non toxic gimmick got me and the skincare influencers influenced me, i also just loved loved the colors and packaging.
The products where fine, they didnt transform my skin for the better or anything but they where decent. I liked the little pump bottles I still use one for a travel cosmetics container today. And I thought of buying their new sample set because it’s very cute packaging. But that shit with the sock puppet account and comment deleting is not cute.
Im curious if it irritated your skin? Mine is so sensitive that I can use extremely little. I literally mostly go cosmetic shopping to look at the branding now 🥺
@@underskinYT I don’t remember any products irritating my skin at the time. I have dry combo skin. But I had acne and it didn’t do much for me in that regard. Can always patch test products.
I think it will take a while for drunk elephant to truly fall, because their target audience is ignorant consumers with money to burn, and that makes it so easy for them to avoid coming under scrutiny from enough of their consumer base to really impact their sales. I don’t care for them, and while I think it’s a waste of time to idly pray on anyone’s downfall, I wouldn’t be sad to see them go.
I don’t think it’s very fair to call their customers ignorant, they just have a different set of values and drunk elephant has found a way to market towards those values. That’s just what brands do, they find what we want, or what we are insecure about, and market towards that, drunk elephant is no different too most of brands in that respect
I loved the idea of DE but then a big influencer back in 2016 ended up surprising me a huge pr package including DE stuff and the products were honestly awful 😂 my drugstore stuff honestly works better. Im thankful for that super generous influencer that I never had to pay to realize how much DE just wasn't for me.
What was the problem with it?
I don't really think that DE is falling, or at least you wouldn't see it as such if you're around the whole "clean girl aesthetic" feed. I feel like both influencers and people on social media who promote this "aesthetic", as well as faceless aesthetic pictures on Pinterest, Instagram or so, heavily feature DE products. I don't know why, as I don't find their packaging minimalistic enough to correspond to this "aesthetic", nor I am interested in their brand per se, but seeing DE so heavily featured makes me doubt they'll be falling into obscurity too soon...
I thinkk you could be right honestly, it seems as if theyve retargeted back to a younger audience. Maybe Ill have to make a follow up about it actually, because if it goes well it'll be a good study in retargeting
I think a big reason DE has gained so much popularity despite their issues is how the products are marketed to young people. There are so many influencers that advertise these products, and then younger people see it and want to buy the products. I work at a store that sells DE and a lot of the people purchasing the products are between the ages of 10-25 (yes 10!). I'm interested to see if the brand really will remain popular or if this is just part of the microtrends that are created and are cycled through so quickly nowadays.
they claim never to have spent on influencer marketing, so it is surprising how often this gets brought up. I wonder if that claim will prove to not be 100% true
had a bodylotion once and i was shocked how tiny it was, product was okay but no excuse to be this expensive
Its well branded, that allows them a nice margin
They aren't falling because every 4th grader wants to use these products now
I think thatll be their plan for brand extension too tbh, aiming young gains lifelong customers often
It's now called sober elephant.
Hahahhahahahha
I´m worried about Glow Recipe. They were inovative with their "Western K-Beauty" but now they more and more putting makeup-fused skin care without there iconic sent and throw niacinemide in EVERY product there can find
Have you tried it?
@@underskinYT I was in the Glow Gang since day one (ok after they released their Sleeping Mask) but I used to love Glow Recipe beyond any brand. Today, I only use the Toner… everything else feels like a cash grab. I loved their sent, the product were great and it was a must have in my bathroom cabinet 🥲 now I stick to Paula’s Choice, The Ordinary and The Inkey List
I’ve tried a few of their products and they were fine I guess, but I switched over to mostly K-beauty brands which are far superior and a fraction of the cost.
So much of Kbeauty makes my skin scream though 🥺 I want to cover more kbeauty brands/stores though bcs my Korean is actually pretty good and Ive been travelling there for about a decade, so I think I could provide extra info to them. Any favourites? (Mine WAS etude house but noone voted for it in the poll 💀)
Cassandra Bankson showed me that DE is not the way…
That video was very insightful
A company shouldn’t be blackmailed into donating to a organization
Thats true, but I dont think people would have been upset that they werent doing it if they hadnt been otherwise vocal
Out here in the west, seems like they’ve become somewhat of a pre-teen brand
Yeah they seem to be retargeting
i only ever buy my moisturizers on sale. best moisturizers i’ve ever used.
Drunk elephant moisturiser?
Great video
Thank you!!
I don’t care what anyone says, I have LOVED every Drunk Elephant product I have tried. My skin looks so good when I use their products.
Thats great! Theres no need to stop loving a product you love 🤍
Saaame... I use DE and Sunday Riley and LOOOVE!
I've used a few of their products but as a grown woman I will tend to stay clear of anything teenagers are hyping up. sorry not sorry
Its a different demographic, I totally get it
There products
always breaks me out!
I know humans are followers but this is getting insane, why do all these little kids want this sephora overpriced brand ? The fact that its called "drunk" elephant is weird aswell
Did you see the videos of the children with Stanley cups? It reminds me of when I was a kid and wanted bathroom scales and a very specific fountain pen. Marketing is a wild thing
@@underskinYT what’s so jarring is that (at least for me) it feels like kids now want all the expensive brands like SDJ, drunk elephant, etc. i’m gen z and when i was a kid the hype was around drugstore brands like EOS, baby lips, lipsmackers
I agree with the name being weird. Even for adults, worse being target literally for kids.
@underskinYT for my generation, it was pink Princess phones.
Every time I see their displays at the Ulta I go to it’s a mess. Out of stock, trashed bottles. It looks cheap and tacky and doesn’t appeal at all.
Tbh testers give me the willies for this exact reason, its often so bacteria-full-looking
everything that rises has a potential fall...
Esp in cosmetics yeah
Although not a "premium" brand, wasn't Burt's Bees doing all this before everyone else?
Yep. And Dr. Hauschka and other brands.
Didnt Burts start producing more skincare stuff well after DE tho?
The fall of drunk elephant for me is their latest Bora Bora barrier cream. It pills like nothing I’ve ever used before. They were always known for very cosmetically elegant products especially their moisturizers and masks. I just can’t believe a 70$ cream would pill and ball up allover my face and neck 😭 I have only stuck with Protini as I’ve gotten older and gave this a chance and it sucked
Oh thats such a shame, I hate when creams do that
The drunk elephant moisturisers are $100 dollars and $109 in Australia 😭😭
@@molly_vs.aubreigh a bargain 😮💨
@@underskinYT totally hahaha. It makes me so jealous though
I really did love their Framboos serum but that price is ridiculous
Its certainly up there in price
ohhh lala...ohhh. how controversial..love it