If you’ve stepped into a Sephora within the last year you’ve definitely noticed the influx of pre-teen and teens in sections in which you’d normally catch a middle-aged woman shopping. That’s because it has become a trend to purchase products that contain anti-aging agents such as retinol.
Retinol is an ingredient in skincare that helps with acne, wrinkles, and other signs of aging. So, why would a 13-year-old need this? The simple answer is they don’t.
The TikTok trend of GRWM’s (get ready with me) consists of people doing their skincare and makeup as they talk about anything they’d like usually giving story times of some sort. Younger generations such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha have taken a particular liking to this trend and began participating in it. With this trend becoming so frequently viewed on children’s FYP (For You Page) it has encouraged them to use the products they see others use from brands such as Glow Recipe and Drunk Elephant which contains retinol.
UCLA Health’s Carol Cheng, MD, assistant clinical professional of dermatology, board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist emphasizes that kids nowadays are making dermatology appointments solely based on social media’s influence on having a skincare routine.
“Parents are bringing their preteens and teens in for skincare routines, even though they have no skin pathology of concern — no acne or eczema, etc,” Cheng said. “These visits are requested by the children themselves who want a skincare routine, largely driven by what they have seen and from friends and on social media.”
Board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist Jayden Galamgam, MD, has also noticed a trend of the influx of Gen Alpha in clinics. Galamgam highlights the effects of the harmful products social media promotes to children.
“I have noticed preteens and teens coming in with allergic contact dermatitis of the face. Contact dermatitis is a hypersensitivity reaction that can occur due to direct contact with an allergen. It manifests as red, scaly, itchy rashes in areas of exposure. This may suggest that patients are being exposed to facial ingredients that are causing these reactions,” Galamgam said. “Retinols and retinoids can sometimes be a problem for young children, especially if there is not aclinical indication such as acne. Retinols can sometimes cause retinoid dermatitis, a type of scaly rash. Additionally, retinols can make you susceptible to sunburn and sun damage.”
What does this situation all have in common? Social Media.
Young children’s minds are easily impressionable and with many of them having free access and reign to all parts of the internet they’re bound to get influenced, that’s what the internet does. An issue with this is that there are no restrictions on what children can watch and/or buy. So, when an 11-year-old asks her mom for a Drunk Elephant product the mom isn’t going to ask questions as dangers in skincare haven’t been much of an issue up until these past few years.
There needs to be a solution to this issue. Since children can surf through the internet unrestricted I believe there should be an age restriction on certain products you buy or a need for parental consent when doing so. Not just in Sephora stores, but all beauty stores like Ulta.
If a restriction like this was placed it’d help in avoiding the possible damage these kids are doing to their skin. If kids need parental consent then the staff at checkout can inform the parent or guardian of the skincare risks before purchase. While this solution is far-fetched and not 100 percent achievable it’s not the most outrageous suggestion and not the first time Sephora has received this opinion either, but for different reasons.
The reason Sephora receives the suggestion of an age restriction in stores is because of the destruction kids are leaving behind in stores. It’s been commonly seen all around the US of instances where the Drunk Elephant testers have been wrecked because kids wanted to make “skincare smoothies”– another TikTok trend. This time the trend was encouraged by Drunk Elephant. It encourages mixing and customizing their products.
A review posted on Jan. 29 2024 on the Sephora website stressed their frustration with the mess in stores.
“Can Sephora ban kids under 16 years of age from Sephora because I don’t know who is raising kids these days but they have no respect for personal space and the products we use they just want to have bragging rights and they mess up all the testers for the rest of us who spend our hard earned money!” user jlo88 said.
Ultimately, it’s time to lay these tweens to rest and raise awareness of the harmful skincare TikToks promotes. While it may be a long journey in fiction this issue, I believe it’s an achievable one.
