Tiffany Masterson.

Tiffany Masterson is the Founder of Drunk Elephant, the clean skincare brand that became one of the most successful indie beauty companies in history.

Masterson, who had no prior experience in the beauty industry, founded Drunk Elephant in 2012 after identifying six ingredients she called the "Suspicious 6"-essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances, and SLS-that she believed were causing her own skin problems. By eliminating these ingredients and using only biocompatible formulas, she created a skincare line that rapidly gained a cult following. Drunk Elephant became the fastest-growing prestige skincare brand at Sephora and was acquired by Shiseido in 2019 for $845 million. Masterson's success is remarkable because she built the brand entirely without beauty industry experience or connections, relying instead on product quality and customer word-of-mouth. Her identification of the "clean-compatible" skincare concept-distinct from the broader "clean beauty" trend-created a focused brand positioning that resonated deeply with consumers seeking results-driven, ingredient-conscious skincare.