Recently, discussion has erupted on TikTok over the matter of 10-year-olds in Sephora, or Gen Alpha children in general taking over the store. This situation has Gen Z content creators scratching their heads to figure out why kids are coming to the beauty store at such a young age — because when we were 10 years old, flavored Lip Smackers and cheap sparkly makeup from stores like Claire’s were all we needed.
The discourse isn’t just a debate of whether these kids are old enough to be shopping at Sephora, because some users have shared story times about children being rude, disruptive, and destroying tester products in the store to create “skin care smoothies.” Now, nobody’s against kids having some harmless fun with makeup, but their behavior is leading other (adult) shoppers to report the situation at their stores under videos, saying things like, “Mine took out the testers” and “A tester was crushed on the ground.”
While many might think children around 10 years old may be too young to wear makeup, some creators are pointing out that it isn’t the fact that they are wearing makeup that’s an issue, but rather the kind of makeup that they are looking to get. According to some users, many of the kids visiting Sephora are seeking brands such as Drunk Elephant and Rare Beauty, or talking about skin care fridges and other expensive, mature product collections. This leaves older consumers to be out of luck when the products are suddenly out of stock (like, c’mon, can’t these kids at least stick to buying the dupes?).
One user, @sharoncancio, defended the Gen Alpha kids in Sephora by saying that the space for someone to be a preteen is pretty much gone. It isn’t out of the norm for kids in their preteen years to want to pretend to be older or want to experiment with makeup, but they should be able to go to stores more tailored for their age bracket like past generations (think Claire’s, Justice, or Limited Too for Gen Z). This way, they can still be creative and learn about makeup if they are interested, but not expose themselves to products that aren’t suitable for them.
But why are kids being drawn to Sephora in the first place? Another user (@alyssamosley_) has a theory: She referenced the book Glossy by Marisa Meltzer, which talks about the rise of the makeup brand Glossier and the history of the beauty industry. Until recently, there weren’t as many makeup brands to choose from (and that includes makeup lines created by public figures or celebrities which exponentially grew within a matter of a few years). The industry has grown tremendously with more brands, and Alyssa mentions that brands could potentially be targeting kids as a way to make more money out of greed. So, uh, maybe we should think twice before throwing Gen Alpha totally under the bus.
That’s not to mention that this upcoming generation has more exposure than ever before due to social media. She also brings up that this concept isn’t only being seen in young children, but also women in their 20s who are now undergoing cosmetic procedures such as Botox and filler.
So, what if you’re at Sephora just trying to get your Drunk Elephant in peace? Leave it to TikTok to come with the ideas: Some users have joked that the store should start IDing customers, but there are possible solutions that don’t villainize the children for their interest in makeup. In one TikTok, @stephaniedchen mentions the concept of “standalone Sephora youth stores.” Similar to other brands that already have other distinct stores, such as Abercombie and Abercombie Kids and Victoria Secret and Pink, this Sephora would sell separate products that are meant for their skin types.
If they had their own space, kids wouldn’t be creating a mess in the regular Sephora stores or causing certain products to be out of stock that are meant for older customers. Influencers and their younger family members can also get involved, since social media is exposing kids to these big name higher-end brands to begin with. This is just one perspective from one user, but if you were one of the kids who hoarded Pink body spray like nobody’s business, you can probably see the appeal.
Regardless, let’s just hope that everyone, no matter their age, can walk around confidently in their skin, whether wearing a full face of makeup or none at all. And kids, leave the Drunk Elephant for the people who need it.