Drunk Elephant
The holidays are officially here, and as magical a time of year it can be, it’s more likely than not that everyone feels a little spent in at least one area of their lives. Perhaps that exhaustion is evident in your haphazard packing, or some names still remaining on your shopping list. Personally, the holiday hustle manifests in my skin, which has felt dull, textured, and overall blah all month long. Lucky for me, Drunk Elephant's newest mask, the Bouncy Brightfacial ($68) is here to save the day.
The Brand
You're probably familiar with Drunk Elephant's clean ethos and brightly colored packaging, but you may not know the history behind the brand's unique name. “The name is rooted in a myth,” states the brand’s website. “The story goes that elephants love to eat the fruit that has fallen from marula trees (they do), and the natural alcohol content from the fermented marula fruit then gets the elephants drunk (it doesn’t).”
The fruit's oil is the brand's hero ingredient, which moisturizes the skin with its fatty contents while protecting it from environmental stressors with its antioxidant properties. Still, Drunk Elephant relies on more than just oils found in nature. The brand knows the importance of upkeeping the skin’s pH and nourishing it with great ingredients, which is why they commit to using well-researched ingredients and abstaining from what they call the "suspicious six," comprised of ingredients they’ll never include in their formulas.
The Formula
As the name suggests, the Drunk Elephant Bouncy Brightfacial works to brighten and even your complexion by minimizing hyperpigmentation, reducing breakouts and acne scarring, and soothing redness. This formula relies on 10% azelaic acid and 1% salicylic acid, which both work together to slough off dead skin cells, smooth the skin and clear the pores. Judging by the formula, this is great for people with sensitive skin since azelaic acid not only lightens dark spots and diminishes breakouts but can also help treat rosacea. Plus, this formula’s 1% salicylic acid content is less than the 2% concentrations common on the market, making it a great way to try out the ingredient if you're on the sensitive side.
Still, exfoliation without proper after-care can wreak havoc on the moisture barrier. Luckily, the Bouncy Brightfacial is enriched with marula, chia, fermented green tea, pumpkin seed oils, ceramides, and fatty acids that work together to lock moisture into the skin. In addition, niacinamide helps to brighten the complexion and provide antioxidant protection while tocotrienols also protect the skin against free radicals.
My Review
Isabella Sarlijia
Honestly, my relationship with exfoliation reminds me of the chaotic situationships I endured in my early twenties. Although I love my initial dance with strong acids and abrasive scrubs, the after-effects are straight-up damning to my sensitive complexion, which always seems to end up red, dry, and irritated (basically a broken heart for the skin). As a result, I’m always on the hunt for products that will slough off dead skin cells while being kind to my redness-prone skin, so I was excited to try out the Drunk Elephant Bouncy Brightfacial.
The brand recommends applying 2-3 pumps of this mask as the final step of either your daily or nightly skincare routine to lock in moisture. After using this creamy every night for three weeks, I noticed a significant uptick in the all-around smoothness of my skin. The fine lines in my forehead have diminished significantly, and my cheeks have an almost lifted effect to them that I attest to the lack of dead skin cells that were dulling their shine before. Thanks to this formula’s gentle approach to exfoliation and its heavy dose of moisture, I was able to whisk away dead skin cells while supporting my dry and sensitive skin. It wasn’t what I expected to achieve this busy holiday season, but my new glow is the gift that keeps on giving.
