Who owns Drunk Elephant?
Drunk Elephant is owned by Shiseido (Japan, TSE: 4911), which has owned the brand since 1 December 2019.[1] Drunk Elephant was founded in 2012 in Houston, Texas and was independent until 2019.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Shiseido Company, Limited reported
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- Independent (2012–2019)
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Houston, Texas
- Founded
- 2012
- Category
- Personal care & beauty › Skin care › Facial skin care
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 4911
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant was founded in 2012 around the argument that six common ingredient classes, including essential oils and drying alcohols, cause most skin problems and should be excluded. Shiseido acquired it in 2019 for about $845 million. Its brightly coloured packaging and its insistence that products can be mixed together set the tone for a wave of imitators.
Ownership timeline of Drunk Elephant
Where Drunk Elephant sits in Shiseido
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Shiseido ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Shiseido in personal care & beauty
Latest news about Drunk Elephant
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Drunk Elephant?
The parent company of Drunk Elephant is Shiseido, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Drunk Elephant American or Japanese?
Drunk Elephant originated in the United States in 2012, but it is owned today by Shiseido, which is headquartered in Japan. So Drunk Elephant is an American-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Since when has Shiseido owned Drunk Elephant?
Shiseido has owned Drunk Elephant since 1 December 2019.
Who owned Drunk Elephant before Shiseido?
Drunk Elephant was an independent company from its founding in 2012 in Houston, Texas until Shiseido acquired it in 2019.
Is Drunk Elephant still owned by Shiseido?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Drunk Elephant is still owned by Shiseido. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Shiseido Company, Limited Integrated Report 2025 — Shiseido Company, Limited, Annual report, published 31 March 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026.
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