'They Said It Sounded Like A Bar!' How Tiffany Masterson's Quirky Idea Turned Into A $845 Million Skincare Empire

Tiffany Masterson's story as the founder of Drunk Elephant, now a household name in skincare, is a powerful example of trusting your instincts – even when doubt surrounds you. Launched in 2013, Drunk Elephant became a major player in the beauty industry before Japanese multinational cosmetics company Shiseido bought it in 2019 for $845 million.

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But the road wasn't easy. From the start, Masterson faced pushback – not for her products but for her brand’s unconventional name.

In an interview on NPR's How I Built This podcast, Masterson explained how her tight-knit group responded to the name "Drunk Elephant." She added: "My best friend said, ‘I hate it. I don't like it.' My mom didn't like it. My grandma thought that was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard. It just sounded like a bar, people said."

Despite suggestions to reconsider, including a proposal by her hired publicist to conduct a $30,000 focus group, Masterson remained steadfast, believing that external opinions might dilute her vision. She reflected, “I couldn't listen to other people because then where do you go with that? Then, I wouldn't trust any choices I made … So I just went with it.”

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Masterson felt that the name expressed the core of her brand. She purposely shied away from the standard approach of naming beauty brands after French words or people's names, seeking something mostly playful instead. One of the main ingredients in her formulations is marula oil, which inspired her.

In her research, she saw a video of animals in South Africa eating fermented marula fruit like they were in a drunken stupor. The arcane imagery stuck and "Drunk Elephant" was born.

The risk paid off. According to Racked, Drunk Elephant experienced a 600% sales increase in 2016 after launching its T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial, bringing its total revenue to $30 million that year. By 2023, eCommerceDB reported that the brand's online revenue had climbed to $123.3 million, with most sales coming from the U.S. 

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Masterson's dedication to product quality was evident in her decision to exclude the "Suspicious 6," a list of ingredients including silicones, essential oils and chemical sunscreens that she believed caused skin sensitivity. According to Vogue Hong Kong, this approach resonated with consumers seeking clean, effective skincare solutions.

This philosophy is in line with advice from LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, who advocates that external input be balanced with an inner conviction. "You have to juggle many different people's opinions, but at the end of the day, you have to rely on your gut and make decisions for yourself," he said on The Path, a podcast from LinkedIn.

Roslansky encouraged professionals to weigh risks and keep others' perspectives in mind while remaining true to their instincts. "Take all the input, process it and understand what's happening around you," he said. "But at the end of the day, it's still got to be your heart that makes the decisions."

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