In the past year, beauty industry sales have been booming. One may think that the shoppers buying these products, at stores like Ulta and Sephora, are adults, but that is not the case. The truth is consumers as young as 10-12-year-olds are buying beauty products, specifically skin care ointments and cosmetics. Parents are reporting that this year for Christmas many kids were starting to ask for skincare products, something they didn’t ask for before.

Parents believe that people on TikTok and other social media platforms are influencing young consumers to purchase skincare items so their skin looks flawless. Some of the more popular makeup brands among children are Drunk Elephant, Bubble, Glow Recipe, and Sol de Janeiro. Drunk Elephant is one of the most popular skincare brands out there. There has been a lot of backlash against this company about their products not being intended for kid’s skin.  Drunk Elephant originally stated that their products were safe for kids but warned of certain ones to stay away from due to ingredients like acids and retinol. This has sparked a debate among many parents who feel that the company is targeting kids to buy harsh skincare products formulated specifically for adults.  Dermatologist Brooke Jeffy, founder of BTWN, a teen skincare brand says kids should be directed to “age-appropriate” products.

Some popular items from Drunk Elephant are B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel, Protini Polypeptide Cream, and B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops. If kids were to buy this set of products, it would be a total of $155. Many believe that this is overpriced, especially to use on a daily basis.

My personal opinion is that the #sephorakids trend is just getting started.  If this trend continues, skincare companies may find it necessary to release statements, like this one from Drunk Elephant, to avoid the same backlash and debate.