By Riley Dauber
Lifestyle Editor
One day after work, you decide to stop by beauty supply store Sephora because you are almost out of mascara. However, as soon as you enter the store, you see hordes of young girls no older than 12 running around and sifting through the products. They dump $300 perfume bottles in their carts or beg their parents for just one more tube of Drunk Elephant retinol cream. Some girls who cannot afford the products simply mix the samples together, ruining the experience for the rest of the customers — and staff — in the store.
At the beginning of 2024, many social media users may have noticed an increase in complaints about what content creators call “Sephora Kids”: the young children who spend upwards of $500 dollars on skincare and makeup products at Sephora and Ulta Beauty.
TikTok user @natsodrizzy posted a video on Jan. 5 detailing her experience working at Sephora and handling the young customers. During her shift, she interacted with a girl trying to spend $900 on high-end perfume and skin care products. When the girl’s mother asked her to put items back, the girl refused.
“The mom said, ‘You literally already have two other perfumes, why do you need another one?’ And the little girl is like, ‘Because I want it,’” @natsodrizzy said in the video.
These clips of girls wreaking havoc at Sephora not only highlight how popular skincare and overconsumption are, but also point to social media’s increased influence in younger people’s lives.
The interest in skincare and beauty products stems from the “clean girl aesthetic,” which promotes clean skin and a healthy lifestyle. TikTok videos marked with the “clean girl” hashtag focus on minimal makeup, a multi-step skincare routine, signature scents, and simple outfits for a natural yet clean look.
Most of the influencers in these videos are older teens and young adults, not 12-year-olds; yet based on the influx of young children flocking to Sephora, it seems this aesthetic has reached tweens as well.
Despite the trend’s popularity, many social media users spoke out against it, its exclusivity, and its focus on products not intended for younger skin.
According to PureWow, “The hashtag tag lacks diversity and caters to one specific demographic. The trend alienates BIPOC women, fat women, women with acne-prone skin, women with disabilities, older women, and so forth. Also, adding ‘girl’ to the name limits non-binary folks from feeling welcome to participate in the look…[and] ‘girl’ trends in general can diminish who we are as women, or worse, perpetuate the fear of aging.”
With the focus on clean skin, many social media users may feel excluded if their features, such as skin color or type, do not fit in with the trend’s characteristics. Cleanliness is also negatively associated with people of color and plus-sized people, so this trend may end up hurting more than helping.
Tweens going through puberty may also reach for products they do not necessarily need, like retinol cream, to “fix” their now acne-prone skin.
According to CNN, “retinol…is used to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on aging skin.”
These products are intended for older skin, which explains why some influencers utilize them. However, in an attempt to fit in and grow up, tweens are also grabbing them.
Skincare and “clean girl” trends also overlap with the Stanley Cup craze, since the latter encourages hydration, according to prior Elm coverage. However, these fads lead to overconsumption, with users buying multiple of the same product or only purchasing products from popular, usually expensive, brands like Drunk Elephant and Sol de Janiero.
“It’s like an aspirational brand to them. They see people using products from Sephora on social media. So it’s almost like a symbol to buy products from there even if they don’t even know how to use them properly, but they can show their friends that they have them,” Jennifer O’Brien, a mom of twin girls, said in an article for CNN.
Even though social media influencers may not be pushing products on young viewers, these girls are still seeing the products everywhere. They want to fit in and buy what everyone else is buying; however, many skincare experts pointed out that tweens should limit the amount of face products they use.
According to CNN, “The three products [dermatologist Dr. Lauren Penzi] encourages tweens to use are gentle cleansers and moisturizers that are suited for their skin and sunscreen. Any additional product should only address specific needs at this age, such as oily or acne-prone skin.”
While the Sephora Kids and “clean girl aesthetic” have slowly started to receive less attention on social media, the trends still point to the popularity of overconsumption. Users want to fit in with everyone else, but because fads come and go so quickly, people may be spending tons of money on the latest product or item. By next week, everyone on social media will be focusing on the next big thing.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: Thanks to TikTok trends like the “clean girl aesthetic,” tweens are flocking to beauty supply stores like Sephora.