Sephora kids and the booming beauty business

By Davina Howatson

Beauty is a big trend on social media apps

How young is 10 years old?

If you have TikTok, then there’s a chance that you’ve seen the rising trend of the Sephora kids.

Sephora kids is a new term coined used to describe the phenomenon of young people, primarily pre-teens, on TikTok who have become obsessed with skincare with high price tags.

The phenomenon was named after the cosmetics company after its US stores and those of similar big-name brands were invaded by tween shoppers.

But these products aren’t just for ordinary skincare. This is salicylic acid, alpha and beta hydroxy acids and retinol - mature ingredients for mature skin.

Children as young as 10 are begging their parents for expensive skincare brands like Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe and Bubble after seeing them being used by influencers on TikTok. Brands like these include ingredients like retinol and exfoliating acids that are designed for mature, aging skin. When pre-teens use these advanced skincare acids, they can cause irreversible damage to the skin barrier which is what dermatologists are seeing.

These brands also pull on the purse strings as the average prices range from £30-60 per potion. If kids aren’t drawn to the potential benefits of the ingredients, they are most definitely attracted to the colourful and animated packaging which contributes to the allure.

But why are kids worrying about aging and getting wrinkles? Since when do kids focus on cleansing, exfoliating, toning and moisturising?

Perhaps more worrying than the use of these potentially damaging products, is the root cause of these behaviours.

Social media exposes children to beauty standards that are out of reach and are particularly focused on anti-aging, with kids as young as 10 feeling pressured to look younger. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram highlight this toxic beauty advice and during Covid-19, when the use of social media spiked, this new trend of Sephora kids arose.

Beauty company Dove recently conducted a survey asking girls between the ages of 10 and 17 their opinions on social media, their appearances and their self-esteem while navigating the aesthetics- based apps. They found that one in two girls surveyed felt that toxic beauty advice fuelled their low self-esteem, causing anxiety issues, with over half of the girls feeling like they can’t live up to the beauty standards that are perpetuated by social media.

Nine in 10 young girls say that they follow at least one social media account that makes them feel less beautiful and more insecure. Social media aslo allows for kids to dangerously compare themselves to adults. Where being beautiful gets more likes, it’s no surprise that they feel pressured to fix themselves and stop themselves from looking older before they have even had the chance to grow.

More shockingly, one in three girls feels that they are expected to have cosmetic work, or some form of plastic surgery done as they age.

Dove have launched their own TikTok campaign to try and tackle these kids' obsession with skincare, the fear of aging, and focusing on boosting their self-esteem. Their new campaign labelled #TheFaceof10 brings together experts, dermatologists, influencers and advocates for body confidence to try to shine a spotlight on these new Sephora kids. Actress Drew Barrymore is an avid supporter for this campaign and points out that skincare “should always be pro-age and age appropriate”.

This is something that some skincare companies are latching on to. The new beauty company Yawn, which is aimed for kids over the age of three, focus on body and lip balms formulated specially for young skin. Other companies like Spots & Stripes and Nip + Fab have created tween starter kits where the ingredients are safer for youthful skin.

Social media is an inevitable part of childhood and adolescence is being framed more around aesthetics.

Childhood used to be a time of playing with Barbie dolls. Now it seems like it’s the time for looking like one.