The drunk elephant is a name being used to hoodwink the people into something new and unique as it is being associated with myths and baseless stories. The suspicion arises at the outset as to why the borrowed strategy is adopted as if it is true to its words, it does not require any myth or something else to get a niche in the market.
The people who have concern about wellbeing of their skin have many questions about the products of the drunk elephant as many are inquisitive about the philosophy of the drunk elephants and what is special about it while there exists plethora of the skincare products. Many ask whether drunk elephant products are organic or not while others are curious if these products are cruelty-free as some get to know if these products are prepared without suspicious6 and what is the marketing strategy of the drunk elephants. These queries will be responded satisfactorily.
PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy introduced in 2012 was aimed at getting rid of irritating, itching, sensitizing, disruptive or inflammatory ingredients from the skincare products and introducing biocompatible and skin-friendly elements in these products. The pioneers and other producers of the drunk elephant claim that the consumer will never find such substances which may cause irritation, disruption, itching, disruption and inflammation on the skin while using their products because these contain biocompatible and skin-friendly substances.
- REALITY
The reality is quite contrary to the philosophy as it cannot be taken as clean and biocompatible beauty and skincare brand. The brand still uses harsh chemicals and synthetic ingredients which can no longer be considered as skin-friendly and safe from irritation, itching, sensitizing, disruptive and inflammatory. The parent company of the drunk elephant is owned by Shiseido, and it is not a cruelty-free company.
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
Many people are searching for the products for skincare which are organic or at least vegan. Although drunk elephant brands never claim to be organic rather, they present themselves to be biocompatible and skin-friendly. Their claim focus on the ingredients which are not harmful to the skin and directly beneficial to the health of the skin.
- REALITY
Drunk elephant’s non-toxic narrative holds no ground because the message on the label runs short of the ingredients which may be irritating and etching because the products contain essential oils, synthetic fragrances and other toxins and synthetics such as parabens, lanolin, alcohol and dyes.
CRUELTY-FREE
The drunk elephant brands claim to have cruelty-free products as they confirm that they do not test their finished products or ingredients on the animals including elephants. They also claim that they do not allow their suppliers or any other third party to have tests of the products on the animals. They also make a claim that they do not supply their products to the countries where animal testing is mandatory in law.
- REALITY
The drunk elephant brands take pride in making donations for the welfare of the elephants. Though it is just a claim as no one knows to whom they give donations and how much as the reality never comes to fore. Even if it is considered true then question arises why they make contributions for elephants’ welfare when they do not test their products on animals particularly elephants. Moreover, the brand is owned by Shiseido which is not cruelty-free. Drunk elephant is not sold in China or other countries which make the animal testing mandatory but these products are available online in China and other such countries and this factor is quite contrary to the claim.
MARKETING STRATEGY
The drunk elephant uses its name as word of mouth and it is considered a robust marketing strategy because unique nomenclature attracts everyone. Moreover, the claim to be organic, non-toxin, cruelty-free and skin-friendly ingredients used in the products are also lucrative to the people who are concerned about the wellbeing of their skin. The drunk elephants use social media platforms and influencers for their marketing as they believe in developing real time contact with consumers and they encourage consumers to give feedback to improve their products.
- REALITY
Despite tall claims of skin-friendly and non-toxin, non-irritating, non-itching, non-inflammatory and non-disruptive ingredients in the drunk elephant products, there are complaints of such problems by the consumers and they give their feedback online but the drunk elephant brands manage and filter the feedback as many adverse remarks are erased and deleted. They want to show everything rosy about their products otherwise their marketing strategy based on such pilers would fall flat. Cassandra Bankson uploaded many images which are worth noticing. One of them is as under;
SUSPICIOUS6
The drunk elephant was introduced by a mother of four who was grappling with her T-zone, combo and sensitive skin and was in search of the skincare products which well suited to her problematic skin. After thorough search she came to the conclusion that the six ingredients found in the skincare products are detrimental to her skin. She termed them ‘Suspicious6’ including essential oils, dying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreen, fragrances and dyes and SLS. She initiated a long struggle to make skincare product free of suspicious6. In the beginning she made bar cleanser but later started producing other products. Her idea got the attention of consumers and the drunk elephant products based on the oil of marula fruit became popular.
- REALITY
The drunk elephant is based on a myth that the elephants get drunk by eating the fermented marula fruit from beneath the marula trees. It is just a myth because elephants do not like to eat stale fruit from the ground as they prefer to browse at the trees to have fresh leaves and fruits. National Geographic cleared the air by saying that the myth was created by tourist industry to mint profit on safaris. However, the naming comes from the marula oil which is essential ingredient of the drunk elephant. However, the drunk elephant products are not recommended for tweens and teens because of these being disturbing, dangerous and parents have been warned to beware of the dark sides of these products which may prove hazardous for the young people.
As a bottom line, one should be fair enough to present a picture based on reality. There should be no business for the business as it may be preferred strategy to do business for the consumers who have the right to know the reality of the products for which they are paying hard-earned money. Despite all suspicions, the drunk elephant has the products which are by and large beneficial to skin and this factor distinguishes it from the others.
FAQs (Frequent Asked Questions)
What should be used for skincare if drunk elephant products are not safe?
It is not a fact that drunk elephant is safe for skincare but problem may be with skin not with the products.
Does drunk elephant contain Suspicious6?
As is claimed by the producers, drunk elephant is free of Suspicious6.
Is there any other option for skincare than these products?
In that case, the products presented by nature should be used as they exist.