Drunk Elephant bids farewell to Sephora Kids The rebranding moves towards more mature, conscious, and finally responsible skincare
If Drunk Elephant could speak, it would probably start by saying: “Forget everything you know about me”. Forget the hordes of kids running wild through Sephora aisles, forget the overused testers, forget skincare reduced to colorful gadgets to show off on TikTok. With its new Please Enjoy Responsibly campaign, the flagship brand of high-performance clean skincare aims to grow without losing its personality, a delicate move in contemporary beauty. A true identity rebranding that feels like a clear distancing from the era of the infamous Sephora Kids, which in 2024 became a cultural phenomenon as viral as it was toxic for the brand’s reputation. The message is clear, almost didactic: skincare is not a game. And above all, it’s not a trend to exploit without knowing what you’re doing. Drunk Elephant is trying to restore order in the chaos, bringing the focus back to active ingredients, science, and clinically proven results. No more skincare as a teen pastime, but as an intentional, conscious, and yes, adult practice.
Responsibility matters in skincare too
The new slogan, Please Enjoy Responsibly, is brilliant in its simplicity. Ironic, self-referential, perfectly aligned with the brand name (the “drunk” elephant), and above all, incredibly effective at saying everything without saying too much. It’s an invitation, but also a warning that these are not products to use carelessly. We’re talking about powerful actives, pH-balanced formulas, designed to actually work on the skin rather than just look good on camera. The campaign marks a decisive return to scientifically tested skincare, emphasizing clinical studies, percentages, and measurable benefits. A necessary shift in narrative, after years where colorful packaging had overshadowed substance. As founder Tiffany Masterson reminds us, “skincare works best when done intentionally”, a phrase that now reads like a manifesto against indiscriminate use of acids, retinol, and serums by a generation too young to handle them.
From Gen Alpha to conscious adults: bridging the gap
In recent years, Drunk Elephant has unintentionally become a symbol of the clash between luxury skincare and teen consumption. The bright packaging and playful names attracted the attention of Generation Alpha, turning the brand into a constant presence on shelves and in young shoppers’ carts. The result? A devastating side effect that led long-time customers, Millennials and Gen X, to see the brand as pre-adolescent, unserious, and distant from their long-term skin health needs. The impact was visible in sales declines, affecting the parent company Shiseido, and in an identity crisis that forced the brand to pause and rethink itself. Drunk Elephant’s new positioning doesn’t deny its past but chooses to speak again to those who are willing to listen. Not by age, but by level of awareness. In short: metaphorically, kids are not allowed in.
Clean Instagram, rebuilt identity
The rebranding also extends to visual details. Drunk Elephant literally wiped the slate clean. The Instagram feed was reset, old content deleted. The new images speak a more mature, minimalist, and decidedly sophisticated visual language. Colors remain, but are used sparingly. Faces are adult, humor is ironic but not childish, the tone provocative without shouting. New posts play with clever innuendos and double meanings aimed at an over-21 audience, with phrases like “I’m already in your bathroom, darling” or “We were told we could be a little provocative”. As Barbara Calcagni, Shiseido’s Global Brands President, explained to BoF, the principle has never changed: everything your skin needs, nothing superfluous. Only now it’s communicated more clearly.
Performance and personality in the same jar
Founded in 2013 by Tiffany Masterson, Drunk Elephant was created to solve real skin problems, not chase trends. It pioneered clean beauty before the label became overused, capturing the market with direct, irreverent, yet highly rigorous communication. Shiseido’s acquisition in 2019 marked the start of rapid expansion, followed by a loss of narrative control. Today, the brand aims to crystallize its position again, reaffirming that Drunk Elephant has never been for kids—a simple truth often forgotten. Rebranding is just the first step. In the second half of 2026, new product innovations, a more selective ambassador strategy, and a strengthened adult community are planned. At the heart of it all remains the brand’s original philosophy: formulations free of potentially irritating ingredients, no unnecessary fillers, no distractions. Drunk Elephant continues to offer a customizable routine, built around real skin needs, to keep it healthy, radiant, and resilient in the long term. Because, as we often forget, skin is a complex organ, not a canvas for viral trends.
