The 'Sephora Kids' Epidemic

Moisturizers, serums, face masks…these are all things that skincare lovers look forward to using after a long day outside or simply for prioritizing self-care. Sephora, a popular makeup store among beauty and skincare aficionados, has established over two thousand stores across the nation. Users' love for facial products has led to the exchange of beauty routines and skincare recommendations on social media platforms such as TikTok. Despite this, the brand’s most popular customers have shifted to young girls, spanning from ages five to twelve. Deemed the ‘Sephora kids’, several older customers, dermatologists, and Sephora employees have been expressing their concerns on social media about these girls purchasing products that are said to be either too expensive or dangerous for pediatric skin. Adults have also complained about their inappropriate behaviors in-store, including lashing out at staff and making a mess of product displays. This has sparked a widespread online debate, so what skincare products should children use or not use?

Before discussing the products that children are applying that may be potentially dangerous to pediatric skin, numerous factors have inspired children to become skincare gurus. For one, the majority of ‘Sephora kids’ are considered to be born in the Generation Alpha demographic cohort, starting from the mid-2010s to the present. Generation Alpha was born into an era of rapid globalization, so they have been surrounded by devices from birth. This has also increased their access to the Internet, where thousands of beauty influencers and trends can be found. On the other hand, this is also the place to find unrealistic beauty standards, especially for women. As a result, young girls are susceptible to following fashion and beauty trends that do not adhere to their age range, and they want to follow these from constantly being exposed to the unrealistic standards the media has set for women.

Not only is exposure to social media beauty standards dangerous for young girls’ mental health, but dermatologists have also expressed their concerns about the physical harm they are causing by applying certain skincare products with anti-aging ingredients. One ingredient popular amongst these young Sephora enthusiasts is retinol, a fat-soluble from the vitamin A family that is found in food and dietary supplements and helpful for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and unclogging pores. While this may seem harmless at first, harsh ingredients such as retinol on pediatric skin are more susceptible to dryness and allergic reactions. Additionally, if sunscreen is not routinely applied with retinol, the skin can absorb more ultraviolet rays which can eventually lead to skin cancer.

Numerous experts have concluded that children have no use for complex, multi-step skincare routines, as several of the products they use can be irreversibly damaging to their skin. Despite these, experts have also proven that using versatile products such as sunscreen has no harmful effects on their skin over time, and can benefit their skin barrier in the long run. Rather than letting young girls use harmful skincare products, we must remind them to fully embrace their youthful skin while they still can.