Drunk Elephant has turned a new page in its embattled story, with the brand overhauling its identity in 2026 with a more playful and adult tone to shrug off its association with 2024’s ‘Sephora Kids’ drama.
The Shiseido-owned beauty business launched its ‘Please Enjoy Responsibly’ campaign in January this year to emphasise Drunk Elephant’s science-backed skin care portfolio and invite shoppers to think differently about the brand.
This repositioning follows multiple consecutive quarters of declining sales, dragging down income at its Japanese owner in the process.
And this stems back to the brand’s ‘Sephora Kids’ chapter, which saw tweens rampaging through US Sephora stores in January 2024, 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 – and ultimately served to shift the perception of the business away from its core millennial audience.
But with this refresh look and more adult appeal, is Drunk Elephant on track to recover its former beauty status?
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Cosmetics Business.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.
