Drunk Elephant has unveiled a new campaign and brand direction in what appears to be an attempt to shrug off its association with 2024’s ‘Sephora Kids’ drama.
The Shiseido-owned beauty business’ new ‘Please Enjoy Responsibly’ campaign aims to emphasise Drunk Elephant’s science-backed skin care portfolio and invite shoppers to think differently about the brand.
Drunk Elephant has also wiped previous content from its Instagram feed, in what it describes as the next “next era” of the brand – positioning itself as being more “refined, elevated and strictly intentional”.
Barbara Calcagni, President, Global Brands – Drunk Elephant, NARS, & Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, said: “Drunk Elephant has always maintained a disciplined approach to formulation and a clear philosophy around long-term skin health.
“From day one, the principle has been simple: everything the skin needs, nothing it does not.
“As we usher in the next chapter of Drunk Elephant, this campaign expresses our commitment to serving our community – consumers who are deeply invested in their skin and value both ingredient integrity and proven results.”
New posts from Drunk Elephant from 6 January 2026 express this refreshed brand positioning, containing more adult imagery and tongue-in-cheek humour.
One video shows a text exchange with an unnamed person asking, “so are we doing this, or..”, with Drunk Elephant responding with “already in your bathroom, babe”.
Another video, posted on 11 January ahead of the full campaign announcement, had the caption “we’ve been told that we can be a bit of a tease”.
Drunk Elephant is also pushing the new tagline, ‘please enjoy responsibly’, in a not-so-subtle nod to its alcohol-referencing brand name.
“We believe skin care works best when every ingredient has a purpose and every step has a plan,” Drunk Elephant wrote in an Instagram post revealing the rebrand.
“No fillers, no distractions. High-performance routines for the skin you have today.”
Can this new look pay off?
Drunk Elephant’s repositioning follows multiple consecutive quarters of declining sales, dragging down income at its Japanese owner, Shiseido, in the process.
The skin care business has been grappling with an identity crisis in the wake of the ‘Sephora Kids’ drama seen in 2024.
This saw tweens rampaging through US Sephora stores in January of that year, trying and buying goods while leaving chaos in their wake – including Drunk Elephant’s high-active concentrate formulations.
Drunk Elephant, along with Bum Bum cream legend Sol de Janeiro, were the most sought-after goods by younger shoppers during this time.
Analysts speaking with Cosmetics Business on the subject last year suggested that the event caused millennials and older shoppers to see the brand as a ‘tween’ option – with the subsequent chasing of virality only damaging their reputation with this demographic further.
Despite the lagging sales, Shiseido showed no signs of giving up on the brand, consistently speaking on its turnaround intentions for Drunk Elephant during its quarterly financial updates in 2025.
This would begin with the launch of a “disruptive and irreverent” campaign, which has now been revealed to be its more adult-focused rebrand.
Shiseido also announced plans to drive increased engagement through brand ambassadors, partnerships and creator community to “generate advocacy”.
Supporting this is a strategy to regain market leadership through the launch and promotion of “unrivalled” hero products.
More information about these turnaround strategies will likely be revealed as the year progresses.
Opinion: Is Drunk Elephant’s rebrand too little too late?
Alessandro Carrara, News Editor, CosmeticsBusiness.com and Pure Beauty magazine
“I have been covering the Drunk Elephant situation for quite a while now, observing with fascination at Shiseido’s unwavering support for what can be considered its biggest liability.
While other brand owners would have cut their losses far sooner, the Japanese conglomerate dug in deep, establishing a plan to drag Drunk Elephant out of the abyss.
And now the fruits of this plan have begun to sprout, with a not-so-surprising campaign focused on reidentifying its core brand ethos, moving away from the ‘Sephora Kids’ scandal.
But does it work?
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