Drunk Elephant, the apothecary-like skincare brand with clean white bottles and vibrant caps, is second to none, creating products your skin will drink in all day long. Especially at Sephora, where many of its products live on the company’s bestsellers list.
You may be familiar with Drunk Elephant’s coveted Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer and its A-Passioni Retinol Cream — which, I can attest, are lovely products to add to your skincare regimen. But, more recently, Drunk Elephant decided to shake things up with a new product.
Literally.
Meet the brand’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum. It’s the first of its kind turning you into a mixologist. Give your skin a drink of gorgeousness by pouring the serum into the included powder that sits inside the bottle. After mixing, shaking and applying, you’ll feel like an at-home chemist with cheery-looking skin.
Ahead, find information on what Drunk Elephant’s new serum is, how it works and our curated review after testing the vitamin C-infused skincare product.
What is Drunk Elephant’s new C-Firma Fresh Day Serum?
Drunk Elephant’s new C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is a potent blend of 15% vitamin C, along with a powerful blend of antioxidants, nutrients and fruit enzymes that help “visibly firm, brighten and improve the signs of photoaging,” per the brand.
Targeting fine lines and wrinkles, dullness and uneven texture, loss of the skin’s elasticity and even dark spots, the serum is well-formulated for normal, dry, combination and oily skin types.
However, on my sensitive skin, this serum felt replenishing. And that’s saying something — I’m big on serums, especially leaning on the super-picky side.
Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum requires you to mix it before its first use. Why? Doing so yourself maximizes the potency of the included ingredients while keeping the formula fresh. There’s truly no other product like it on the market.
It’s also free of colorants, essential oils, fragrance and silicones, making it a Clean at Sephora product.
How does Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum work?
Thank God for instructions inside the box. When my new serum arrived in the mail, I didn’t know mixing was required at first. I took out the tall, rectangular bottle along with the mini serum to match. Then, it was time to combine my fresher-than-ever serum.
The freshest serum I’ve ever used.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum, $78
Here are the three steps you have to follow before applying the serum to your skin, per the brand’s instruction:
- Unscrew the cap of the liquid serum base and remove the pump from the vial containing the 15% l-ascorbic acid powder.
- Pour all of the liquid serum base into the vial with the powder. Screw the pump onto the top of the vial and shake for one minute until the powder fully dissolves. Bubbles will form, and that’s a-OK.
- Lastly, insert the vial into C-Firma’s opaque outer container with the pump facing to the left until it snaps into place. Now, it’s ready to use.
Before hopping into our review of Drunk Elephant’s new radiant and luminous serum, let’s overview some noteworthy ingredients — and how they help enhance your skin:
- Potent antioxidant complex [15% L-Ascorbic Acid plus Ferulic Acid and 1% Vitamin E]: This well-curated blend helps to brighten the look and feel of the skin while minimizing the signs of photoaging.
- Chronocyclin: This is a chronopeptide that “mimics the antioxidant benefits of vitamin D for more youthful-looking skin,” per the brand.
- Pumpkin Ferment and Pomegranate Extract: This dynamic duo helps to dissolve dead skin cells and minimize the appearance of pores.
Our review of Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum
Truth be told, I’ve never purchased a product from Drunk Elephant. I’ve only ever used a mini freebie [thanks Sephora points] or my sister’s every now and then. Although the $78 price point is steep for some, it’s worth it because dermatologists advise using a serum twice daily.
How Drunk Elephant’s new serum compares to others
I’ve tried many serums. In fact, they’re all in a neat row on top of my bathroom counter, on a stringent rotation system, as if I’m drafting for the army. Some of my favorites include the Alypn Beauty Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum for a tightening feel, Caudalie’s Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Serum for an ultra-hydrating option and three, budget-friendly bottles from The Ordinary.
Though Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is the most luxe serum in my collection thus far, it’s worth the hype because of its fresh, vitamin C infusion that feels like a million bucks.
The Pros
For full transparency, there are certainly more pros than cons. Besides the healthful concoction of ingredients, it didn’t cause any breakouts, which typically is the case when I try new skincare products. Not to mention, the areas of my face that tend to be the dryest — my jaw, around my nose and the center of my chin — were completely hydrated.
Drunk Elephant’s new serum made my skin so smooth, you couldn’t even tell my skin was dry in the first place.
A nice touch is its packaging, too. Though what’s on the inside matters [cheesy, I know], skincare products with pumps is a no-no for me. I want my skincare formulations to be almost vacuum-sealed so it doesn’t contaminate as easily, and the twist-down mechanism — characteristic of most of the brand’s products — is exquisite.
The Cons
Truthfully, the only con on my list is the learning curve. Because Drunk Elephant’s new serum requires mixing, it took a bit more patience on my end to carefully remove what the included mini pamphlet instructed, without breaking the whole thing.
After about five minutes, I was good to go.
That said, even though it’s not an untwist-and-apply serum, it’s worth the five-minute setup because you know you’re about to use a fresh, quality product.
The bottom line
Overall, Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is worth the buy. While the brand’s other products are popular, you can always purchase a more affordable moisturizer or retinol cream. With serums, this is the freshest you’ll find.
Check out New York Post Shopping for more content. This item was sent by Drunk Elephant for potential coverage.
Is vitamin C Drunk Elephant good?
For me, the C-Firma Day Serum is a good value for money because the formula is really excellent quality. No ingredients were used randomly and you can definitely feel it! The packaging is also excellent, it's such a nice bottle that also preserves the formula very well. A bottle usually lasts me 3-4 months.
What is the number 1 best vitamin C serum?
Our Top Picks.
Best All-Around: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, $182..
Best for Sensitive Skin: iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance Plus, $95..
Best Drugstore: La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum, $40..
Best Spot Treatment: Peach & Lily Transparen-C Pro, $43..
Best for Enlarged Pores: Sunday Riley CEO 15% Vitamin C Serum, $85..
Why did Drunk Elephant change their vitamin C serum?
Here's where the "fresh" in C-Firma Fresh really comes into play. As part of the reformulation, Drunk Elephant separated the liquid serum from the actual powdered vitamin C so that users can activate the formula at home, which keeps it fresher for longer.
What does the Drunk Elephant C
Potently formulated with pumpkin ferment extract and sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer, C-Firma™ helps to enzymatically dissolve surface dead skin cells as it hydrates and soothes. The result is a noticeably diminished appearance of signs of aging and photodamage—replaced by incredible radiance and luminosity.