Drunk Elephant Cream
Drunk Elephant creams are built around the brand's biocompatible philosophy: no essential oils, silicones, drying alcohols, chemical sunscreens, fragrances, or dyes. The cream range covers face moisturizers (peptide-focused Protini, rich Lara Retro Whip, barrier-repair Bora), a peptide eye cream (Citango), a marula-based hair conditioner (Kokomino), and a magnesium-based deodorant cream (Sweet Pitti). Each formula focuses on a specific skin function rather than a marketing category, which is why the lineup looks unusual compared to traditional skincare ranges.
By Skinsli editorial Updated
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Buying guide
Drunk Elephant Creams: What Each Formula Does and Who It Is For
Drunk Elephant's cream lineup is defined by what is not in it as much as what is. The brand avoids what it calls the "Suspicious 6": essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances, and dyes. What remains is a set of moisturizers, treatment creams, and a hair conditioner that each target a specific function. This guide maps each product to its use case and explains how to layer them into a routine.
Protini Polypeptide Cream: The Core Moisturizer
Protini is Drunk Elephant's flagship moisturizer and the product that put the brand on the map. It contains a complex of signal peptides, growth factors, and amino acids that help maintain skin density and smoothness over time. The texture is medium weight - not a light gel, not a heavy cream - which makes it versatile across skin types. The 50 ml and 100 ml (Jumbo) sizes contain the same formula; the larger size is better value for daily users. Apply as your moisturizer step after serums and before sunscreen in the morning, or as the final step in your night routine.
Lara Retro Whip Cream: For Drier Skin
Lara has a whipped, denser texture than Protini and is formulated for drier and more mature skin types. It relies on a blend of lipids, ceramides, and squalane to restore the lipid barrier that dry skin is typically missing. The same peptide complex from Protini is present but in a richer base. The 50 ml standard size and the standalone "50 ml Lara Cream" listing are the same product at the same volume. Use it as your evening moisturizer or as a daytime moisturizer if your skin is very dry.
Bora Barrier Repair Cream: When the Barrier Is Compromised
Bora is a targeted repair moisturizer, not a daily routine product for most skin types. It contains a high concentration of ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol that mirror the natural lipid structure of a healthy skin barrier. Reach for Bora when the skin is visibly compromised: flaking, stinging on contact with water, unusually tight, or recovering from a reaction or procedure. Use it as a patch treatment on specific dry areas, or as a full-face evening moisturizer during a repair period of a week or two.
Citango Eye Cream: Peptides for the Eye Area
Citango brings the Protini peptide and growth factor complex into a texture appropriate for the delicate eye zone. Eye skin is thinner, has fewer oil glands, and moves constantly, so it needs something that absorbs without tugging. Apply a small amount to the orbital bone (not directly on the lash line) using the ring finger with a light tapping motion. Citango addresses fine lines and puffiness rather than dark circles, which often have vascular or pigment causes that topicals cannot fully address.
Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream: A Different Kind of Cream
Sweet Pitti is not a skincare moisturizer but a magnesium hydroxide-based deodorant in a cream format. Magnesium hydroxide neutralizes odor-causing bacteria without blocking sweat glands, which is why it is categorized as a deodorant rather than an antiperspirant. Apply a small amount to clean underarm skin. It is fragrance-free and does not contain aluminum salts, making it a common choice for people switching away from conventional antiperspirants or with sensitive underarm skin.
Kokomino Marula Cream Conditioner: For Hair
Kokomino is the only hair product in the Drunk Elephant lineup. It is a marula oil-based cream conditioner formulated to the brand's biocompatible standard, meaning no silicones, no fragrance, no drying alcohol. Apply to towel-dry hair from mid-length to ends; leave in or rinse depending on your hair's porosity and weight preference. It works as a standard rinse-out conditioner or as a light leave-in treatment. Particularly suited to color-treated, bleached, or heat-processed hair that benefits from lipid replenishment.
How to Layer Protini with Other Drunk Elephant Products
Drunk Elephant is designed with internal compatibility in mind. Protini layers over any of the brand's serums (B-Hydra, C-Firma, T.L.C. Framboos) and under SPF. A morning routine might look like: cleanse, tone (Beste No.9), active serum, B-Hydra Intensive Hydration, Protini, sunscreen. At night, swap the sunscreen for a second pump of Protini or Lara if your skin is dry. Bora can replace Protini on nights when your skin needs intensive repair. All Drunk Elephant moisturizers can be mixed with other products in the range.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Protini and Lara Retro Whip Cream?
Both contain the same signal peptide and growth factor complex, but Lara has a richer, denser texture built on ceramides, squalane, and fatty acids. Protini suits normal to combination skin for daily use. Lara suits dry, dehydrated, or more mature skin, or anyone who wants a heavier evening moisturizer. If Protini leaves your skin feeling dry after a few hours, Lara is usually the step up.
What are the signal peptides in Protini and what do they do?
Signal peptides are short amino acid chains that interact with skin cell receptors to influence collagen synthesis, firmness, and skin density. Drunk Elephant uses a blend of oligopeptides and growth factors in Protini to support the skin's own repair and renewal processes rather than delivering external collagen (which cannot penetrate skin). The effect builds over weeks of consistent use rather than showing an immediate difference.
Should I use Bora or Protini if I have dry skin?
Most people with dry skin do well with Lara as their daily moisturizer and Bora as a targeted repair product kept for rough patches, dry seasons, or recovery periods. Bora is formulated to restore compromised barriers rather than to be worn every day indefinitely. Start with Lara daily and add Bora as needed on specific areas or during short intensive periods of a week or two.
How do I apply the Citango Eye Cream correctly?
Use the ring finger (which naturally applies less pressure) to tap a small amount around the orbital bone, not directly on the lash line. The orbital bone is the bony ridge surrounding the eye socket. Work from the inner corner outward under the eye and from the outer corner inward above the eye. Avoid pulling or dragging the skin. A pea-sized amount covers both eyes; using more does not improve results and may cause milia near the eye area.
How does Sweet Pitti work if it does not contain aluminum?
Sweet Pitti uses magnesium hydroxide, which creates an alkaline environment in the underarm that inhibits the bacteria responsible for body odor. Unlike aluminum-based antiperspirants, it does not block sweat ducts, so you may still perspire but without the associated odor. Apply to clean, dry underarm skin. Some people need a transition period of one to two weeks when switching from aluminum-based products before the full effect is apparent.
Do I rinse out the Kokomino Conditioner or leave it in?
Both approaches work depending on your hair type. As a rinse-out conditioner, apply to towel-dry hair, leave for two to three minutes, and rinse. As a leave-in, apply a smaller amount to damp or dry hair and style as usual. Fine hair generally does better with the rinse-out method; thick, dry, or curly hair tends to benefit from leaving a small amount in. Start with a rinse-out application to see how your hair responds.
Is the Protini Jumbo 100ml the same formula as the regular 50ml?
Yes, the Protini Polypeptide Cream 100 ml Jumbo contains exactly the same formula as the 50 ml. The only difference is size. The jumbo size offers better cost per milliliter and is worth it if Protini is already a confirmed part of your routine. The pump format of the jumbo may differ slightly from the regular packaging.
What are the Suspicious 6 that Drunk Elephant avoids?
Drunk Elephant formulates without six categories it considers disruptive to skin function: essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical UV filters, fragrances, and synthetic dyes. The brand does not claim these ingredients are universally harmful but avoids them to isolate the effect of the actives in each product and to reduce sensitivity risk for reactive skin. This makes the range easier to layer and troubleshoot.
What skin type is Protini best suited to?
Protini is marketed as suitable for all skin types and that is largely accurate. Its medium-weight texture is light enough for combination and oily skin (especially in warmer climates) and rich enough for normal to dry skin. If you have very oily skin, you may prefer B-Hydra as your moisturizer and use Protini only at night. If you have very dry skin, Lara is a better daily choice.
Is Drunk Elephant cruelty-free and vegan?
Drunk Elephant is certified cruelty-free. Not all products in the range are vegan because some formulas contain ingredients derived from animal sources, such as the growth factors in Protini which may use biotechnology processes that some consider non-vegan. The brand provides ingredient-level transparency; check the individual product listing if vegan status is important to you.
Are the Drunk Elephant products on skinsli genuine?
Skinsli sources Drunk Elephant through authorized distribution channels. Products ship in original sealed packaging with intact batch codes on the base. Drunk Elephant products have a batch code that can be cross-checked against third-party batch decoders to confirm manufacture date. If you have any concern about a specific item, contact support with your order number and the batch code.
Can I mix Drunk Elephant creams with products from other brands?
Yes. The core actives in Drunk Elephant creams (peptides, ceramides, fatty acids) are compatible with most skincare staples from other brands, including retinoids, niacinamide, vitamin C serums, and AHAs. The brand's avoidance of essential oils reduces the risk of interactions. Apply Drunk Elephant creams as your moisturizer step, after water-based serums and before sunscreen in the morning. Patch test as you would with any new routine addition.