Last updated on 16th September 2024 by Sarah Sarsby
Today, I’m going to share my first ever review of a Drunk Elephant product – the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. I’ve been trying it out every day for the last few weeks (I’ve almost finished it now), so thought I’d share my honest opinions about the cleanser.
Let’s dive in…
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What is Drunk Elephant?
Drunk Elephant is a high-end and luxurious skincare brand that has lots of hype around it. It promises to deliver clean skincare products that work for all skin types.
Importantly, all of its products are fragrance-free, as fragranced skincare can cause problems for sensitive skin.
Here’s what the company says: “Drunk Elephant is committed to using only ingredients that either directly benefit the skin’s health or support the integrity and effectiveness of our formulations.
“You won’t find what we call the “Suspicious 6” in our products (Essential Oils, Drying Alcohols, Silicones, Chemical Sunscreens, Fragrances/Dyes, SLS) making them, in our opinion, appropriate for all skin.”
Product ingredients and claims
Non-irritating and suitable for all skin types, the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser is an innovative gel cleanser that is supposed to remove all traces of makeup, excess oil, pollution and dirt.
Key ingredients in the jelly cleanser are: virgin marula oil for its nourishing properties and to help boost the cleansing and makeup removal power, glycerin for hydration, and cantaloupe extract for soothing and hydrating.
First impressions
I like the simple packaging, nothing too fancy but it has the cute Drunk Elephant logo at the top.
One of the first things I noticed about the Drunk Elephant Jelly Cleanser is how well it lathered up. When you squeeze some of the cleanser into your hands and add water, it lathers up beautifully and easily. This means you don’t need to use much product at all for it to go a long way.
As I swirled it around my face, the cleanser felt gentle and refreshing. After rinsing and drying my face, I was left with clean and soft skin. So far, so good.
Two weeks in
Okay, so I’ve been using this Beste No. 9 Cleanser for a while now and I like it. It doesn’t irritate my skin, it’s gentle and easy to use, and leaves my skin soft and smooth.
Importantly, it does a great job of getting rid of any dirt, excess oil or product that might be lingering on my skin after a long day. I feel confident using this cleanser as I know my skin is going to be refreshed and clean afterwards.
However, and I feel this is important to say, it isn’t my favourite gel cleanser. I don’t like it as much as the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel or the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser because, with these products, I noticed an improvement with my skin’s clarity, but as of yet, I’ve not truly noticed an improvement in my skin with the Drunk Elephant Cleanser.
Nonetheless, the cleanser meets its claims and leaves my skin clean and soft – which is what a cleanser is for, after all. For me, it just doesn’t quite have that same ‘wow’ factor as the two cleansers I mentioned above.
Where to buy
The Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser can be purchased from Space NK for £31. For the amount of product you get in a 150ml tube and compared to the price of some of the other products in Drunk Elephant’s range, I think £31 is reasonable.
Final thoughts
The Drunk Elephant Best No. 9 Jelly Cleanser is a neat little cleanser that I’m glad I’ve had a chance to try. It’s gentle, non-irritating and leaves my skin soft and clean after use. It’s priced fairly and meets all of its product claims.
Rating: 4.5 stars
It’s not a 5-star product, in my opinion, as I’ve used other gel cleansers that I prefer, but, it’s worth checking out and I’ve enjoyed using it.
What are your favourite Drunk Elephant products or the ones that you are dying to try? Let me know in the comments below
Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 6 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.
I’m glad that it’s lives up to the ethos of being kind to sensitive skin. Interesting to see you compare it to other brands though. I’d definitely consider it with my dry and sensitive skin though, it seems like it could be a good match for me.
Definitely! As it’s so gentle I don’t see why it would cause problems for any skin type really
I’m using a sample tube had been sick and face was a mess ..My face started drying out from wearing the mask from corona had Bestie no 9 as a sample …started using it and it balanced My face out …I love it
I’ve been eyeing Drunk Elephant products for FOREVER but they’re just usually too costly for me to justify spending on them *insert sob emoji*. I’m glad it really does a good job for you though! I need something gentle for mine too cause it gets irritated at the randomest things!`
Lol yeah they’re certainly not the cheapest of skincare brands out there and especially when drugstore brands throw out some great products, it can be hard to justify spending that much on high-end products. It’s a nice cleanser! Hmmm, if I think of a nice, gentle and more affordable cleanser, I’ll let you know
I have very mixed feelings on this cleanser (largely bc the mini I had was broken so the product would get everywhere). I love a lot of the brand’s other products but I still love my Fresh Soy Face Cleanser the most.
I liked using it and for me, it met all of its claims, but not sure I’d rush back to it because I’ve used better cleansers. Yes, been dying to try that one out, it’s meant to be amazing!
I agree with you on the fact that this cleanser doesn’t really do anything for your skin’s clarity/improvement. Yes, it’s a great cleanser and it takes off all the dirt/makeup but that’s it. However, I do like how it feels on the face and it’s gentle too.
Yeah, like I can’t really fault in the sense that it has worked for my skin and does what it says it will, but I’ve used cleansers that I prefer and seem to provide more benefits for my skin. It’s good, just not exceptional