The Best Drunk Elephant Products by Skin Type and Concern

The best Drunk Elephant products are Protini Polypeptide Cream ($72) as the everyday moisturizer, C-Firma Fresh Day Serum ($79) for vitamin C, Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer ($68) for dry skin and Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser ($36) as the daily wash. For targeted treatments, A-Passioni Retinol Cream ($76) is the pick for lines and texture, and T.L.C. Framboos ($90) the pick for exfoliation.

Before you buy, you can scan a product's barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check the formula against your skin type. Drunk Elephant leaves out fragrance and essential oils, so the label check with this brand is mostly about acid strength and plant oils. Pori reads ingredients; it does not diagnose skin conditions.

Quick picks

• Best overall: Protini Polypeptide Cream ($72 for 50 mL, drunkelephant.com): a light, fragrance-free peptide gel-cream for most skin types.
• Best vitamin C: C-Firma Fresh Day Serum ($79 for 28 mL, drunkelephant.com): 15% L-ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid and 1% vitamin E at pH 2.5.
• Best for dry skin: Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer ($68 for 50 mL, drunkelephant.com): three ceramides, cholesterol and five African oils.
• Best cleanser: Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser ($36 for 150 mL, drunkelephant.com): a sulfate-free gel wash at pH 5.5.
• Best retinol: A-Passioni Retinol Cream ($76 for 30 mL, drunkelephant.com): a disclosed 1.0% retinol with peptides.
• Best exfoliant: T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum ($90 for 30 mL, drunkelephant.com): 10% AHA plus 1% salicylic acid.
• Best budget: Beste No. 9 Midi ($18 for 60 mL) or Protini Little ($24 for 15 mL), drunkelephant.com: the cheapest way into the range.

We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin. Prices are drunkelephant.com list prices as of November 2026; the site was running promotions on some items when we checked. This page ranks products. For the full breakdown of two of the picks, read our Protini review and C-Firma review.

How do the best Drunk Elephant products compare?

Which Drunk Elephant moisturizer is best?

Protini Polypeptide Cream: best overall

Protini is the Drunk Elephant product that fits the most routines. The product page lists a signal peptide complex, synthetic growth factors and a run of amino acids in a gel-cream at pH 4.0, free of essential oils, silicones, fragrance and dyes. It is $72 for 50 mL, $63 for a refill pod and $24 for the 15 mL Little.

Who it suits: normal, combination and mildly dry skin that wants a light daily cream with peptides. Who should skip it: very dry skin, which will want Lala Retro, and anyone shopping on value. The catch: the peptide doses are undisclosed and the firming results come from the brand's own study of 31 people. Our Protini review walks through every ingredient.

Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer: best for dry skin

Lala Retro is the richer cream. Its ingredient list starts with water, glycerin and caprylic/capric triglyceride, and adds cholesterol, ceramides AP, EOP and NP, and baobab, watermelon seed, passion fruit, mongongo and marula oils. The brand gives a pH of 5.2. It is $68 for 50 mL.

Who it suits: dry and very dry skin, and skin that feels tight in winter. Who should skip it: oily and breakout-prone skin, which may find five plant oils too much. The catch: the ceramides sit after the oils, in the back half of the list, so most of the comfort comes from glycerin and lipids. Our guide to ceramides and the skin barrier explains what to look for.

B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum: the add-on for dehydrated skin

B-Hydra is a water-based serum with glycerin, panthenol, sodium PCA and two forms of hyaluronic acid. The product page lists it at $56 for 50 mL and pH 5.7, and the brand suggests mixing it into its creams.

Who it suits: oily but dehydrated skin that wants water without oil. Who should skip it: anyone with a wheat allergy, since wheat amino acids are on the list. The catch: the "pineapple ceramide" in the marketing is pineapple fruit extract; no ceramide appears by name. Our guide on how to use hyaluronic acid covers layering.

What is the best Drunk Elephant serum?

C-Firma Fresh Day Serum: best vitamin C

C-Firma Fresh pairs 15% L-ascorbic acid with 0.5% ferulic acid and 1% vitamin E at pH 2.5, a structure with good published research behind it. You mix the powder and liquid once before first use, and the brand says the bottle keeps nearly 95% of its vitamin C for a year after mixing. It lists at $79.

Who it suits: normal, oily and combination skin that tolerates acids and wants a serious morning antioxidant. Who should skip it: very sensitive or rosacea-prone skin, which may sting at pH 2.5. The catch: price, and the stability and results figures come from the brand's own studies. Drunk Elephant advises against using it in the same routine as T.L.C. Framboos. Our C-Firma review compares cheaper serums with the same trio.

A-Passioni Retinol Cream: best retinol

Few prestige brands print the retinol percentage. Drunk Elephant does: the product page lists 1.0% retinol with niacinamide, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and ceramide NP, at pH 5.8, for $76 for 30 mL. A small B-Hydra comes in the box for mixing.

Who it suits: people who have used a gentler retinol and want a stronger, disclosed dose. Who should skip it: retinol beginners with sensitive skin, and anyone pregnant or nursing, which both the brand and the AAD warn against. The catch: 1% is a strong cosmetic dose. The brand says to start once or twice a week, mixed with B-Hydra, and build up slowly, with daily sunscreen. Our retinol for beginners guide covers the ramp-up.

T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum: best exfoliant

Framboos combines a 10% AHA blend of glycolic, lactic, tartaric and citric acids with 1% salicylic acid at pH 3.5. The product page says to use it at night, start every other night, and wear sunscreen daily while using it and for a week after stopping. It is $90 for 30 mL.

Who it suits: oily, congested or dull skin that already tolerates acids. Who should skip it: dry, sensitive and rosacea-prone skin, and anyone starting a retinoid at the same time. The catch: $90 is high for a leave-on acid, and drugstore exfoliants offer similar acids for far less; see our AHA vs BHA guide.

Which Drunk Elephant cleanser is best?

Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser: best cleanser

Beste is a plain, well-built gel wash. The ingredient list starts with water, glycerin, cocamidopropyl betaine and coco-glucoside, the brand gives a pH of 5.5, and it is free of sulfate surfactants, fragrance and essential oils. It is $36 for 150 mL or $18 for the 60 mL Midi.

Who it suits: every skin type, especially normal to oily. Who should skip it: nobody in particular, though budget shoppers can find similar washes for less. The catch: for heavy makeup or water-resistant sunscreen, a first cleanse with an oil or balm helps.

Mello Marula Cream Cleanser: for dry, sensitive skin

Mello Marula is the creamier option, with 1.0% colloidal oatmeal, marula oil and illipe butter over mild isethionate surfactants, at pH 5.0. It is $36 for 150 mL at drunkelephant.com.

Who it suits: dry and easily irritated skin. Who should skip it: very oily skin. The catch: it contains vanilla fruit extract, and its "free of" line, unlike Beste's, does not mention fragrance; patch test if scent bothers you.

Does Drunk Elephant make a sunscreen?

We found no sunscreen in Drunk Elephant's US product listings in November 2026. Pair these picks with a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher from another brand, as the American Academy of Dermatology recommends. That matters most with C-Firma, A-Passioni and Framboos. Our guide on how much sunscreen to use shows a full dose.

Which Drunk Elephant products are best for each skin type?

Which Drunk Elephant products should you skip?

• Too many actives at once. C-Firma, A-Passioni and Framboos are all strong. Start one, wait a few weeks, then add another; see how to introduce new products.
• Framboos and A-Passioni on the same night if your skin is new to either. Alternate nights instead.
• Marula oil on breakout-prone skin without a test. It sits high on several lists, including Protini and B-Hydra. Our patch test guide shows how to try it first.

Looking for cheaper versions of the same ingredients? See our best retinol creams and vitamin C serum guide.

How we chose

We picked one Drunk Elephant product for each common need and ranked them by how many people they suit, favoring formulas with disclosed active percentages and pH. We read each product page on drunkelephant.com in November 2026 for price, size, pH, full ingredients, directions and the panel behind each claim, and checked retinoid and sunscreen advice against the AAD. We did not wear-test anything and took no payment from Drunk Elephant or its owner. Browse more in our serum and moisturizer catalogues.