As a 35-year-old beauty editor, I've tried *every* buzzy skincare product—trust me, this brand does skin best

If you hadn’t already heard of Drunk Elephant before this year then, chances are, you might have now. (The brand's B-Goldi Drops went viral.) Despite being founded by Tiffany Masterson in the States over a decade ago, and launching in the UK a few years later, it seems like this year every news outlet has declared them the unwitting poster child for a worrying rise in children purchasing skincare products that are far beyond their skin’s needs. Of course, the packaging—bright white tubes with colour pop lids—means that the products lend themselves well to a social media landscape of sharply edited skincare routines and aesthetic shelfies. But don’t let this fool you into thinking this is a young person’s skincare brand. In actual fact, Drunk Elephant has had a loyal millennial customer base for years—myself included—thanks to its mix-and-match approach to skincare (the products are designed to be cocktailed together depending on what your skin needs that day) and its focus on non-irritating formulations.

When the brand landed in the UK in 2018 I was in my late 20s and felt like it was one of the first skincare brands that really spoke to me as a consumer. I didn’t feel old enough for 'anti-ageing' skincare, yet I wanted formulations with more potency than I could currently find on the shelves of Boots. Plus, my skin still had a life of its own—hormonal breakouts one day and dry patches the next. Now that I’m 35 they’re still one of my most-used skincare brands, and a quick poll of my peer group confirms it. Whether you’re venturing into the world of retinol, need a vitamin C serum for pigmentation, or are finding that your usual moisturiser is no longer cutting it, chances are you can find a solution amongst Drunk Elephant’s lineup. The packaging is fun, for sure, but these are efficacious, hardworking products that actually make a difference to skin. Gen Alpha—wait your turn, this is skincare for grownups.

The best 9 Drunk Elephant products

1. Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream

I don’t know how many times I have written about this eye cream over the last few years, but I recommend it every chance I get. Before discovering this product I rarely, if ever, bothered with an eye cream as I had never used one that really made a difference. This one, however, is like an instant eye illuminator in a bottle. It contains eight peptides, five forms of vitamin C and cucumber extract for a soothing, brightening and rejuvenating formulation that can brighten even the most tired of eyes. Truly. I first tried this when I was 29 and complained of tiredness if I hadn’t enjoyed a solid 10 hours that night. These days? I’m a 35-year-old mum of two who counts myself lucky if I get six hours with a couple of interruptions—and I still swear by it.

2. Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream

Finding a decent moisturiser as someone in their mid-30s that is still prone to spots can be tricky. Formulations for mature skin tend to be too rich for me, but those targeted to oily complexions or combatting breakouts can be stripping. This moisturiser walks the line perfectly—a blend of collagen, amino acids and peptides to help improve the appearance of skin (uneven texture, early fine lines, and loss of elasticity) while acting like a refreshing glass of water to the skin. It’s quenching without feeling heavy and leaves skin refreshed, hydrated and plump.

3. Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops

This is one of the few Drunk Elephant products that I hadn’t tried until this year—mainly because I didn’t think I had a need for it in either my skincare stash or my make-up bag. The innovative formula is effectively a concentrated brightening serum with a golden glow. It’s infused with 5% niacinamide which helps to hydrate skin while minimising excess oil, and there’s also antioxidants to protect skin and even tone. The star of the show, however, are the glossy golden pigments which add a sheeny highlight to skin to really create that lit-from-within glow that we all crave. While you can use them alone, a few drops mixed with your moisturiser really do provide an impressive brightening boost. I love using these on no-make-up days where I might just wear this with a little bit of concealer on top. There’s also D-Bronzi Sunshine Drops—a more bronzy formula—and O-Bloos Rosi Drops—a beautiful pink colour—which I think I’ll be investing in next.

4. Drunk Elephant C-Luma Hydrabright Serum

I used to be absolutely loyal to the original Drunk Elephant C-Firma serum. However, the brand now have two vitamin C serums—the reformulated C-Firma Fresh Day Serum, a 15% L-ascorbic acid blend that’s focused on pigmentation and signs of ageing—and this new serum which has slightly lower potency and is therefore marketed as more of a beginners vitamin C. I am no beginner to vitamin C but I have certainly been swayed. For me, since introducing more potent ingredients to my skincare routine, like retinols and other acids, I was noticing that vitamin C was sometimes causing my skin to feel a little sensitised. However, with this one, I get to enjoy all of the brightness and luminosity that I want from such a product, but with none of the irritation. It’s still efficacious—a 10% blend of vitamin C—but it has more focus on gentle radiance-boosting with the added benefit of fading things like pigmentation from hormonal breakouts and boosting hydration.

5. Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser

I know that not everybody loves a gel cleanser, but this one might just change your mind. Yes, it has a gel texture (hence the name) but it’s actually infused with coconut-based surfactants which are rich in fatty acids along with the brand’s signature virgin marula oil and hydrating glycerin to ensure that this is a cleaner which will not leave your skin feeling stripped and uncomfortable. In fact, it feels almost balmy when first massaged onto skin (I prefer to apply it to dry skin, but it works well on wet too) and then gently lathers up into a slight foamy consistency when you add water to the mix. It dissolves anything you have on your face and then rinses away totally clean—no greasy residue, just bright, fresh skin. I love it as a morning cleanse in particularly, but would follow up with something else for a second cleanse at night.

6. Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial

Despite this being one of the brand’s most viral skincare products, this is undoubtedly a product that’s made for adults. In fact, I’d say unless you’re in your late 20s you likely don’t have any need for a face mask as potent as this one. Mimicking the effects of a professional facial, it uses a strong blend of 25% AHAs and 2% BHAs to create a treatment that unclogs pores, resurfaces skin and smooths uneven texture. As the name suggests, it basically gives you skin so soft that you’ll feel like a newborn baby. If you have sensitive skin then I’d avoid it entirely—my skin is used to chemical exfoliators and even I experience a tingle when using this. But, I have to say, every time I use this I can’t help but be impressed. My skin always looks so, so good afterwards. I tend to save this for evenings when I know I have a special occasion or big event the following day, but if you want to get compliments on your skin then this is the product to try.

7. Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum

This one won’t win any awards for excitement, but the B-Hydra Serum is a bit of a Drunk Elephant staple for the fact that it plays nicely with every other product in the lineup. Formulated with provitamin B5 and pineapple ceramides, this ‘basic’ serum is all about strengthening the skin barrier and helping to attract and retain moisture within the skin. When my skin is pretty happy, I’ll use this as a standalone serum to keep it in check. But when my skin is having a few more issues, it provides the perfect partner to more potent serums like vitamin Cs or retinols. Yes, it might not be groundbreaking, but think of it as the foundation for your skin’s health and hydration.

8. Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

If you have naturally dry skin and find that other moisturisers just aren’t cutting it, or you love a rich cream but find that they linger on your skin or feel super heavy, then this moisturiser might be the perfect solution. Even I, someone who is prone to congestion and tends to avoid richer formulations, have been pleasantly surprised by this. Despite being packed with six different African oils, the luxurious formula never feels cloying on the skin. In fact, the whipped texture means that it almost melts into the skin delivering all of that moisturising goodness beneath the barrier. Plus, there’s kalahari melon to refresh and add juiciness alongside ximenia which is rich in vitamin C to brighten the skin too.

9. Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

This is one of the first Drunk Elephant products that I ever tried and I remember feeling blown away at how bright and fresh my skin looked the morning after using it. A blend of glycolic, lactic, tartaric, citric and salicylic acids, I’d say that you certainly need to build your skin’s tolerance up to using this if you’re not used to AHAs and BHAs, but the results are impressive. It gently resurfaces the skin overnight, nibbling away at congestion and dissolving dead skin cells to leave your skin so much smoother and brighter by morning. Plus, if you have early signs of fine lines, scarring caused by breakouts, or any discolouration, this gets to work on all of it. Go easy at first though—just two or three times a week and build up as your skin gets used to it.