Social Listening: Drunk Elephant
I have always been fascinated by skin care and beauty brands. When I was younger I would always go into my moms bathroom and try all of the products she had. My love for beauty products and brands has carried into my adult life. I think it is fascinating how skincare brands can build such strong and loyal communities by putting out products that truly work. Drunk Elephant has been one of the most remarkable brands for that. I remember when this brand first appeared in stores such as Sephora and Ulta. I was drawn to this brand because of their colorful packaging and “clean beauty” promise. I started using a few of their products and I truly enjoyed the way they made me feel, and I loved what the brand was selling. It was selling confidence in transparency and self-care. However, recently I have noticed a shift on social media in how people are talking about the brand. My social media feeds went from influencers raving about Drunk Elephants products to frustrated customers. So what happened to one of skincare’s most popular brands?
Drunk Elephant was founded by Tiffany Masterson and was launched in 2012. She created a skincare brand that was backed by promising clean and effective skincare. Drunk Elephants products are free from toxic ingredients such as essential oils, silicones, and synthetic fragrances. Their value proposition is “powerful skincare that is both safe and backed by science”. People loved the idea of having both clean and effective skin care and their brand blew up. By 2019, the brand reached $120 million in net sales, and Shisedio purchased the brand for $845 million. When Drunk Elephant was purchased by Shisedio they expanded into body and hair care. This expansion made Drunk Elephants products stand out among competitors because the bright colors and minimal wording on products stood out compared to more clinical, “mature” brands.
To understand where the brand stands now I looked on social media to see what people are saying about Drunk Elephant on social media. I noticed three recurring themes that stood out to me.
The first issue I found was the “Sephora Kids” controversy. This was a trend on tik tok when young teens and pre-teens were going to Sephora and buying products for more mature skin types. One of the main brands I kept seeing these kids getting was Drunk Elephant. Their product packaging is bright and colorful which is appealing to the younger eye, however the products have high potency chemicals in them. On the specific video I found, was a young girl using Drunk Elephants C-Firma Serum. Which is a high-strength vitamin C serum. @Keri on tiktok commented “this product is soooo good though. But I am 35.” This and many other comments show that the brand has not drawn clean boundaries about age-appropriate usage.
The final issue I found was confusion about brand direction. I found that users are optimistic but are just overall confused. Instagram user @chanelblackful said “I’ve been using DE since 2017 but definitely don’t reach for them as much as in my daily routine. Over the years I have noticed a shift in their content creators too. I hope they pull through and make a comeback because their products are incredible.” This highlights Drunk Elephants marketing identity problem. They are inconsistent with their messaging which is leaving customers unsure what their products are really for.
Drunk Elephant currently has 2 million followers on instagram, however their last five posts are only receiving less than 500 likes. Their posts are a combination of user content, reels, and pictures of the products. However, the tone feels overly polished and does not match with the fun bright colors of its packaging. As a follower of Drunk Elephant I remember when their social media reflected storytelling and had truly authentic content. From their bright and fun product flat lays to the over the top product launches. Now the brand seems to be posting just to have the next viral post rather than creating a feed that truly reflects the brand. I think the biggest challenge they are facing is rebuilding trust among its core audience. The Forbes article quotes Shisedio’s goal is to “leverage new messaging” and “rebuild brand engagement”. I think that Drunk Elephant needs to reconnect with its customers through transparency, education, and engagement.
If I was the brand manager for Drunk Elephant I would focus the social media around education and authenticity. I would start by launching an age appropriate skincare education campaign with dermatologists. I would make it a funny put thoughtful campaign playing into the “Sephora Kids” trend while using certified specialists to build both humor and credibility. I would also use real users over Drunk Elephant and not paid influencers to share real testimonials about how the products helped them. I think this would make the brand more relatable and give it a human touch. Offline, I’d pair these in-store education sessions both at Ulta and Sephora for their beauty team, as Shiseido mentioned.
What I learned from this was that popularity doesn’t always ensure loyalty. Drunk Elephant was chasing trends and trying to produce the next viral post or product, and they lost loyal customers. This made them lose their credibility to their loyal customers. I learned that marketing isn’t just about getting people's attention, it's about keeping people's trust.
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