March 17, 2024
By Zahara Chowdhury
Editor
Walk into any Sephora or Ulta Beauty, and you are bound to see preteens hovering over colorful displays of skincare products.
These customers have become famous on TikTok, where Sephora’s adult customers and employees recount their experiences with young girls who are obsessed with skincare products. The videos depict tweens spending hundreds of dollars on products, ruining displays and being disrespectful to other patrons and employees.
Sophomore Isabella Bartlett, who has watched these videos, said social media has contributed to the surge in young people purchasing expensive skincare products.
“The younger girls [who] are buying all of these expensive products were raised with unrestricted internet access, meaning they can keep up with trends,” Bartlett said. “After the rise of the clean girl aesthetic [promoted by] influencers on TikTok, self-care and skincare have become massive trends.”
Gaining popularity in early 2022, the clean girl aesthetic centers on having an effortlessly elegant look associated with slicked-back buns, neutral-colored clothing and minimalist makeup.
Influencers like beauty YouTuber Jean Watts recommend an extensive list of makeup and skincare in her clean girl tutorial. Even with dupes, which are cheaper duplicates of higher end items, the products amount to hundreds of dollars.
“These influencers often make a lot of money, so they’ll buy higher-end products, and once they showcase them on their large platforms, those products start to trend,” Bartlett said. “Preteens who see this online try to emulate these influencers who are in their 20s to seem cool and trendy.”
Junior Izabel Graziani said tweens are attracted to these expensive products because they perceive them as luxuries.
“Most aesthetic skincare is very expensive, so as most young girls strive to [have an] aesthetic, they pay for expensive skincare to reflect it.”
“When [young girls] can buy the trendy bronzing drops or creams that are over $50, it makes them feel special and satisfies [their] concept of privilege and status,” Graziani said.
She said it is disheartening that some youngsters buy retinol, which increases collagen production to prevent wrinkles from forming. She said people, especially kids, should steer clear of anti-aging properties.
According to The Guardian, ingredients in anti-aging serums can be detrimental to tweens’ skin, which is still developing and can be easily irritated.
Graziani said, regardless of age, people should avoid anti-aging products.
“[Wrinkles and facial lines] should be embraced and normalized,” Graziani said. “Women are expected to use every retinol and eye cream in existence to maintain the look of a teenager when it is unnatural and unfair when we acknowledge that men experience significantly less pressure.”
Sophomore Ioanna Hantzaras said brands like Drunk Elephant market their skincare products to younger girls by making their packaging bright and attractive.
“It all being [uniformly colored] and having similar packaging [makes] it look like if you own one, [you] might as well own all,” Hantzaras said. “Most aesthetic skincare is very expensive, so as most young girls strive to [have an] aesthetic, they pay for expensive skincare to reflect it.”
Hantzaras said kids benefit from having a basic skincare regimen because it gets them in a routine.
“As a kid, I didn’t want to make my bed or wash the dishes because I was forced to, but because skincare was something I was interested in and something I did for myself, I found myself enjoying it,” Hantzaras said.
According to the baby and pregnancy skincare company Evereden, if people start young, they will be more likely to continue good skincare habits, which can prevent skin problems like acne, premature aging and skin cancer.
Sophomore Chloe Sanchez said skincare companies should act responsibly by placing warning labels on products that could harm young people’s skin.
“They should also promote more campaigns that advocate loving your skin and normalizing acne,” Sanchez said.
She said beauty brands are not the only ones responsible for protecting tweens’ skin.
“Parents should be more aware of what their children are buying and should educate them on the differences that adults and kids have, especially with their skin,” Sanchez said.
She said it is fine for young people to use skincare products as long as they limit their use.
“It can be really draining mentally to keep up with trends that have nothing to do with them,” Sanchez said. “They are still kids, and I feel like worrying about how your face looks just takes away from being a child.”
