Crashing into Sephora stores all over the nation, young girls now make up a large amount of the store’s customers. While makeup has always been a common interest of young girls, it is now becoming extraordinarily popular to shop for high-end, name brand products, specifically from Sephora.
“I understand why they would want to wear makeup, because I felt the same when that was their age, but there is a big distinction between makeup for children and professional makeup,” sophomore Samantha King said.
This fad was set off through the social media platform TikTok, as many influencers have been creating videos of them applying their skincare and makeup. The creators quickly began to include young girls ranging from 7 to 13, as well as young adult women. These videos are often labeled “get ready with me”, as they display the girls using their products while they either talk about certain topics or stories or even walk the viewer through the steps of their routine.
I think it is ridiculous, and I think that the store should enforce an age limit so that anyone under a certain age must be accompanied by an adult. There needs to be more limitations,”
— Gabriella Arango
As the videos began to gain viewers, comments began flooding with adults stating their opinions on children using these expensive products. Critics, especially Sephora shoppers and employees, began making their own TikTok’s discussing their experiences and encounters with the young girls in the store, labeling them as “Sephora kids“.
“It just seems like such a waste of money, and it creates a hassle to have all these young kids acting their age in a store that is not meant for them to be shopping at. There’s even more messing with the products now,” sophomore Danna Miranda said.
It is seen as completely unnecessary for these products to be used on such young skin because many of them contain anti-aging formulas and ingredients. One of the most popular brands amongst these young users is Drunk Elephant.
“I think it is very sad and excessive that they are trying to grow up so quickly and that such young girls are using anti-aging products on their skin so early on,” freshman Natsumi Crowe said.
Beauty standards have become extremely pervasive for younger generations as children continue to gain access to technology, especially cell phones and social media. As younger generations devote a few hours to social media everyday, popular sites like TikTok, Instagram reels, and YouTube reels can all be held accountable for the spread of makeup trends amongst younger generations.
Several other trends stemmed from this one, interfering with the customers in the store and irritating the employees. One of them involves mixing sample products in the store while they record themselves, creating what they call a “skincare smoothie“. Not only is this completely unclean, but it is also a waste and misuse of product. Besides the fact that money is wasted on these high-end products, kids have begun applying serums and creams that contain multiple forms of exfoliating acids. Some commonly misused ingredients such as retinal, retinol, retinoid and tretinion all initiate new cell production and can be very harmful for unserious or non-medical cases.
Common issues with overconsumption in the makeup industry include waste, product contamination and harmful ingredients. Not only can these issues impact the planet, but they can also be detrimental to your well-being, causing everything from skin irritation to more serious health issues.
“My little sister has begun to shop there for products that she certainly does not need, and because of her age she uses samples and other products without knowing how unsanitary they are,” sophomore Gabriella Arango said.
Sephora stores setting age restrictions or limitations for young consumers who are unaccompanied are some workable solutions to this issue. Although imposing these limitations could be beneficial, the primary cause of this problem is that the children are being exposed to and impacted by these trends. By keeping an eye on what their children are viewing on the internet and social media, as well as how much time they are spending following these trends, parents and older siblings may attempt implementing some personal boundaries for their children. Youthful users can investigate the vast array of skincare and cosmetic products designed for youthful skin in order to provide them an age-appropriate substitute.
