The Not-So Drunk Elephant
You probably heard of Drunk Elephant. Sometimes, not because of the products, but because of the image surrounding the brand. Lots of hype, LOTS. Lots of die-hard fans. Lots of unnecessary and necessary drama created surrounding this company. Let’s dive in.
Before DE was acquired by another giant, it managed to piss off a lot of people with their customer service and general attitude. “Customer is always right” – I don’t necessarily believe in that but blaming the customers constantly because your product does not work is definitely NOT the right marketing strategy. The customer also has an opinion, and in business, you have to accept it – like it or not.
Furthermore, I do not believe that one size fits all. However, DE seems to suggest that difference in skins does not exist. All skins deserve the same treatment. Umm… Oh, and did you know that DE had retinol as a questionable ingredient? But don't worry, they did change their mind and created a cream with that ingredient in order to make millions. Hypocritical? You should be the judge.
But not everything is bad, don’t you worry about that! I really enjoy a few of their products, and I think that this brand has the right to exist on the market (minus the old attitude). Having tested a lot of from the range, here is how I got on:
Products I love: Framboos, Babyfacial
Products I have enjoyed: Protini, Lala Retro (but only for winter), Slaai, C-Tango, Virgin Marula Oil, Happi Scalp Scrub, Beste Cleanser, the Sweet Pitti Deo (for the first 2 weeks), Shaba eye serum
Products that are boring and/or meh: B-Hydra, F-balm, Wild Marula Tangle Spray, the Conditioner
Products that I hate: C-Firma, Umbra Tinte, A-Passioni.
So, you see, I have actually enjoyed quite a few products from their range, with two clear heroes (sucks that you can’t get Babyfacial in Europe). Yes, sometimes the prices are higher than necessary, and sometimes there are cheaper and better alternatives. But overall, the quality is there. And the best part about DE is that they offer the Littles set – this is a great way to try as many products as possible out of their range.