My Review
As the temperature drops, our priorities shift. We begin spending more time cozied up indoors, piling on the layers, and swapping out iced lattes for steaming teas. Part of that seasonal change also means protecting what little moisture we have left in our skin—packing on hydrating layers and occlusive ingredients. When it comes to wintertime skincare, we don’t usually think about our cleansers. That is, we didn’t until we learned about Drunk Elephant’s latest launch: the Mello Marula Cream Cleanser.
While perhaps best known for its TikTok virality as a tweenager-favorite beauty brand and stellar vitamin C serums, Drunk Elephant has always been a safe haven for those with irritable, sensitive skin. The newest cleanser is no different, with a gentle formula that promises to comfort and soothe even the roughest of skin. In other words, it’s the perfect cleanser to give your skin some much-needed TLC on those extra cold nights.
Below, see a full overview of the new Drunk Elephant Mello Marula Cream Cleanser, including the inspiration behind the launch, formula details, and my review.
The Inspiration
Founder Tiffany Masterson always knew Drunk Elephant would have a cream cleanser eventually, she just hadn't quite worked out the details.
“We have my husband, Chas, to thank for really getting Mello started when he asked me if we would ever make a shaving cream,” she says. “I said, ‘Just mix Slaai [Makeup-Melting Butter Balm] and Beste [No. 9 Jelly Cleanser].’ It was a texture that immediately inspired me.”
That lightbulb moment helped Masterson with the feel and experience that would ultimately become Mello. While Drunk Elephant already offers an impressive five cleansers, Mello Marula offers an ultra-gentle, moisturizing, soothing cleansing experience unlike anything else in the lineup. With its moisturizer-like formula (more on that later), Mello is low lather and easy on the eyes and skin, with a quick, residue-free rinse that leaves skin soft—not tight.
The Formula
“When you’re looking for a cream cleanser, it’s not uncommon to have concerns around skin sensitivity and moisture loss, too, so it was important to me that Mello be able to meet those needs,” Masterson says. And with a creamy, lathering formula that helps soothe rough skin and calm redness, she’s done just that. The cleanser has a skin-friendly pH of 5 and gently breaks down water-resistant makeup, sunscreen, and daily pollution while moisturizing and balancing the skin.
It features a blend of 1% colloidal oatmeal—a concentration she says is much higher than that typically used in skincare—with marula, evening primrose, and rose hip seed oils, alongside super-rich (but non-greasy) illipe butter and calming vanilla fruit extract. Together, they make for an ultra-gentle experience that simultaneously cleanses and soothes the skin.
My Review
"I love a creamy cleanser, so I knew I'd probably be a fan of Drunk Elephant's latest launch. Whereas some cleansers can leave my skin feeling too clean, this one felt like a cozy little hug for my face. It was ultra-gentle, even in the eye area, while still giving me an effective cleanse that rinsed off without much effort. I was particularly impressed with the subtle lather—a feature hard to find in thicker formulas. I also loved the barely there vanilla scent, courtesy of the vanilla fruit extract. The cleanser is already a staple in my wintertime routine."
