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Drunk Elephant

Protini Polypeptide Cream.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
Moisturizers

About this product

A lightweight gel cream moisturizer containing peptides, amino acids, and growth factors designed to hydrate, firm, and support collagen for improved skin texture and tone.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

65%

Mixed

19 experts · Strong agreement
19Gurus
9Yay
7Mixed
3Nay

What they liked

  • Lightweight gel cream texture absorbs quickly
  • Works layered with vitamin C and sunscreen
  • Peptide blend clinically supported

What they flagged

  • Foams or froths when layered with vitamin C
  • Slow to blend in without silicones
  • Pricey for the peptide concentration

What the gurus are saying

The cream earns consistent praise for its lightweight gel texture that absorbs instantly and delivers hydration without heaviness, making it a favorite for oily and combination skin types. However, a notable split emerges: several gurus report it froths or foams when layered over other products or on damp skin, which some find frustrating enough to stop using it, while others note the peptide concentration sits low on the ingredient list relative to its price point and olive oil content. Those with normal to oily skin who apply it to clean, dry skin tend to see the firmness and anti-aging results gurus mention most often.
Synthesized from 19 expert reviews · most recent take September 2026

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Yay
"While I don't really agree with their marketing to preteens and teenagers philosophy, I will say their polypeptide cream is quite good. If you're someone who wants a lightweight moisturizer and to be incorporating peptides in your skincare routine, this does two jobs in one step. The peptides contained within this moisturizer are quite good—they're the ones that we often recommend because they have the most clinical data to support them. I also like that this is lightweight enough that you could easily use it during the day, layering it with vitamin C and sunscreen, or you could use it in your nighttime routine after your retinoid. My verdict here is stay. This is a really good two-for-one product, and although it is $72, if you look at the cost of a peptide serum and a moisturizer separately, you might end up at that cost in two separate steps."
~Yay
"I love Drunk Elephant products. I think they're very effective and straightforward with clean ingredients, and this is one of my favorite more gel-like moisturizers."
~Mixed
"I've had a little bit of issues with the Protini foaming up before, especially in a routine with vitamin C, but I didn't have any issues with that today. It applied really nicely, it doesn't look too greasy, it looks like a nice natural finish, and there's no fragrance in it, and it's got some nice anti-aging peptides. The Protini played great over my vitamin C serum, I don't know why I had issues with it foaming up before, but it seems to be a winner today."
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"I've had a [...] problem with the Drunk Elephant Protini, which is why I stopped really using it. It foams up over vitamin C serum."
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"I used to use Drunk Elephant Protini for I don't know for a couple years there I used that a lot. I don't know something in it changed and anytime I would apply it over vitamin C or even exfoliant it would foam up and it would take minutes for it to defoam so that instantly became a no for the daytime routine."
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"I really loved it. Something in it changed or something about my skin chemistry changed. I don't know what it is, but I don't love it anymore. Usually when I apply it, it froths up. [...] It got very expensive and for some reason something that just started to not work as well and I didn't like the foaminess and it became a high maintenance product."
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"It's expensive. It's a great moisturizer but a lot of us are kind of over some of the brand and some of the things the brand has done."
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"So here is the Protini. I would say the pH of this is probably around 5.5. Face serums typically fall between 4 to 6, and retinol products between 4 and 6.6. The real kicker is that some skin types can be sensitive to products with a pH that is too low as well as too high."
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"The main ingredients are glycerin, marula oil, growth factor peptides 10 plus amino acids, skin identical building block ingredients, the Matrixyl 3000 peptide duo, and the X50 anti-aging peptide. It's got a nice gel texture. It's still a great moisturizer. A lot of people use it and love it. I kind of switched from using it, but out of all of my moisturizers that I love, this is one of the ones I've repurchased the most. I probably wouldn't repurchase it at this point, but it's still a great one."
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"I've probably done two videos on my initial dupes and then my second run of dupes on it and that's the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. I've spent my share of hard earned money on it and there's so many good dupes for it."
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"This was a hate pan and I used to love this. This is the Drunk Elephant Protini. I don't know what happened to it, but anytime I apply it to my skin it foamed and frothed up and it was really unpleasant. I finally finished it on my décolletage area. I mean, it just foamed. I have one more jar that I got for Christmas, I think a couple of Christmases ago, and I'm having the same thing happening. It's foaming up. I don't know what the deal is. For a while I thought maybe this was just a bad batch, but the lot numbers on these are totally different. My friend just got a sample and she loves it and doesn't notice any foaming or frothing, so I don't know. I used to go through a jar of this stuff every month or two when it first came out and I was just loving it, and now something about it is different. Even when I apply it on clean dry skin with nothing else on it, sometimes it's okay, but if I apply it over almost anything, it will foam and froth. It's kind of a bummer that I have another one left, because I used to love this stuff."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini, man, it used to go through like one of these jars like a month or something like that, it was insanity, and now I go through one of these a year. So times have changed. That's okay. It's expensive."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini is a nice one"
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"Every time I apply this it foams up, unless I apply it on dry skin with nothing else on it, it foams up, and even then it foams up. I don't know something changed or I have no idea, but it foams every time, and I used to love this stuff, man. I would go through it so fast, and now I'm still working on the same jar for like [...] a year or two years. I don't know, it just foams up."
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"It feels nice. The real deal [...] has no chemical smell which is nice. Both [...] feel very similar in terms of texture. [...] The first three ingredients [...] are the same: water, glycerin, and then diethyl carbonate. [...] Instead of using the marula oil that Drunk Elephant uses, the dupe product used macadamia oil instead, which I found interesting."
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"Very similar to the Drunk Elephant Protini in terms of ingredients."
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"Both of them foam up anytime I apply it on top of almost anything. At first I thought maybe it was the vitamin C serum I was applying it over, then I'd wait 10, 15 minutes, it would still foam. I'd apply it over a regular serum without anything, it would foam up. So in my opinion, this one's not relevant anymore. There's really nice dupes and alternatives that you don't need to spend that much for. One of them being the Neogen Dermatology High RX Exosome Cream, which I think is 19 bucks right now. It's got a lot of the same great ingredients, anti-aging ingredients, resveratrol, it's lovely. This has no scent, and this one doesn't foam every time I apply it. And you're saving around 50 bucks."
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"The gel cream makes this a nice one for the morning routine. It's got a wonderful texture to it. It's really nice because I can mix this in with my bronzing drops no problem and it soaks in pretty nicely. It doesn't look too greasy or shiny. Really versatile product overall. I think that's what people end up liking this because it's so versatile. You can use it morning, evening. It's great for oily skin, dry skin, aging skin, youthful skin, whatever. For acne prone skin it's probably their most friendly product. It's only got four ingredients of note, so it's a nice option to have."
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"I love it, it's probably out of all these one I've repurchased the most. However, I don't know something changed in it because almost anytime I apply this now it foams up. [...] It's a good moisturizer, it works well for so many people. It's expensive, it's 69 bucks. Something changed or something I changed or maybe something in my skin changed, but almost anytime I apply this now it froths up on me. I don't know, but one of my best friends just bought it and loves it, doesn't have that issue. [...] It's still getting rave reviews. [...] The texture is [...] really nice, gel cream texture, seems to work well for dry, oily and acne prone skin, except for some reason my skin where it foams up every time."
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"I don't lately the Protini, it just it doesn't seem as luxurious as it once did. I really like this one better."
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"I think the Glow Recipe cushion cream is a competitor to probably the Drunk Elephant Protini cream. For some reason something in that product changed, I have no idea if they changed the formula or something else changed, but now every time I put it on it just foams up and takes like 2 minutes to settle down."
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"I would prefer over the Drunk Elephant Protini every single day. I don't know what happened to Protini, but something changed in it. It just brasses up every time I apply it."
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"I've had a little bit of issues with the Protini foaming up before, especially in a routine with vitamin C, but I didn't have any issues with that today. It applied really nicely, it doesn't look too greasy, it looks like a nice natural finish, and there's no fragrance in it, and it's got some nice anti-aging peptides. The Protini played great over my vitamin C serum, I don't know why I had issues with it foaming up before, but it seems to be a winner today."
~Yay
"The Drunk Elephant Protéini also contains copper peptides, which is why that moisturizer performs the way it does. It's one of the most well-formulated options on the shelf. For fine lines and surface texture, if you're in Sephora and you want something you can grab today, it's a solid signal peptide complex option."
~Mixed
"I like Drunk Elephant um for a lot of their products. I don't have their peptides but it was on the list. It just didn't make the top three."
~Yay
"Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream."
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"Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream."
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"I had this in a little kit that I got for Christmas. This has never been one of my favorite creams, but it was just a convenience at the time. I thought why not give it another try. Again, it's probably best for normal skin types. There's nothing really special about this formula that makes my skin look any different. It's just a basic moisturizer. So this will not be a repeat purchase for me."
~Yay
"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream combines multiple signal peptides with moisturizing amino acids and growth factors for improved texture, tone, and firmness. It's really lightweight, more like a gel cream texture that absorbs really quick. It's suitable for most skin types. It offers that immediate hydration and that bouncy feel which improves firmness over time. The key ingredients are the signal peptide complex which has nine signal peptides for collagen support, pygmy water lily stem cell extract, and soybean folic acid ferment."
~Yay
"This product is probably one of my favorites from them. The Protini Polypeptide Cream. It's really nice. This is looking attractive with vitamin E and beta size sterile squalane omega 9. Pretty substantial jar here. I'd be excited to give that a try."
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"This product is probably one of my favorites from them. The Protini Polypeptide Cream. It's really nice. This is looking attractive with vitamin E and beta size sterile squalane omega 9. Pretty substantial jar here. I'd be excited to give that a try."
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"There are a lot of Drunk Elephant products that are quite good. I enjoy the Protein Polypeptide Cream."
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"This polypeptide cream is called Protini, it's got peptides in it which help with hydration, and I've always liked this, it's kind of got a nice emollient effect to it."
~Yay
"If you don't like the feel of thicker creams, there is a really lightweight gel moisturizer that I gravitate to towards the summer time. It's the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. This is a lovely gel cream that is great for summer or great for anyone that doesn't like richer creams or have more like oily and combination skin. But this is a protein-packed moisturizer that does a lot of great things including hydrate your skin, plump your skin, and also help to support your skin in that aspect, but in a lightweight, fast-absorbing formula that is not sticky or heavy and helps to strengthen your skin and improve the overall quality, texture, and tone of your skin. Ingredient-wise, it's got signaling peptides, a blend of various different peptides nine of them actually, to be exact, that helps to improve moisture, improve skin barrier function, helping to restore firmness and elasticity, along with water lily stem cell extract that acts as an antioxidant to help prevent or mitigate some of that external environmental damage, along with soybean ferment extract that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants to help maintain that youthful, resilient skin."
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"The Protini Polypeptide Cream is a lightweight gel moisturizer with a blend of peptides that helps to hydrate the skin, nourish the skin without heaviness. It absorbs instantly and is a lightweight gel cream."
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"If you don't like the feel of thicker creams, there is a really lightweight gel moisturizer that I gravitate to towards the summer time. It's the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. This is a lovely gel cream that is great for summer or great for anyone that doesn't like richer creams or have more like oily and combination skin. But this is a protein-packed moisturizer that does a lot of great things including hydrate your skin, plump your skin, and also help to support your skin in that aspect, but in a lightweight, fast-absorbing formula that is not sticky or heavy and helps to strengthen your skin and improve the overall quality, texture, and tone of your skin. Ingredient-wise, it's got signaling peptides, a blend of various different peptides nine of them actually, to be exact, that helps to improve moisture, improve skin barrier function, helping to restore firmness and elasticity, along with water lily stem cell extract that acts as an antioxidant to help prevent or mitigate some of that external environmental damage, along with soybean ferment extract that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants to help maintain that youthful, resilient skin."
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"One I recommend is the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, sorry, the Protini Power Peptide Resurfacing Serum, that contains a blend of very different peptides and lactic acid that can work synergistically to target fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone."
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"Protini Polypeptide Cream is one of my favorite moisturizers from Drunk Elephant. It's this lightweight gel cream, so certainly for the wintertime it's better suited for oily combination skin, but it's lightweight, helps to hydrate without leaving any heaviness. It contains a blend of amino acids and peptides to plump the skin, help to support collagen, reduce appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, along with natural moisturizing factors and other hydrating ingredients that hydrate without leaving heaviness."
~Yay
"Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream has nine types of signal peptides and a lot of hydration. This cream is more like a moisturizer because it's not that emollient, one pump and it's lightweight. It's not something that's going to stay on your face, it absorbs very easily. It's an absolutely beautiful formula. It is pretty iconic because I've loved this product for a very long time primarily because peptides and I believe in peptides a lot. I would like to have peptides in every part of my skincare routine including the moisturizer, which is why this is good."
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"Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, and this is something I've used I love it. You have 10 peptides and this is only $80."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is a fabulous fabulous product. You get a lot of hydration, so even if you've got a disrupted skin barrier this product just works like a charm. This is something that I have really enjoyed."
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"I feel that this is a cream that really enhances anti-aging impact nine different types of peptides that is what you get in the Drunk Elephant Protini Peptide Cream"
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"Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream has nine types of signal peptides and a lot of hydration. This cream is more like a moisturizer because it's not that emollient, one pump and it's lightweight. It's not something that's going to stay on your face, it absorbs very easily. It's an absolutely beautiful formula. It is pretty iconic because I've loved this product for a very long time primarily because peptides and I believe in peptides a lot. I would like to have peptides in every part of my skincare routine including the moisturizer, which is why this is good."
~Nay
"While some batches of the [...] Protini Polypeptide Cream lack a preservative system, tests actually revealed the presence of yeast, such as Candida parapacillosis and bacteria related to the bacteria it was found. [...] They were actually all microorganisms that are commonly found on the human skin and in the environment, but they can cause infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals or those with compromised skin."
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"While some batches of the [...] Protini Polypeptide Cream lack a preservative system, tests actually revealed the presence of yeast, such as Candida parapacillosis and bacteria related to the bacteria it was found. [...] They were actually all microorganisms that are commonly found on the human skin and in the environment, but they can cause infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals or those with compromised skin."
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"Standout products for them like their C Firmer vitamin C serum, Protini Polypeptide Cream and the TLC Sakuri Baby Facial really helped fuel this growth and kind of helped cement the brand's status as a staple of the skincare world in less than a decade."
~Yay
"This is an empty Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream so I have the packaging in my bathroom and because I have that every time I finish the cream I just go and purchase the refill sizes so that I can just interchange them. It's full of peptides there's growth factors in here great for signs of aging and to firm the skin and it's also very lightweight and moisturizing and I just absolutely love this cream and I use it pretty much every day twice a day."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream has been my go-to cream since the winter months. I love this cream so much because it has nine types of peptides which really helps to address signs of aging. It can firm the skin, stimulate new collagen, and it has growth factors as well. But I also feel like it is very lightweight, it's not heavy in the least, and it's moisturizing enough even for the summer months. All I generally do is like half a pump during the summer because that's all I need for my combination skin, and then in the winter months I'm a little bit more generous. Yes, it's expensive, I know, but they do have refill sizes for this now which I do have a backup in my linen closet. By purchasing the refill I believe you're saving $10 from purchasing a full size with the package, so $10 is a great savings in my opinion. If you love Drunk Elephant and you're looking for a good peptide cream, I really do recommend it."
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"I have to mention the Protini Polypeptide Cream. This has been my go-to for several, several months. I was using this last year a lot as well and it's one of my favorite products because it performs really well in terms of keeping your skin moisturized and there's a lot of anti-aging ingredients in here to really help firm the skin and address signs of aging. There are nine types of peptides in here, there's also growth factors and the list goes on. This is jam-packed with so many wonderful ingredients to really help with signs of aging. I love using this in my morning routine. I also use this at night time as well, sometimes twice a day, but a lot of the times I am using this at least once a day and more so in my morning routine. Yes, this is pricey, but one pump will literally do your entire face as well as your neck. It has that nice push-down style packaging and you can purchase refills for this as well, so you don't have to keep purchasing the actual container, just buy the refill, pop out the old one, and away you go. I love it."
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"I have an empty Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, one of my favorite peptide creams ever. This is very moisturizing but it also has nine types of peptides to address signs of aging and to help firm the skin and to help produce new collagen. I keep going back to this one because I really do see a difference with my skin when I am consistent with this. I love the pump style packaging with that little button push down. The formulation is truly on point. Although I do wish it was a little bit more affordable, other than that I have nothing negative to say about this."
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"I have an empty Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. This has been my go-to cream as of late. I will use this in my morning and I will use this at nighttime sometimes. This one has nine types of peptides, so great for signs of aging and to firm up the skin. I love pairing this up with peptides or with serums, and I do pair this up at night time or with a retinol. This really is a great moisturizer that you can use everyday twice a day and it pairs up so nicely with a lot of ingredients and products. This one is moisturizing but if your skin is a little dry this does a very good job. But if it's extremely dry I don't even use this, I use something else. This is great to just have those peptides in the formulation to work well with your other products to help with signs of aging. This is honestly one of the best peptide creams I have ever used."
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"Another one that I really love is by Drunk Elephant, this is the Protini Polypeptide Cream. This is another serum that contains a 10% lactic acid but also this contains 11 types of peptides, and I like this serum because we're getting best of both worlds here. We're getting that lactic to exfoliate, to give that brighter appearance to the skin, but also those peptides are going to help address signs of aging, fine lines, and to help firm the skin. I feel like this is a very gentle formulation as well. I do feel like this would be nice for someone who has more of that sensitive skin type, but again we are all different, so always start slow and gradually work your way up. This is a product that you could use every day because those peptides in there do wonders for the skin. If you're someone that doesn't use a retinol or tretinoin in your nighttime routine, you could use this in your nighttime routine, and then of course your vitamin C in the morning or whatever else you do in your morning routine. If you choose to use this in the morning, just always make sure that you wear sunscreen."
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"I've been using this one the most as of late and I'm really impressed with this. This has been a favorite for a really long time. [...] The texture is so thin and lightweight but it's so moisturizing, great for all skin types. There are nine types of peptides in here and of course there are other additional ingredients that are great to keep the skin moisturized as well. I feel like this really is one of the best from Drunk Elephant."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is another one that I've been loving this year. This [...] really is one of the best peptide creams. It really helps to create more of that firmness with the skin, it also addresses fine lines, but it's extremely moisturizing. This is perfect for all skin types including dry, including oily skin. I have combination skin, I am acne prone, this doesn't break me out. This is still moisturizing enough to keep my skin comfortable, but it's also very lightweight and it never interferes with my sunscreen nor with my makeup. It really is one of those products that works with everything."
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"This is an empty Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream so I have the packaging in my bathroom and because I have that every time I finish the cream I just go and purchase the refill sizes so that I can just interchange them. It's full of peptides there's growth factors in here great for signs of aging and to firm the skin and it's also very lightweight and moisturizing and I just absolutely love this cream and I use it pretty much every day twice a day."
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"I love the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. You guys know that I use this a lot in my nighttime routine but I will occasionally use this in my morning routine as well. [...] Just that little amount locks in all of that moisture that we just applied with all of those serums and it just gives this nice glow to the skin as well, which I'm a big fan of."
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"For a face moisturizer I'm going in with the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream because my skin isn't too dry and tight right now. I've been using this pretty much every day since the beginning of December. A little bit goes a long way, it spreads nicely, and your skin has this beautiful glow to it. It sits nicely underneath sunscreen and makeup. It's a little bit more lightweight but it's still quite moisturizing."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is one of the best peptide creams on the market. It [...] has nine types of peptides, so it's great for anti-aging, but it also has this very lightweight texture that keeps the skin comfortable. It keeps the skin super moisturized. I have combination skin and even during the winter months when my skin can become quite dry and tight, this is still enough moisture to keep my skin comfortable. Whether you have dry skin, whether you have oily combination skin, honestly I feel like this is great for all skin types. Yes, it's expensive, it really is expensive, but I'm really really obsessed with this."
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"It's creamy with that gel lightweight, spreads nicely, and all skin types can use this. This is exceptional, and if you are looking for anti-aging ingredients like the peptides in here, then this is a really nice one to go with. It has that nice push down style packaging. I use this with retinol, peptides, copper peptides, when I'm using vitamin C, I'm using this with it, and I just love the way that this performs on my skin. If you feel like for some reason this is a little bit too heavy, which I feel like it isn't, but of course we're all different, then use this at night. But this really is great in the morning. I actually used it today. This is actually part of my everyday morning routine at the moment. It sits nicely underneath sunscreen and makeup and it just never ever disappoints."
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"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream has nine types of peptides and it also has growth factors, so this is great for signs of aging for prevention. I really love this moisturizer for the summer especially because I feel like it's really lightweight. I've been using this for a really long time, [...] in the winter months as well. It requires just a little amount because it's so effective. I've noticed that I can use it on my neck [...] without irritation, [...] and I do not get any irritation. [...] I mean, with consistency and with just time, I feel like your skin can adjust to this, even if you're someone with really sensitive skin."
MY NIGHTTIME ANTI-AGING SKINCARE ROUTINE | P.M. SUMMER SKINCARE ROUTINE | OVER 30
"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is very lightweight but it's moisturizing, and this has nine different types of peptides so peptides are great for signs of aging as well. I love pairing up peptides with retinoids. This cream is also perfect for all skin types including dry skin. When my skin is at its driest, I feel like this does an excellent job to keep the skin comfortable, but if you have oily skin I think you will also really like this because it is lightweight. When I put moisturizers on top of tretinoin, this really does help to cut back on some of that dryness that can happen a few days later. I just really really love this moisturizer."
~Mixed
"The Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is $69 for 1.7 oz and I believe it has all the exact same peptides in it as the comparable peptide cream at a lower price point."
~Mixed
"I'm a big fan of peptides, and this formula has a lot going on: signal peptides, growth factor supportive amino acids, pygmy water lily, a probiotic based ferment, and even some stem cell based ingredients, which makes it very hydrating. But because the brand avoids silicones I don't think this buffs into your skin very nicely, it's slow and kind of tricky. That's actually the reason I don't think I'm going to buy this again. So while I do like this and understand why it's their bestseller, it's going to be the last time that I buy it."
All 2 takes from AliceintheRabbitHole
My Honest Thoughts on Drunk Elephant's "Best Sellers" (in 2024)
"I'm a big fan of peptides, and this formula has a lot going on: signal peptides, growth factor supportive amino acids, pygmy water lily, a probiotic based ferment, and even some stem cell based ingredients, which makes it very hydrating. But because the brand avoids silicones I don't think this buffs into your skin very nicely, it's slow and kind of tricky. That's actually the reason I don't think I'm going to buy this again. So while I do like this and understand why it's their bestseller, it's going to be the last time that I buy it."
Skincare Empties: the Sunscreen Edition!
"Ultimately I like the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. I've bought it at good deals, and I like that it has some EGF ingredients as well. It's not actually as cosmetically elegant as you would think though. It's not bad, it's just that there really are nicer creams."
~Nay
"It definitely felt nice on application just didn't hold up throughout the day for me. It's a middling moisturizer in my opinion at best. I don't think there's anything in here that's bad, I just don't understand the price and I don't understand why it got hyped up, especially for the young crowd."
~Mixed
"The polypeptide moisturizer from Drunk Elephant is a $68 debacle and while it's not terrible you could use it on young skin because it has peptides which are naturally found in the human body, it's $68."
~Mixed
"This is a peptide cream that firms the skin, helps fight against premature aging, and deeply moisturizes. The combination of firming, aging-focused ingredients with the unique texture is the reason why it's so popular. [...] It truly is a very unique formula, and it was [...] really hard to find a dupe for."
~Nay
"It feels nice and smooth, you've got all those glycerins and things like that in there, but it's got a little bit of oil based so we know that it's mainly olive oil and a skin conditioning agent. Now if you put olive oil in your skin it's going to feel like this, it'll feel good. But hey, you are overpaying for this product. You know it's marketed as a polypeptide cream, but the peptides are so low down on the ingredients list that it may as well not be a peptides cream. It's basically an olive oil cream."
~Mixed
"A product that comes to mind is Drunk Elephant's Protini Polypeptide Cream, it's a very lightweight cream, there is no scent. Do I really think that this is going to help make my neck into the lamp pool that it should be on the street? Nope I do not but I might as well just use it because I have it."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream?

A lightweight gel cream moisturizer containing peptides, amino acids, and growth factors designed to hydrate, firm, and support collagen for improved skin texture and tone.

Is Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream worth it?

The gurus are split. 9 of the 19 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 3 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 65%.

What is Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream's Guru Score?

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream holds a Guru Score of 65%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 19 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

Who is Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream best for?

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is generally suited to mature skin.

Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

Lower-priced moisturizers the gurus still rate highly, versus this luxury pick.

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