Reviewing Drunk Elephant's New Body Products

If you’re reading this post, I’m going to assume you enjoy beauty at least a little bit, and most likely have heard of Drunk Elephant. If none of the above applies to you, I am wondering how you ended up here but am nevertheless honored you’re still reading despite having no clue about what’s happening.

Drunk Elephant has quickly sky-rocketed over the past few years, as one of the most popular skincare brands on social media. They’ve garnered a cult following on reddit and Instagram (where you’ll easily find at least a few dozen fan accounts solely dedicated to posting about the brands products.) To give credit where it’s due, I think they’re one of the first brands who took to social media to educate their customers, and it’s become mainstream at this point. Many consumers are no longer satisfied with a generic “brightening serum,” they want to know what ingredients are going to deliver the claimed brightening results. It also doesn’t hurt their products come in fun, colorful packaging (and look extra cute in shelfies.)

Until recently, they were solely a skincare brand. But earlier this month, they released their first body and haircare products!

One thing I haven’t mentioned until this point is price. What’s considered affordable or expensive is relative to everyone’s own budgets, but I think the average person would agree that Drunk Elephant’s products are not cheap. Compared to the rest of their range, I found their haircare + bodycare range rather affordable (not affordable compared to drugstore products, but affordable compared to the brand’s other products + comparable products at Sephora.)

I had been planning on purchasing a few products to test and review for myself, but then the brand generously reached out asking if I would like to try them out. I was under no obligation to review them and all thoughts in this post are my own! Today’s post is about their 3 body products and the next post will be about their 4 hair products.

Drunk Elephant Kamili Cream Body Cleanser

$20.00 for 8 fl oz via Sephora, Drunk Elephant, & Cult Beauty

It’s hard for me to find a body wash I hate, but it’s similarly difficult for me to find one I LOVE. Unsurprisingly, this is another body wash I neither hate nor love; it’s just…nice. It lathers up nicely so I don’t need to use too much product at once. It cleanses my skin without leaving a film. It doesn’t contain SLS but instead utilizes a blend of surfactants which the brand claims to be gentle but effective.

The packaging is sturdy and easy to use. I’ve dropped the bottle in the shower a few times, and the lid has stayed shut.

While it doesn’t contain any synthetic fragrance, which will be a plus for those with sensitive skin types, it does have a noticeable scent to it— of almond extract. I did a little poll on my Instagram story to see what other people thought of the smell of almond extract, without any context. Out of the 500 or so people that voted, 55% said they liked the scent, 29% said they were ambivalent about it, and 16% said they disliked it.

From taking a peek at the ingredients list, I’m guessing the scent comes from the sweet almond seed oil (the fourth to last ingredient.) It’s not a very strong scent, but I really don’t like almond extract which in turn makes me focus on “wow, I’m bathing myself in a scent I hate” while showering, which makes the scent more noticeable to me. If you like or are ambivalent about the smell of almond extract, I doubt the scent will be as noticeable.

Drunk Elephant Sili Body Lotion

$20.00 for 8 fl oz via Sephora, Drunk Elephant, & Cult Beauty

Similar to body washes, I’m not particular about my body lotions either. I would say this is on the lighter end of the spectrum. It has a slightly runny texture and absorbs easily into my skin. It’s a nice lotion to apply after showering, cause I can immediately put on my clothes without them sticking to me. However, if you have extra dry skin, I don’t think this will cut it.

Like the Kamili body wash, this also contains sweet almond seed oil and has the same almond extract smell. As it’s a leave on product, it lingers for a little but after the first 15 minutes I no longer notice it. It also has the same easy to use + sturdy packaging.

Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream

$16.00 for 2 fl oz via Sephora, Drunk Elephant, & Cult Beauty

First and foremost, let me say I am of the school of thought that there is no danger to using aluminum-based deodorants, because that’s what the science supports. That said, I still occasionally try out aluminum-free deodorants cause variety is the spice of life. Drunk Elephant’s is aluminum free, but unlike a lot of other aluminum-free options, it is also free of baking soda. From previous experience with baking soda deodorants, long term use tends to darken my armpits.

Rather, this deodorant uses mandelic acid to kill the stanky, BO-producing bacteria and arrowroot powder to soak up sweat. I’ve used chemical exfoliants on my pits before, to help prevent BO, and I’ve found it an effective method! This is the first deodorant I’ve seen that includes a chemical exfoliant in and of itself. SO far, it’s worked. I received this after quarantine started so I haven’t tried this out and about on a normal day so TBD on how well it holds up under more normal circumstances.

There is a learning curve when it comes to applying this. You twist the bottom and the product is squeezed out of a series of holes. The first few times I twisted too much and ended up with way too much deo. But with regular use, I now know how much to twist as to not over-apply. Another annoying thing about the packaging is that the deodorant can crust up around the holes, and I need to take a cloth to wipe it clean. The plus side of the packaging is I don’t have to worry about the deodorant melting and breaking on me.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t always splurge on body care products, and when I do it’s usually because I looove their scent. As mentioned above, I strongly dislike the smell of almond extract. And all these products smell like almond extract 🙃

For me, the Kamili Cream Body Cleanser and Sili Body Lotion were basically middle of the road— nice, but nothing groundbreaking. I am enjoying the Pitti deodorant so far, but I need to wear it outdoors on a hot, summer day before fully endorsing it. If it’s able to keep me stink free through walking around NYC on a 80°+ day with humidity, I would probably repurchase.

If you’re looking for standard fare body care products in cute packaging at Sephora, this line could be for you. And if you are a Sephora rewards member, their spring sale is coming up so you can save an additional 10-20% off the prices mentioned in this post (10% for beauty insiders, 15% for VIB, and 20% for rouge.)