Founder Tiffany Masterson was on a sourcing trip in Namibia. She saw elephants eating marula fruit from a tree locals called ‘The Marriage Tree’ — they believed its oil healed everything.
The real kicker? The oil was so stable it didn’t need preservatives. That’s the clean-chemistry obsession that built Drunk Elephant.
A single-origin, cold-pressed facial oil. $72 for 30ml. They claim it’s the most stable plant oil on earth — I had to test that shelf-life hype.
100% Virgin Marula
Not a blend, not diluted. Just the oil.
Cold-Pressed in 48hrs
Fruit to bottle in two days to prevent oxidation.
No Additives
No fragrance, silicones, or essential oils. Just marula.
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
It’s a single-ingredient product. The hero is *Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil*. It’s packed with omegas 6 & 9 and antioxidants.
- Omega-9 (Oleic Acid): Softens and reinforces skin barrier
- Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid): Helps soothe sensitivity
- Antioxidants (Tocopherols): Fights environmental free radicals
- Polyphenols: Natural anti-inflammatory properties
Texture is a light gold liquid — not greasy, but definitely an oil. Absorbs in about 90 seconds, leaves a soft, satiny finish. Smells faintly nutty, like raw seeds.
Week 3: My dry patches were gone. But the surprise? It didn’t break out my combo skin. Most rich oils clog me by week two.
Measurably softer, more resilient skin. No change in pore size or deep wrinkles — it’s not a retinol. But my foundation never pilled over it.
A beautifully executed, single-ingredient hero. It’s luxury in its simplest, most effective form. Not magic, but profoundly good at its one job.