Tiffany Masterson

Tiffany Masterson

Founder & Chief Creative Director

Drunk Elephant

Tiffany Masterson is a Houston, Texas native and a mother of four who always felt an intense need and desire to give her children the best of everything. Drunk Elephant was born out of a passion to learn more about toxic and sensitizing ingredients, the effect they have on skin health and to identify the root cause of skin “types”.

Growing up, there wasn’t a “miracle” product she had not tried, but constantly found herself disappointed, no matter the price tag. Her quest for the perfect skin care solution seemed endless, so when presented with an opportunity in 2009 to sell an imported bar cleanser, she jumped at the chance. In the years that followed, she talked to dermatologists, editors, beauty buyers, skincare experts, estheticians and customers all over the country. She learned about their skin care habits and needs, what was working, what wasn’t and what the ideal skin care solution might look like.

In a telephone conference with the beauty director of a national publication, Tiffany said, “I was amazed to hear her tell me what I already suspected…that most products just don’t work.” In other words, there was a need for truly efficacious skin care. Tiffany was inspired by the famous expression “less is more,” so she set out to really understand ingredients.

“One of my motivations in developing Drunk Elephant was to create a brand that was as effective as any “clinical” brand and as safe as any “natural” brand.  I couldn’t find anything out there that fit that description.  I was also attracted to the concept of having healthy skin that ages gracefully and doesn’t always need to be covered by makeup.”  She wanted people like her to understand that the answer to healthy skin was simple—keep it high quality and stay away from the ubiquitous marketing ingredients that are not at all necessary and seemingly at the root of dysfunctional skin. After years of listening, learning, researching, and self-teaching, “Drunk Elephant Skin Care” was born and along with it, a new category in the beauty space: “Clean-Clinical”. With each ingredient of paramount importance, the focus is placed on internal health and the function and health of the skin itself. By eliminating toxins, as well as those innocent sounding  marketing ingredients (dubbed the “Suspicious 6” by Masterson in reference to the irritants, disruptors and allergic sensitizers that are found in most products on the market today) Drunk Elephant sets out to change the way people experience skin care. The products will never be categorized by skin types, as Masterson doesn’t believe in them. Her motto is “skin is skin and if we give it what it understands and respect its basic function, it will thrive.”  Her goal is to deliver top-of-the-line, affordable products that live up to their claims and are formulated with only biocompatible ingredients that can be recognized, accepted and used by the skin. 

The Drunk Elephant line is currently made up of 15 products, with a long list under development.