The experts have quietly cooled on Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant built its name on clean, fun formulas and a cult following, but when The Guru Index tallied up what the experts actually think, the enthusiasm doesn't stretch as far as the marketing does. Across the 12 Drunk Elephant products our reviewers have weighed in on, the verdict runs lukewarm more often than warm.
- Across 12 Drunk Elephant products with three or more reviewers each, the average Guru Score is just 65%.
- Only 1 of them clear 80%. The lowest-rated include B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum (55%), TLC Glycolic Body Lotion (58%), A-Passioni Retinol Cream (59%).
- The dissent is mostly about value and sensitivity, not safety: well-made products that a vocal share of experts feel do not justify the hype or price.
Sincerely Miss Ash · 4 reviewers, 55% said yes
Dr. Jenny Liu · 3 reviewers, 58% said yes
Dr. Somji Skin · 4 reviewers, 59% said yes
Dr. Somji Skin · 4 reviewers, 61% said yesHow do the experts actually rate Drunk Elephant?
Add up the takes across those 12 products and the average Guru Score lands at 65%, with only one product clearing 80%. That is the gurus' math, not ours, and it points to a brand where most formulas get a shrug rather than a cheer.
The rough end of the range makes the picture clearer. The experts gave the B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum a Guru Score of 55%, the TLC Glycolic Body Lotion a Guru Score of 58%, and the A-Passioni Retinol Cream a Guru Score of 59%. Three formulas, three separate call-outs, all landing well under the halfway-to-great mark.
Is Drunk Elephant a bad brand, then?
None of that makes Drunk Elephant a bad brand. The gurus who cover it aren't writing it off, and some of its products still earn genuinely good scores, so the cooling reads more like a mixed bag than a verdict against the whole lineup.
Where the criticism does show up, it tends to center on two things: whether the price matches what the formula actually delivers, and whether the ingredients suit sensitive skin. Neither is a knock on the brand's intentions, just a reminder that a nice bottle and a fun name do not automatically mean every formula inside earns a rave.
What should you do before buying Drunk Elephant?
The practical takeaway from the experts is simple: judge the product, not the label. A Guru Score of 55% and a Guru Score of 80% can sit on the same shelf under the same brand name, so it is worth checking the specific one you're eyeing rather than assuming the brand's reputation carries over.
Beyond that, look for the active ingredient you're actually after and make sure it fits your skin type, since that is where the gurus flagged the most friction. And as always with anything new, a patch test first is the sensible move before it becomes part of your routine.