Drunk Elephant Recalls 3 Skincare Products Over ‘Ingredient Mix-Up’—Fungus, Bacteria Found in Batches

Drunk Elephant, a skincare brand especially popular with teens, has voluntarily recalled batches of three products due to an “ingredient mix-up” that may cause adverse skin reactions, the company announced this week.

Drunk Elephant is urging customers to stop using affected lots of Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser, Protini Polypeptide Cream, and Lala Retro Whipped Cream, including sample packets of Lala found inside the carton of O-Bloos Rosi Drops (the drops are not affected by the recall).

An ingredient mix-up between preservatives and surfactants during production compromised certain batches of the products, Drunk Elephant said.

Preservatives are added to cosmetics to prevent the growth of any harmful mold or bacteria and to extend a product’s shelf life. Surfactants are chemicals that reduce surface tension and allow incompatible substances like oil and water to mix, giving products cleansing and foaming effects.

Both preservatives and surfactants are essential ingredients in many cosmetics, but people may be sensitive to certain ingredients, causing adverse skin reactions—and the mislabeled ingredients in the recalled Drunk Elephant products may cause irritation.

Recalled lots of the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser contain additional levels of the preservative Microkill COS (a combination of chlorphenesin, caprylyl glycol, and phenoxyethanol) not listed in the product ingredients.

The affected Protini Polypeptide Creams contain the surfactant Mirataine CBS (including cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and water) not on the ingredient list.

The recalled batches also don't have a preservative, and some of the affected products contain bacteria closely related to Klebsiella and Enterobacter bacteria. These bacteria are ubiquitous in nature and normally found in human intestinal tracts, but some species can cause conditions like pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound infections, meningitis, and urinary tract infections.

Batches of the last recalled product, Lala Retro Whipped Cream, also contain the surfactant Mirataine CBS not included on the ingredient list.

The recalled Lala creams are also missing a preservative and were found to contain yeast, some of which were Candida parapsilosis (C. parapsilosis). This fungus lives on human skin and inside the body—and it’s usually harmless. But using the recalled cream contaminated with C. parapsilosisI increases the risk of infection, especially if it touches an open wound or cut.

The risk of infection or irritation from the contaminated products is low, Drunk Elephant said, but consider contacting a healthcare provider or dermatologist if you experience prolonged skin irritation after using one of the recalled products.

If you have an affected product, Drunk Elephant said to fill out the refund form on its website for a full refund and product replacement. Only products with the specific lot codes listed below are being recalled—the same products with different lot codes are safe to use.

Recalled Products

Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser

Protini Polypeptide Cream

Lala Retro Whipped Cream