In early January, a college student named Chloe Grace shared a TikTok video narrating a “story time” of her most recent shopping experience at Sephora. Eliciting a widespread reaction with a simple observation, she questioned, “Has anyone else noticed that every time you go into Sephora now, it’s just all little girls?” The video received over 666,000 views and rapidly continues to earn engagement amongst other users with similar sentiments on the sudden influx of “10-year-olds” shopping at Sephora. These children have been engaging in messy conduct, alleged bratty behavior and turbulence in the once-peaceful environment of Sephora.
The framing of “Sephora Kids,” which criticizes girls from Generation Alpha, brings larger issues at play into conversation: parenting and the pervasive impact of consumerism. By the end of 2024, the expenditures for the youngest generation are expected to be approximately $5.39 trillion and are predicted to increase by $10 billion yearly. This isn’t surprising, as they’re the only generation with a technological upbringing, inherently familiarized with social media and even going as far as exemplifying that with the nickname “iPad kids.”
This isn’t a passing cosmetic craze but is here for the long run as marketers adjust their strategies to suit Generation Alpha’s social media presence. By assuring brand loyalty, these kids will be loyal customers as they age and become financially independent. Additionally, “Sephora kids” have access to social media apps where they are relentlessly bombarded with “get ready with me” and “shopping haul” videos that appeal to them. These young “Sephora girls” are highly susceptible to marketing approaches that take form in their favorite influencers, trending TikToks.
Introducing the beauty industry to these young girls was bound to occur, but that doesn’t leave parents faultless. Sephora employee Natalie Herrera shared a “storytime” video where she narrates that a 10-year-old girl whose shopping cart was overflowing when she reached the cash register was going to purchase almost $900 worth of products. The girl’s even younger sister had purchased $500 worth of products. After delegating over the total price, the mother-daughter duo compromised on a baffling $500, having been forced to take out two products but not without asserting, “… but that’s the last thing I’m taking out!”
There’s a fine line between “gentle parenting” and permissive parenting, which this careless splurge falls into. Some experts express that some parents may misunderstand the framework of the gentle parenting method, which includes healthy boundaries and discipline. Adult employees and customers also endure the creation of “makeup smoothies,” which means mixing different tester products that result in a mess of the displays while acting entitled and causing problems for employees.
These children are also challenging the inclusivity of the beauty industry, which, even though it wasn’t initially geared toward children, still welcomes their business with the hope of catering to them and securing their loyalty. The “Sephora Kids” phenomenon took off due to the influence of consumerism and the tactics of the cosmetics industry. However, it has escalated due to parents’ inability to say no and blindly funding their children’s obsessive expenditures.
Parents seem unconcerned over many of the products they are using. Some products with potential implications for skin damage, like retinol, should be nowhere near these girls’ shopping radars. However, they’re not at fault for opting to buy what they see online; the fact that they are buying these products reflects a bad light on the parents for neglecting the impact of product research or responsibility.
Acknowledging that the concept of childhood has changed is the first step in approaching the discourse of adults feuding over who is to blame. “Sephora Kids” should not be a surprising phenomenon, but social media should not be taking over parenting roles. In a Teen Vogue interview with a “Sephora Kid,” she expressed, “It’s just a thing we do. I get it. Bratz dolls were probably popular when you were 10 years old. But I’m a kid [now], and this is what’s popular. This is the new toy that we have. This is a new generation; we’re Generation Alpha. And I’m proud of that.”
