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If you are obsessed with beauty like us, chances are your shelves have been blessed with renowned beauty and skincare brand Drunk Elephant. Tiffany Masterson, the brains behind the brand, founded the company with her unique skincare philosophy of ingredient elimination for a total skin reset by defining the “Suspicious 6,” which are six ingredients she believed were at the root of her skin issues. Today, her personal mantra has translated into the Drunk Elephant Difference.
In 2013, Masterson launched the brand direct-to-consumer with a full-range skincare collection of six products with proven efficacy and formulated with only biocompatible ingredients. Quickly, the brand was picked up by notable retailers such as B-Glowing and Dermstore, and in 2015, Sephora became Drunk Elephant’s exclusive retail partner in the U.S. More impressively, Drunk Elephant has been named one of the fastest-growing brands in the history of Sephora. Then in 2019, leading global beauty company Shiseido Americas acquired Drunk Elephant for $845 million, one of the biggest acquisitions for a skincare brand to date.
As of last year, Drunk Elephant ventured into two new categories: bodycare and haircare in collaboration with celebrity hairstylist and Masterson’s childhood friend Chris McMillan, who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Lopez, and more. In total, Masterson has expanded the collection to over 30 products across the categories sold in 23 countries, fulfilling her goal to create Drunk Elephant products that can be used from head to toe.
Because of Drunk Elephant’s immense success, it may come as a surprise that Masterson hasn’t always been a beauty insider. While she has always had a fascination with skincare, trying one “miracle” product after the other, she actually began her career as a real estate agent alongside her mom in Houston, Texas. After about a year in real estate, Masterson went on to work in various industries and companies, including Neiman Marcus, a production company in Los Angeles, a trade-show company, and a security software company. Finally, after trying a multitude of positions, Masterson fulfilled a vocation she always wanted: motherhood. Masterson had four kids—a full-time job in and of itself—and from 2000 to 2009, she was a stay-at-home mom. However, the entrepreneur spirit still lived inside Masterson. She started a small business called Holy Pantry to help clean and organize pantries by understanding which foods to avoid to support the body’s overall health and began selling a bar cleanser, which ultimately catapulted her obsession for ingredients and research.
Tune in to the latest Second Lifeepisode to hear how Masterson’s many career lives and diligent ingredient studies led her to build a skincare empire. Keep scrolling to shop Drunk Elephant’s latest launches and best sellers.
