Drunk Elephant: Routines for all Skin Types and Concerns

Normal Skin - Dry Skin - Oily Skin - Large Pores - Mature Skin - Acne-prone Skin

Looking for a Drunk Elephant-only routine that still matches what the brand actually sells? These AM and PM lineups are built around products that are currently on the Drunk Elephant site, grouped by skin type so you can steal the structure even if you swap in cheaper alternatives.

Drunk Elephant's formulas are vegan, cruelty-free and built around a short "Suspicious 6" exclusion list: no essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrance or dyes, or SLS. That is a useful filter, not a reason to buy the whole cupboard. Mix and match, and skip anything your skin does not need.

A few lineup notes since this guide first went up. The original Shaba Complex eye serum is gone; we use C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream throughout instead. C-Firma is now C-Firma Fresh (you mix the two vials once, then use it as a morning vitamin C). Lala Retro is now a refillable ceramide cream. None of the routines below require every product in the range.

Do not stack T.L.C. Framboos, A-Passioni and Babyfacial on the same night. Start acids two to three nights a week, keep retinol to the other nights, and use Babyfacial once weekly in place of Framboos.

The products these routines use

• Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser: a pH 5.5 gel cleanser with glycerin and marula oil. Gentle enough for twice-daily use on normal, dry and mature skin.
• Pekee Cleansing Bar: a pH 6.5 cleansing bar with blueberry extract and honey. Better when you want a clearer, less oily finish than Beste.
• B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum: a water-based hydrator with panthenol, sodium hyaluronate and squalane. The one step that belongs in almost every routine here.
• C-Firma Fresh Vitamin C Day Serum: 15% L-ascorbic acid with ferulic acid and vitamin E. Morning only, mixed fresh from the two vials before first use.
• Protini Polypeptide Cream: a light peptide moisturiser that does not sit greasy. The default moisturiser for normal and oily skin.
• Lala Retro Nourishing Whipped Cream: a richer, refillable ceramide cream with African oils. Use this when Protini is not enough.
• C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream: five forms of vitamin C plus an eight-peptide blend. Suitable morning and night; pat it on, do not tug.
• Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30: a mineral SPF 30 with aloe, marula oil and algae extract. Last step every morning.
• T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum: AHA/BHA night serum for texture, congestion and pores. Two to three nights a week, not on retinol nights.
• A-Passioni Retinol Cream: 1% vegan retinol. Night only. Buffer with B-Hydra or a moisturiser if you are new to it.
• Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil: a single-ingredient marula oil for dry and mature skin at night. A few drops over moisturiser is enough.
• T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial: a weekly 25% AHA / 2% BHA mask. Ten to twenty minutes, then skip Framboos that night.

Drunk Elephant Routine for Normal Skin

Normal skin here means reasonably balanced: not very dry, not very oily, few persistent breakouts. The aim is to keep that balance, not to pile on actives.

Daytime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. Protini Polypeptide Cream
4. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream
5. Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30

Nighttime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum (two to three nights a week)
4. Protini Polypeptide Cream
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream

Pat the face dry after cleansing. On nights without Framboos, go cleanser, B-Hydra, Protini, eye cream.

Drunk Elephant Routine for Dry Skin

Dry skin needs moisture put back, then sealed, without stripping it at the sink. Skip the cleansing bar, skip daily acids, and use the richer cream and oil.

Daytime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. Lala Retro Nourishing Whipped Cream
4. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream
5. Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30

Nighttime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. Lala Retro Nourishing Whipped Cream
4. Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream

If the skin can take it later, add Framboos one or two nights a week and skip the oil on those nights.

Drunk Elephant Routine for Oily Skin

Oily skin still needs water, just not a heavy cream. The bar cleanser and Framboos do the clarifying; Protini and B-Hydra stop the tight, dehydrated rebound that makes you shinier by lunch.

Daytime Routine

1. Pekee Cleansing Bar
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. Protini Polypeptide Cream
4. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream
5. Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30

Nighttime Routine

1. Pekee Cleansing Bar
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum
4. Protini Polypeptide Cream
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream

If Protini still feels like too much at night, B-Hydra plus a thin layer of cream on dry patches is enough.

Drunk Elephant Routine for Large Pores

Pores look larger when they are stretched by oil, sun damage or loss of firmness. Morning vitamin C and SPF help the last two; night-time retinol and acids help the first.

Daytime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. C-Firma Fresh Vitamin C Day Serum
4. Protini Polypeptide Cream
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream
6. Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30

Nighttime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. A-Passioni Retinol Cream (or Framboos on alternate nights, not both)
4. Protini Polypeptide Cream
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream

Once a week, swap the night serum for Babyfacial, rinse, then moisturise.

Drunk Elephant Routine for Aging/Mature Skin

Fine lines are not a reason to strip the skin. Retinol at night, a richer cream, and daily mineral SPF do more than stacking extra serums.

Daytime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. C-Firma Fresh Vitamin C Day Serum
4. Lala Retro Nourishing Whipped Cream
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream
6. Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30

Nighttime Routine

1. Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. A-Passioni Retinol Cream
4. Lala Retro Nourishing Whipped Cream
5. Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil
6. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream

If you are new to 1% retinol, mix a pea-size of A-Passioni into Lala Retro for the first two weeks. Keep Framboos off retinol nights.

Drunk Elephant Routine for Acne-Prone Skin

Acne routines should unclog, not strip. Pekee and Framboos handle congestion; a light moisturiser and daily SPF keep the barrier from collapsing into more oil.

Daytime Routine

1. Pekee Cleansing Bar
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. C-Firma Fresh Vitamin C Day Serum
4. Protini Polypeptide Cream
5. Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30

Nighttime Routine

1. Pekee Cleansing Bar
2. B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
3. T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum
4. Protini Polypeptide Cream
5. C-Tango Vitamin C Eye Cream

Once a week, use Babyfacial instead of Framboos. If you are already on a prescription retinoid, skip A-Passioni and keep the acids modest.

Cystic or hormonal acne along the jaw is often not a cleanser problem. See our hormonal acne guide if spots keep returning in the same places.

A cheaper way to use this

You do not need a full Drunk Elephant shelf for these routines to make sense. Keep the structure (cleanse, hydrate, treat, moisturise, SPF) and swap:

• Beste or Pekee for any gentle, non-stripping cleanser
• B-Hydra for a hyaluronic acid or panthenol serum
• Protini or Lala for a moisturiser that matches how dry you actually are
• C-Firma for a stable 10 to 15% vitamin C
• Framboos for a glycolic or lactic night serum you already tolerate
• Umbra Sheer for any SPF 30+ you will actually wear

The brand is optional. Daily sunscreen and not stacking every acid at once are not.