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“Mum, I need eyelash serum,” said my daughter over breakfast. I was shocked. “You don’t need eyelash serum,” I told her. “You are six years old.”
It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I didn’t bat an eyelid when she asked if we could buy her friend, also six, a Charlotte Tilbury Hypnotising Pop Shot for Christmas – I assumed it was more about the sparkly gold case the product was in. Nor did I mind when she wanted a Disney princess eyeshadow palette, or a cute rabbit-shaped Inuwet vegan lip balm, which are scented and free from parabens but look just like lipstick. We’ve had cheap and cheerful kid’s makeup sets from Amazon. I’ve even purchased the pricey French brand Nailmatic’s nail polish that washes away with warm, soapy water – and is safe for children to use – as well as other non-toxic makeup from Miss Nella. But a product to make her eyelashes appear longer, thicker and healthier? It’s too much.
Now Liberty wants to host her birthday next month at Claire’s – the holy grail for young, fashion-minded children – for a makeover and catwalk party before the store opens to the public on a Sunday morning. I’m tempted to give in. After all, makeup has always been a normal part of pretend play for children. But something is different about Gen Alpha (meaning those born after 2010). They’re known as “Sephora kids” – a term used to describe the current trend of young children, tweens and teens absolutely obsessed with skincare.
Beauty-themed birthdays have become a staple on the Gen Alpha party circuit, and it’s for that reason I’m boycotting them. I’ve had enough of spa parties and makeover sleepovers. Sephora, Glossier and other beauty retailers in the US are reportedly “hosting” birthday parties for kids – albeit informally. Mums have claimed that children can take spins in the makeup chair, watch makeup tutorials in-store and go away with goody bags stuffed with brand samples.
It has sparked heated debate. Some claim it’s harmless fun, while others, including dermatologists, are up in arms, arguing that young skin is too new and delicate for adult skincare products. There is also huge concern over the potential impact on children’s mental health in their quest for flawless faces and contoured features.
Social media is driving the “Sephora kids” epidemic, as beauty brands and pre-teen influencers fight for the attention of Gen Alpha – children as young as seven are now sharing their skincare routines on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. According to dermatologists, pre-teens are demanding their parents buy them £50 moisturisers as they adopt adult skincare regimens. Children as young as 10 have been found to be using anti-ageing products, too, containing ingredients such as retinol, exfoliating acids, toners and serums designed to minimise the effects of ageing.
“We have entered an era where girlhood is being sold back to us in aesthetic skincare bottles and excessive ‘self-care’ regimes,” says Ellen Atlanta, the author of 2024’s Pixel Flesh: How Toxic Beauty Harms Women. “It is no longer enough for children to be children; they must now be beautiful and photogenic too. The beauty industry – engineered by billion-dollar conglomerates – has extended its reach into the most tender years of life, convincing six-year-olds they need skincare treatments, that ‘glowing up’ is an obligation, and that beauty is not just an asset, but a necessity.” It is not harmless fun, that’s for sure. “This is an industry that thrives on eroding self-esteem young, ensuring a lifelong dependency on its products.”
Atlanta believes that all of this is contributing to the “death” of teenage girlhood, as the bridge between childhood and adulthood gets shorter and shorter. “Instead of pushing boundaries, taking risks, learning who we are and what we like, what we’re capable of and what we demand, we’re learning how much acid will burn our skin and how many millilitres of poison we can safely inject into our heads,” she says. “If the first lesson of girlhood is that beauty is power, then what does it mean when a generation of children is raised believing their bare face is a flaw to be corrected? We are not just losing innocence; we are losing the right to exist beyond the cosmetic gaze.”
Dr Denish Shah, founder of Georgia State University’s Social Media Intelligence Lab in the US, says Gen Alpha have emerged as “a very attractive target segment for companies selling beauty products”, with social media platforms being the most obvious go-to channel for influencing their purchase behaviour.
“The majority of teens and tweens of today have owned smartphones since age 10 and spend multiple hours browsing content (primarily videos) on social media platforms,” he says. “The insecurities contribute to tweens and teens seeking beauty remedies in social media content, and beauty product companies to ramp up marketing through influencers and social media campaigns.” Consequently, he points out, all potential problems associated with appearance-related insecurities are at risk of getting amplified, such as lower self-esteem, negative self-thoughts, eating disorders, and depression. “This also contributes to younger consumers increasingly prioritising the purchase of beauty products with the goal of presenting an ideal curated image of themselves online.”
A recent YouGov poll showed that 46 per cent of six to 11-year-olds have an active social media account, despite the age restriction, and early exposure to social media means that Gen Alpha tends to be more image-conscious than older generations, which makes them easy prey.
Dr Emma Wedgeworth, a consultant dermatologist and member of the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group says that the trend towards young children using multiple skincare products is worrying, particularly when they contain ingredients designed for older or ageing skin. “Part of the problem is that often products are chosen for the wrong reasons – [such as] the look of the packaging, the name of the product, [and] things going viral on TikTok,” she says. “So they may well be using products like acids or retinoids without even knowing they are in those products.”
In the last two years, she says she’s overheard eight and nine-year-olds talking about using serums, face masks and eye creams, on top of a standard cleanser and moisturiser. “This isn’t something we’ve seen before,” she says, adding that children’s skin has a very different physiology to adults, particularly before puberty. “Using inappropriate skincare can lead to irritation, breakdown of skin barrier, eczema and sensitisation. Exposing children to these sorts of products early in life could increase the risk of contact allergic dermatitis in later life.”
While experimenting with makeup now and again is fine, she says, she warns against allowing younger children to use it on a regular basis. And that, most of all, we shouldn’t promote unrealistic or narrow beauty standards to children. “Young children and teenagers are just developing their sense of self and their identity. It’s a very formative stage for the development of self-esteem and confidence.”
However, by targeting the Gen Alpha demographic early on, brands have a chance to establish long-term customers. It’s a slippery slope from Claire’s £4.50 7th Heaven Marshmallow Fluff Hydrating Mask to Sephora’s £46 Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Serum, with sodium hyaluronate.
That’s why I’m stepping back from it all. Children shouldn’t feel under pressure to look perfect or be led to believe certain products, or even parties, make them more popular or attractive. We’ve got to teach them that appearance doesn’t equal value.
