If you haven't heard of US skincare brand Drunk Elephant, let us introduce you. Combining colourful, Instagrammable packaging and cute names (Sunshine Drops, anyone?) with 'clean' and clinical formulations that ditch controversial ingredients such as SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate), essential oils and fragrance, they've made a name for themselves as one of Sephora's bestselling brands.
But the hype isn't contained to the US. All these factors have earned Drunk Elephant's serums, masks and moisturisers cult status over here, too, but since Sephora stopped shipping to the UK, getting our hands on the products has been no mean feat – unless you're lucky enough to know someone willing to bring back a haul from their travels across the pond.
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Earlier this year, beauty expert Caroline Hirons let slip that Drunk Elephant would be launching in the UK this summer and today, Instagram news page FYI Beauty has drawn our attention to an official Drunk Elephant UK website, drunkelephant.co.uk, meaning the brand is finally within touching distance. Space NK and Cult Beauty will also stock the Drunk Elephant. The official website is pretty bare at the moment, save for an invitation to sign up to the brand's newsletter, a cute animation depicting a Drunk Elephant aeroplane unloading luggage, and the words: "It's nearly time to fall drunk in love in the UK." So what can you expect and what's worth buying?
Drunk Elephant's philosophy is a strong talking point. The brand prides itself on using biocompatible ingredients (which aren't harmful or toxic to living tissue) and excluding any "question mark" ingredients or "toxins" which they believe are disruptive to the skin's health. That's silicones, essential oils, chemical screens, SLS, drying alcohols, fragrance and dyes. "We don't care at all about smelling pretty or changing the look or feel of our ingredients, we just let them be what they are naturally," the website reads.
And it's pretty great for lazy girls, as the brand doesn't believe in the extensive product layering popularised in Korean beauty circles. Instead, it encourages customers to "cocktail mix" and simply apply from their palm depending on their skin's needs. While products start at £14, some exceed the £100 mark and with brands like The Ordinary and The INKEY List serving up impressive formulas at a snip of the price, you'd be forgiven for being reluctant to splurge. But contrary to popular belief, you don't have to shop all Drunk Elephant's products to see a difference in your skin.
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You can read R29's honest opinion on £600 worth of Drunk Elephant's products here, but the T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial, £62.44, a 20-minute mask, is a favourite among beauty editors for its ability to refine and brighten skin and to keep breakouts at bay with a huge 25% AHA (including glycolic and lactic acid) and 2% BHA salicylic acid. The C-Firma Day Serum, £62.44 (15% l-ascorbic acid a.k.a. vitamin C, 0.5 ferulic acid and 1% vitamin E) is also hailed by skincare obsessives for its brightening properties and power to shield skin from environmental aggressors such as pollution. The airtight packaging, to ensure the efficacy of ingredients for longer, is clever, too.
While we don't have an exact UK launch date just yet, you can count on us to keep an eye out.