The cult beauty brand everyone’s talking about is finally launching in the UK - but is it worth the hype?
There are cult brands made famous by Instagram – with pretty packaging, a famous ambassador and a big marketing budget. And then there are brands made famous by Instagram that are actually good. Once such is Drunk Elephant. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re about to see it everywhere, including on the shelves of Space NK from this Wednesday.
Since launching into Sephora in the US in 2013, it has become the fastest-growing brand in the store’s history. All from a label whose founder, Tiffany Masterson, was, in the years before launch, a stay-at-home mum-of-four.
Suffering with myriad skin issues, Tiffany decided to reduce the number of products she was applying, and found the fewer she used, the better her skin looked. She realised there was gap in the market for a completely natural range of high-performing skincare.
Fast-forward five years and her brand Drunk Elephant is the most talked-about beauty launch in the UK this year.
Now, the products aren’t cheap: the Luxury Marula Oil I’ve been using day and night for the past couple of weeks is ￡72 for 30ml. But it really has balanced my sometimes-temperamental skin very well. Actor Brooke Shields, 53, recently raved about the vitamin C-packed C-Firma Day Serum, ￡80, which her dermatologist recommended.
Brooke said, ‘It brightened and firmed up my skin almost immediately.’ With her naturally glowing, ageless complexion, that’s certainly the next one on my list to try. The new era of brands made famous by social media can be overwhelming, but occasionally you can unearth a real gem.
Below are a few other Insta-famous brands I rate, which are much more than just a catchy product name in millennial pink packaging.
Five Instagram sensations
1. Herbivore Pink Cloud Rosewater Moisture Creme, ￡42
Cool packaging encases a seriously good day cream.
2. Glossier Soothing Face Mist, ￡13 (glossier.com)
This rosewater mist is a treat for parched skin.
3. Sand & Sky Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment, ￡34.90
Looks a bit gimmicky, but it does deliver a deep exfoliation.
5. Bybi Beauty Babe Balm, ￡18
A sweet name for a sweet product – use this on dry lips, cuticles and hands.
6. Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub, ￡32
Developed by hair maestro Jen Atkin, this is a weekly detox in a jar.