Japanese multinational cosmetics company Shiseido just boosted its portfolio with an American skincare brand that’s coveted by millennials and hip beauty lovers. The brand’s name? It’s Drunk Elephant, and it cost the foreign business a whopping $845 million.
For those who aren’t familiar, Drunk Elephant is a skincare line that was founded in 2013 by Texan entrepreneur Tiffany Masterson. The brand is centered around clean, nontoxic ingredients and uses marula oil in many of its products, which is also how it received a fun name rooted in the myth that elephants eat the fruit in African marula trees and get drunk.
Masterson likes to call Drunk Elephant “clean-clinical,” meaning it is formulated with potent active ingredients that are absorbable and pH balanced, according to the brand’s website. That philosophy landed the startup in Sephora stores in January of 2015.
The brand did blow up, however, once it hit the popular beauty retailer’s shelves. Since joining Sephora, Drunk Elephant has been a consistent best seller in the skincare category and has amassed a dedicated following of over 757,000 Instagram followers – even with a premium price point that can cost up to $134 for a single serum.
In 2018, Drunk Elephant was estimated to have earned more than $150 million in revenue from the sale of its 20 products – both online and in-store, according to industry news site Business of Fashion.
When it comes down to the multimillion-dollar acquisition, Masterson views the sale of Drunk Elephant to the $10.082 billion-dollar (¥1.095 trillion-yen) Shiseido as a positive.
“Every time we enter a new market we want to do it well. One of the reasons I wanted to partner with Shiseido, or even be acquired, is because there are so many regions that have been asking for the brand. A big company like Shiseido have been there and done that,” Masterson said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
Drunk Elephant joins the ranks of Nars, Clé de Peau Beauté and Laura Mercier, all of which have been acquired to bolster Shiseido’s list of prestige brands and attract young shoppers in the U.S.
Here is a look at five best-selling Drunk Elephant products and how they have performed with consumers based off of online reviews.
1. T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial 25% AHA + 2% BHA Mask
This exfoliating mask removes dead skin for a brightened, even complexion, which has earned it an averaged rating of four and a half stars from reviewers on Sephora. It has also received awards from beauty publications like Allure Magazine.
2. Virgin Marula Antioxidant Face Oil