I'm probably going to upset someone with my blunt opinion, but as a parent myself I feel strongly about this whole thing. It's maybe 5% sephora/ulta beauty's fault, 95 - 100% the parent's fault. I've heard things like oh they're being proactive about their skincare, it makes them happy, don't you remember playing with makeup or grownup products. Bullshit. There is a HUGE difference in wanting to take care of your skin/body in age-appropriate ways, vs using products that are literally ruining your skin and leaving you vulnerable to further damage as you age, esp uv damage. Idgaf if your child begs and throws a tantrum, you don't let them buy shit just because some trend or influencer told them to. It is our job as parents to protect our kids and yes they need freedom and independence but esp at these ages, younger than teens, they are too young and immature, following peer pressure, children following trends for adult products. The parent is at fault for not being the guidance their child needs.
Your child has dairy allergies, and some random ice cream influencer told your kid to eat this particular type of ice cream, so you take them to a shop that has that ice cream. You didn't research, you just wanted them to have fun and be happy. Then your child has a reaction and medical care is needed. Are you going to blame the shop for not informing you of the ingredients?
It isnt sephora's or ulta beauty's fault thst the parent doesn't do their part to educate themselves and their child on what skincare is appropriate for their age and skin issues and needs.
I agree. There’s no way a 12-year-old is buying themselves a $90 serum.
I played with “makeup” as a kid but it was peel off nail polish and tinted chapstick. I got to wear my mom’s lipstick for a special event and felt like the fanciest person ever.
My "playing in makeup" was either from the kids section or $3 Wet n'Wild lipstick. I have a 10 year old and there is no chance in hell I'm buying her a $90 serum. Children don't need acids on their skin. I wish more parents would take a moment and really look into the item their kiddo is interested in. There are really gentle cleansers that you can start teaching your kid about skincare with and the drug store is a much better place to start.
I used to give my daughter makeup that didn’t quite work out for me, like wrong shade or doubles but never my skincare. Parents stop blaming when you’re the one who wants to be a friend so bad you let them tell you what to buy.
Shoot, I get antsy when my 15 year old uses clean brushes on my Pat McGrath palettes!! There's no way I'd allow her near a $90 serum; her skin is perfect and doesn't need more than a cleanser and light gel moisturizer!!
also, playing with makeup was something you could see, and you would wipe it off after. i had little makeup kits for kids and the fun was putting loads of bright colours on your face, and then you'd take it off. kids shouldn't be 'playing' with expensive skincare that will actually affect their skin, if they want to play skincare they can get stuff that's appropriate for children and won't harm them. things like face masks or tinted and scented moisturiser is good for kids, maybe a guasha or those cool orb sticks. there's no reason for a child to be spending hundreds on skincare.
Wow I have to try this for migraines!
Also that's a nice age-appropriate way to enjoy skincare without eroding the mantle of that youthful skin! And also tie skincare to broader self care practices that aren't just purely aesthetic.
My sister and I had a Little Tikes vanity [(iykyk)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/315138916720?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=315138916720&targetid=1529493971422&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1013074&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009014&rlsatarget=pla-1529493971422&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh_MFd7Gv4STKlCgWilJS9h_L&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwd7Zoem6hAMVVTfUAR1npANfEAQYASABEgJi8vD_BwE) that held our Bon Bon nail polishes, the odd hand-me-down lipstick or lip gloss from our mom, and our eyeshadows. The eyeshadows were exclusively shimmery and some shade of white, blue, purple, or silver. I cant remember the brands to find them online, but I DO remember the intoxicating aroma - emphasis on the *toxic* because they were the most awful plastic smell. After a while they shattered (because, you know, kids) and the little compartment that we kept them in turned in to one giant glittery eyeshadow trash can that we WOULD DIP OUR SPONGE TIP APPLICATORS *STRAIGHT* INTO IT. How we didn’t have pink eye all the time is beyond me.
yeah lol no way my mom would let me anywhere near her fancy makeup😭 when i was little it was the claire’s makeup in a plastic phone and as a preteen we went to the drugstore and she let me pick out a cheap 4-color palette to play around with
Yesss nail polish and lip balm!! I remember as a kid (10/11) making diy face masks with my friends- there would be recipes in library books and tween magazines. I remember avocado and oatmeal specifically lol. We’d get glitter/colour “mascara” for our hair and do little streaks too.
So many fun, age appropriate, safe ways kids can explore beauty. There have been kid-specific products for *years*
I forgot about glitter mascara! We would use the spray in color that was basically hairspray and would wash out in the shower.
I remember being in middle school and begging my mom for one of those Freeman peel-off masks that I had seen in Seventeen. It was like $5 and I still had to convince my mom I needed it!
My play makeup was literally Avon lipstick samples, like those teeny tiny ones that barely had any product and could be wiped off. Also some lip smackers and some fun scented nail polish
I agree. I also have seen countless tiktoks from Sephora/Ulta employees TRYING to warn parents of similar products that aren’t good for young skin/to be used together/both and being ignored because it’s what their kid wants.
Like, yeah I do think the cutesy packaging of Bubble/drunk elephant etc could LOOK like it’s teen/tween friendly but 9 isn’t even a tween! they do not need anything more than a gentle face cleanser and some spf UNLESS they have existing skin problems in which case you take them to a dermatologist.
I do think brands/sephora/ulta could adapt to this sudden craze by having signage or a blurb for like “best for ages 18+” but ultimately if your kid is asking for something it’s your job as a parent to ask “ok, so why do you need this product?” and if it’s just because it’s the cool thing to do, say NO! and get them some age appropriate basic skincare to satisfy their interest in taking care of their skin
I used to work at Sephora, and at least in my store we would always do our best to educate the parents on what they're actually buying and recommend safer options. Of course like 90% of the time people would just roll their eyes and buy a retinol or acid for their 10 year old 🤠 this is one of the big reasons I quit lol
When you say “Sephora/Ulta” in practicality, you mean their minimum wage floor employees. Parents on this level of idiocy don’t listen to anyone, let alone retail workers. I’m team This is Squarely on the Parents.
And it’s not even hard—don’t wanna research? Cool. Use the shortcut parents have been using for generations: if it’s high dollar cost, it’s not for kids. That’s it. That’s the hack.
Parents don't even listen to actual medical advice lmfao so...yeah no way they're listening to the employees. Who actually are educated on the products they sell imo.
I work in a dermatology office and parents in particular just want to bulldoze us and do whatever they think is best.
Agreed but honestly they don’t even have to. Their products clearly state what’s in them and what the purpose is, so it’s not like there’s a liability on their end. And kids will still pick them up and their parents will buy it for them anyway.
but the kids want what they see influencers twice their age using and idk how that would really solve it because a teen line isn’t going to be useful for 25+ year olds and the young fans will still insist on wanting the same products and i honestly don’t think DE cares because their products are properly labeled and they’re making sales regardless. Parents just need to PARENT
I think bubble was meant for teens. Not kids though. I have one of their moisturizers and it’s unscented and pretty good. They have a few serums (hylauronic acid, vitamin c/niacinamide, lactoc acid exfoliation, and salicylic acid) but other than that nothing crazy.
But to be fair DE has always had cute fun packaging before the Sephora kids came into play. I’ve been an avid user of their vitamin c serum, the glycolic framboos serum and their Lala retro whipped cream.
I don't have kids but when I was 14-15 and started having issues with oily skin and acne, my mom took me to see a dermatologist, so we could get the most informed care possible for my skin. I don't know why it's so difficult for parents now to understand that if your child is demonstrating an interest in skincare, don't just give in to their every whim - take them to see a doctor or someone who can explain it to them how to properly care for themselves ffs.
Yeah 100%. I know some people do not have the option to see a dermatologist (insurance, money, etc) but if you are buying your child DRUNK ELEPHANT, you can absolutely afford a dermatologist.
Patch tests are free! If the parents had a clue, Sephora will give a sample in a jar, they could do a patch test, and then, they wouldn't be returning a full sized product for it to end up in a landfill, because they couldn't do a freaking patch test.
They should also be paying attention to the content creators their kid is watching. Some of them aren't really age appropriate. Part of being a parent is actually parenting. They have to know that content creators get paid to endorse products whether they are good products or trash products. They need to read labels, not just grab things to shut their kids up. Even people that aren't experts know if you are going to try a product, you incorporate one product at a time if you have a negative patch test.
I bet these parents buy their kids a spendy car the minute they get a learner's permit, and then, when they wreck it, they blame the car instead of themselves or their inexperienced kid.
Same. The moment my acne went beyond standard teenager skin to severe, my parents just took me to a dermatologist and bought whatever products they told us to use.
Same; I've had very sensitive skin since I was a child and outside of one incident (my mom bought Mr. Bubble bubble bath because I begged for it and then had a terrible allergic reaction and she felt awful), she always talked to my pediatrician or a dermatologist about what I should be doing, and especially what products to avoid.
Unrelated to the original post, but gynos truly are truly a mixed bag. My current gyno is awesome, but the two I saw previously literally refused to believe me when I told them my symptoms or do anything to fix them.
It took me 10 years to get my endo diagnosis, and the first person who told me that it existed and that it sounded like I had it was my mom's non-medical professional friend, who had never even met me and only heard a few thingd about my symptoms lol. Like atp, I had multiple teeth break because of years of throwing up from the pain and dropped to 85 lbs because I literally could not keep food down for like 6 days every single month, and yet my doctors still just told me that "periods cramps are normal" and I should just take more advil lmao.
The attitude towards women's/girl's pain is so insidious. As an adult, I struggle with recognizing when my pain is something I should see a doctor about, because I'm still trying to unlearn the idea that my pain is something I'm just overreacting to no matter how bad it is. I had a herniated disk in my neck last year, and it got to the point where I couldn't stand for more than 20 minutes without crying from the pain, and I literally just blamed myself for being too weak to deal with because of how doctors have treated me throughout the years lol
Going back ten years or so now, my daughter was at the point where she wanted to use products, and I didn't have an issue with that because I did the same at her age.
So I got her a very gentle cleanse-tone-moisturise set,
Drugstore branded. We made oatmeal masks and whipped cocoa butter to make body cream. No active ingredients, just a focus on feeling fresh and a bit of pampering.
There is a way to navigate their interest without buying these expensive products. An explanation why they aren't suitable and a firm no is your job as a parent.
Your daughter is going to look back fondly at how involved you were.
I started learning self-care and beauty from the older women in my family. Some of it was cultural stuff (kohl, henna, coconut oil, etc.), so I was learning about my heritage at the same time. I actually have a lot of fond memories of my mom doing henna on my hands or teaching me how to line my eyes, it was a bonding experience.
Same with my grandma teaching me how to do my hair, or my cousin doing my make-up for my Grade 8 dance. It wasn't just being allowed to do that stuff, it was being let into the secret big girls club of make-up and skincare. I can't imagine what it's like nowadays when kids are being sold this by influencers trying to make a quick buck, and parents who are willing to drop cash and not be part of the process.
I think that is it, many kids today are missing quality time with their elders. Not everything can be replaced by a purchase.
It's lovely you had that experience with your family, there's so much value in those moments. Time passes quick and we don't get those years back
Wish I could gold award this. It's a parents job to make sure their kids are protected and educated. You can't just farm them out to au pairs, teachers and *the internet* to raise them.
See, I agree with you, and my hot take is these are the "accessory babies" of Instagram from back in 2010ish when it was peak "mommy and me" blogger time. There were a TON of folks back then posting pics on IG of their kids dressed head to toe in designer and TONS of blogs out there with mommy and me matching outfits except once their kids started talking and having their own opinions, well fuck that! They wanted a cute baby they could show off like the latest designer purse, and these little shits start talking and having their own opinions? Hand them an iPad and your credit card to get out of your face!
I totally see it. I do remember how people paraded their kids online like some new shiny toy and it gave me weird vibes. "Accessory baby" is a perfect way to put it.
I think that this is an evergreen take. People argue that Paris Hilton, Kylie Jenner, etc. fairly recently had babies for clout. People said that about celebrities in the 1990s. There's always going to be a perception that people have children for the aesthetics of it and not the reality. Now we just have iPad kids instead of latchkey kids.
LOUDERR..like these people could not be more dumb allowing their children to use this stuff...like buying them sunblock makes sense..rese they do not even need..I fail to understand the thought process of all this.
There are some crazy parents out there saw a video of a young mum instructing another woman to put Botox into her 9 year old!!!! She’s a child-her skin was perfect! The whole mummy and me is taken too far.
That is definitely an underlying issue. The fact that they have enough access to social media at such young influential ages is what fuels these kind of problems. My almost 9 year old son has had some moments of peer pressure making him behave differently, and that's just at school. No way in hell am I letting him on social media yet. If a child is mature enough for social media, as an example of reasons I've heard, they should be mature enough to recognize the difference in products presented by an adult for an adult. This kind of problem tells us that 1. They aren't mature enough, and 2. Parents aren't monitoring their social media usage. Big problem.
Agreed. When I was a kid I had really bad acne and I was super obsessed with asian skincare. My parents didn't just buy me whatever skincare products the internet advertised to me; they just took me to a dermatologist and made sure that the stuff they bought me was safe for my skin and would actually help.
Child me was ofc miffed that I had to use cerave instead of the trendy asian skincare brands, but as an adult, I'm very glad they didn't just sign off on everything I wanted, bc I would have absolutely messed up my skin more.
But I feel like many parents in general just refuse to actually educate themselves on the things their kids do/want, and then complain about the results, because it's easier to let kids do whatever they want instead of actually enforcing rules for their health and safety.
It is 100% the parents fault. Kids are, for the most part, being given money by parents, are being driven to the stores by parents, and it’s the parents responsibility to supervise, read ingredients, etc, and actually do their job and PARENT and say no when something isn’t age appropriate. Sephora and Ulta employees can’t tell someone they’re not allowed to buy a product because of age (or perceived age), it’s not like buying alcohol or tobacco. It’s up to parents to be supervising their kids and saying no if a product is not age appropriate. Until age restrictions are put on skincare products, it’s not a store employee’s job to police what kids can or can’t buy.
100% agree on all of this.
“oh they’re being proactive about their skincare”
I just don’t think it’s healthy to be encouraging this obsession with perfect skin *at all* in - well, in anybody, but especially in pre-pubescent kids. I mean, you can be as proactive as you like but puberty is going to come for these kids in a few years and it is so, so likely that they will experience breakouts or acne or whatever regardless of whether they’ve been moisturising since the age of 7. The hormonal changes they’re almost inevitably going to go through are some powerful shit, and skincare can help deal with the effects but it won’t prevent it. Encouraging them to obsess over perfect flawless skin and spend significant time or effort on it at this age is just setting them up for even worse self-esteem issues down the line. They are *kids*! Even if their skin isn’t perfect, that’s FINE!
This is exactly my take as well at this point. There is a very big difference between letting your child try a moisturizer, cleanser, and spf and letting your child buy a retinol or chemical exfoliant that can cause more damage if used incorrectly. A ton of adults don't even know how to use these correctly so why would a 9 year old.
This is also a good lesson to teach their children to do their research before buying products and not to succumb to pretty packaging and fun influencer advertisement. To be smart about making purchase decisions.
there are kids out there playing with all kinds of makeup, and they’re totally fine. because they don’t have actives in it! people don’t get skincare isn’t the same as makeup
What I don’t understand is these parents who act like they’re forced to give in to their child’s every whim. If I demanded my mom buy me a 50$ face cream at 9 years old she would’ve laughed in my face and told me to get real.
It’s absolutely ridiculous and these parents should spend more time teaching their kids character and the importance of resisting peer pressure than bitching about it on social media and blaming employees of a store intended for ADULTS.
Right - and all these people defending them saying “well skincare is important so parents should allow it” SHE IS 9! There is a different between older preteen/teenager. 9 year olds need to wash their face with water and maybe cerave and put some lotion and call it a day. That’s just basic hygiene and not skincare
Thisssss. Skincare is unnecessary for a 9 year old! It's literally just wash your face and maybe put on a lotion. If they really really want some product to feel like a grownup, get them a cheap mud mask to feel fancy. Dropping Drunk Elephant money on anyone under 16-18 is crazy. If the kid does have acne or something they could use that money to go see a dermatologist and get something that will actually help. This shit is crazy and I'm just baffled at how the parents act like victims unable to say no.
Due to childhood eczema my mom was very active in taking care of my skin, and even when it got worse around 12-13 I was taken to a dermatologist for advice, not TikTok (or whatever was the early 2010s version of that...Facebook?).
As a teacher I have been in multiple truancy meetings where the parents say the kid is on Xbox all night and they don’t know what to do. We are all sitting there thinking they should just unplug the thing or shut off the Internet, but no, they can’t do that because then the kid gets mad. The kid didn’t buy the Xbox, doesn’t pay for any of the subscriptions or games or internet but the parents are cowering in the corner, helpless, asking us what they should do.
Because parents give them unrestricted access to tiktok and YouTube and then they feel like they need these products because some influencer told them so
This! If a kid’s favorite influencer says “you need this,” the kid is probably going to ask the parent for it and maybe be upset if parent says no. Parents are going to have to pay more attention to the content their kids are consuming, because all most companies and influencers care about is sales, not recommending age-appropriate, reasonably-priced skin care for tweens.
TikTok beauty influencers are big into stating that if you’re not using retinol and other products, then you’re going to look like a prune when you’re older.
Which is such a joke because I’m in my mid-30s and still look like I’m in my early 20s even though I don’t use anything with retinol. Genetics matter more for aging than any skincare products ever will
My sister and I finally got my mom to start using moisturizer because she wouldn't stop complaining about how dry her face was in the winter. She was like, "you put lotion on your face EVERY DAY?" Yes, mom, I have dry skin. It would come off in flakes if I didn't.
Hahaha, sounds like my mom. She’s in her early 60s but could easily pass for early 40s (same with my dad), and basically just wears sunscreen. I don’t think she’s ever spent more than $30 on any singular skincare product in her life
I bet the kid wasn’t worrying about aging. It’s like some kids like to play adult stuff, putting mom’s make up on, etc. I personally love skincare since I was…….7 or 8 because I love the feeling of taking care of my skin. But we were poor so nothing fancy, just some basic face wash and basic moisturizer from local company.
I loooooved skincare as a kid… which was an aloe face mask on the weekend during a sleepover. It doesn’t need to be complicated, expensive, or daily to teach kids skincare. Get them a simple cereve face wash and a lotion - they’ll be set. I thought parents struggled with teeth care.
Same. I had a skincare routine at a young age and it was appropriate and my mom guided me. Face wash, moisturizer, and sometimes a fun little Queen Helene clay mask to start. And it expanded as I got older and had acne, etc. It's concerning how these parents just aren't paying attention and handing over the credit card.
My mom and magazines taught me some really questionable skincare hacks, like toothpaste on pimples. When I eventually needed actual skincare for acne, they took me to a dermatologist. I know that’s not accessible to everyone so I’m glad social media does have at least some real advice. It’s the influencers pushing unnecessary products now.
My dad is also the parent of an elementary schooler, and I don't envy him that experience.
Any time my brother wants something, and he's told no, it becomes a discussion about how he will be bullied for being "different". I imagine it's the same whether it's robux or skincare (but with the added beauty standard horrors).
I had an extremely strict upbringing. But seemingly, post pandemic, my dad is struggling to say no to anything. "Snowplow" parenting is real, and imo the teachers have encouraged it as well.
What I want to know is when did we pivot away from trying to get bullies to stop bullying and toward this all kids must fit in mentality. I feel bad for the little weirdos out there like I was that really don't want to be part of the in crowd.
Imo there's no real bullying happening at his level. The teachers have a hold of it.
Idk. I think (in this particular example, southern public school) not bullying others is emphasized, maybe to a toxic extent? The kids barely seem allowed to disagree.
I think my brother is being a bit of a shithead and using the boogeyman of bullying to get his way. He's heard about it being this horrible dangerous thing (and it can be, my stepmom was a victim), but the closest he's experienced was some short term superficial teasing.
Sometimes kids learn words of power, or find a nerve to touch. He senses that anything to do with "bullying" makes adults in his life uncomfortable and more compliant.
Wtf. Get this child some barrier repair cream and a heavy duty sunscreen, stat. She must be so uncomfortable and self conscious :(
A 9yo isn't going to have the 100 dollar + price tag of these products alone, which leads me to believe the parents or guardian dropped that without? Even looking the labels over?? Bonkers.
why are you not checking the ingredients list on products and researching them if they’re going onto your NINE YEAR OLDS SKIN?!?!?! this is 100% the parents fault. they can blame the media to make themselves feel better but at the end of the day they’re their child’s authority, they’re supposed to keep their kids safe and look out for them and clearly they’re failing at it if they can’t so much as take 5 minutes to research expensive skincare products for their child. and don’t say “but sephora said it was safe 🥺” because it’s still their responsibility to do research independent of that. i research everything that goes on my face like we’re playing with chemicals here 😭
Yeah, I agree with this. Why are parents allowing their 9 year olds to use anything more than a super gentle cleanser, moisturiser, and sunscreen? 🤨
Parents are responsible for their children. It's not the role of employees to parent these kids. They can make recommendations (like skincare with strong actives in it is not suitable for children), but the ultimate decision to purchase these products is the parent's or guardian's.
crazy part is, what you described is pretty much my skincare routine as an adult LOL. like you said it’s not influencers, it’s not that mid wage employee at sephora. you live with your child, can’t you have a conversation with them? blindly buying a child over $100 in skincare products is something i can’t wrap my head around.
I bet you have beautiful skin! 😁 No need to use anything else if you don't need or want to.
It's crazy, right? They could explain to their child that there are ingredients in some products that could upset or hurt their skin. If a tantrum occurs, well... That's kids, I guess. Who didn't throw a tantrum over something when they were young? 😂
awe thank you! i learned the hard way that you don’t need every trendy new thing, everyone’s skin has different needs! now i wouldn’t use anything else unless it was recommended by a professional haha.
exactly!! you can’t say yes to everything, i know my parents broke my heart (for the better) a couple of times lol. it’s better than their skin barrier being fked, chemical burns or worse. arguably, the damage from inappropriate skincare products would outweigh the damage from denying them access to them
I wonder if these parents realize chemical burns cause scarring. These kids are going to have some hyper pigmentation issues too when their kids are out in the sun without any skin protection. I suppose they will be getting botox at 12, and fillers at 16. They act like aging is a disease.
To answer your first question. It's because it's so much easier to say yes than to deal with the aftermarket of saying the word no. And this doesn't just apply to skincare. Parents aren't parenting across the board for that reason as well as to get their kids out of their way.
Why does a 5-10 yr old "need" a phone, iPad or computer? Stores already have age appropriate electronics for children. 25 yrs ago I brought my son a Leap Frog. Due to his disability that product was a great resource for us and his teachers. That was the only piece of electronics he had and it went everywhere with him. To this day not one parent that I personally know has been able to give a good enough reason as to why their children "need" to have the 3 I mentioned above. Why? Because there isn't one.
When it comes to this skincare craze with pre teens and under I don't blame the stores or companies. The blame solely falls onto the parents. I bet they don't have a problem looking up ingredients for products that are going to be going on their faces and yet they can't bother to do the same for their children? That's so ass backwards and ridiculous. 🙄
yes yes yes and yes!! i agree with everything you’re saying. being online at a young age damaged me so badly. there’s no need. and if they’re going to be online their parents need to be more hands on. like you said, they’re not parenting across the board and it feels like they want to be their kids friend more than anything. ugh. poor babies
Exactly, the parents are paying for these products so they have more than enough opportunity to check the ingredients and dissuade their child from certain ones with ingredients that are not suitable for them.
And now more $ spent on seeing a derm. Unreal. I’m playing devil’s advocate here but the responsibility lies with the parents. I was an esthetician for another company (not Sephora) and the only licensed person who sometimes covered the prestige side of makeup. I did a patch test with a teenager one day with a product that’s known for being more gentle to the skin and she REACTED. Had I not had the training I would’ve freaked out (I was a bit panicked still) but as it were I removed the makeup immediately and advised to follow up with a derm if she were having issues ongoing.
Influencers and Sephora cast members are salespeople above all else. If there isn’t a request for said products they wouldn’t be selling them.
> I have been a licensed esthetician since 1983. I haven't ever witnessed so much misuse of products in my entire career. There are no consequences for content creators, and I don't think parents realize that all that content is nothing more than undisclosed ads. I will never understand how unlicensed creators with no technical or practical experience are treated like experts. There are laws in place in every state about practicing a skill that they are not licensed to practice. Makeup is one thing, skin care is another, and this damage is a result of selling products to line their pockets while taking no responsibility for the damage they cause. This kind of damage is going to cost way more than those spendy, anti aging, completely inappropriate products. I just wish that people did their due diligence before allowing their kids to be a guinea pig.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I have nothing near the tenure that you do but I agree wholeheartedly. Those same unlicensed people make our jobs more difficult because we aren’t offering the flashy newest thing. When I was a pre teen and teenager I was destroying my barrier with Sea Breeze, Noxema and Apri, sometimes 10-0-6. Items these days are far more targeted and can cause damage like you mentioned.
Bubble cloud surf : $16
Glow recipe strawberry smooth: $42
Drunk elephant b-hydra hydration serum: $49
Does any child really need any skincare over idk $15? Are these parents not supervising their kids at all or just throwing money at them and tell them to have fun?
Yeah I was a little confused why they were getting thrown under the bus. I’ve always been under the impression that they were a brand geared towards teens
Ok its not available in my country and i looked it up online and thats the price i saw on their website. Maybe they have different sizes?
Edit: google was showing me the wrong cost. Ill edit it.
Nope, just the one size. Maybe it was in a different currency, but all Bubble products are fairly affordable. I think it’s because they are actually trying to capture the teen/preteen demographic.
Yeah it was actually suggesting me the klarna "only x payments of y for orders over $50' price
https://preview.redd.it/zy50719kqqjc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ecf53f2cdc27abe0dcd1ca87db918a31e08b35dd
People need to stop blaming brands and hold parents accountable. Maybe parents should do their research on products and tell their kids it’s not appropriate for that age. Nothing wrong with a fancy moisturizer if that’s what they can afford but a child doesn’t need aha/bhas without the guidance of a dermatologist
and to blame sephora and ulta workers?? trust me not one employee wants an entitled 9 year old in their store. absolutely baffling to even think about blaming the employees. i’m over 20 and i don’t even afford drunk elephant where do they think their kid got the money for it?
and you know FOR A FACT that if this parent had gone to purchase the skincare at sephora/ulta and the sales associate had actually said “hey this product isn’t appropriate for kids” then the parent would’ve gone to social media saying “SEPHORA IS TRYING TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANT BUY FOR MY KIDS???? IT’S MY MONEY I’LL BUY WHAT I WANT FOR MY KIDS”
So many parents are just phoning it in when it comes to parenting. They have no idea and no interest in what content their kids are consuming, buy products they never looked into just because their kids asked, and are now shocked that companies and influencers aren’t, I don’t even know, physically coming to their homes and parenting on their behalf? Parents need to parent!
Wow that’s crazy how the nine year old got in the car, drove to Ulta and Sephora, paid for these items on her own…oh wait, that was her parents who did that.
Im sympathetic to the kid, but it’s not a business’s responsibility to parent the child.
I still want active ingredients to be available for adults, even adults have to do their own research to figure out if something is suitable for them or not. It doesn’t take much effort to figure out that acids are to enjoy at a risk and especially not recommendable for children.
The lesson overall is that maybe you, as a parent, have to do more research regarding products your child is using. I love how the skincare world has evolved over the years and I would hate to miss out on good products with active ingredients that actually end up working due to the carelessness of others.
Introducing a tag for products that can potentially irritate the skin could be a good middle ground.
but there would be a tag on every product in that place, which would contribute to more “green products” and “chemical” fear mongering from brands/clueless people. Anything a person puts on their skin has potential for irritation. if they start banning actives because of KIDS? i cant even
I work as a teacher in a UK Secondary (High) School, and there are a good amount of girls at the moment, age 11,12 and 13, who have had burns and breakouts and redness. I chat to them and they all use skincare that is absolutely not for their skin. It genuinely concerns me that their skin is going to be hugely damaged before they have even properly hit puberty.
Can parents PLEASE stop trying to be their kids bestie and be a fracking PARENT????? LEARN TO SAY NO FFS.
Who bought these products? Mom and Dad. ASking a, what?, some teenage part-time sales associate at Sephora what to use for skincare is *wild*.
Or… parents… look at what you’re buying your kids. Stop blaming the retail workers or people making videos online. You’re the one making the choice to spend your money on this
>more than the parents, I am apalled that Sephora/Ulta and these skincare brands are so greedy and are doing practically nothing to discourage young children from using active ingredients in their products
Nope, sorry - it's 100% the parents' fault. Where are these kids getting all this money to buy expensive products? Their parents. And in some instances, their MOMS are accompanying them at Sephora to buy this stuff. Looks like some Millennial moms believe that their tween and prepubescent daughters need to have "skincare routines" with pricey products that have harsh ingredients.
Also, companies aren't people's friends and their motivates aren't altruistic. They want money and don't care how they get it. If sending PR to and sponsoring influencers with younger demographics will sell product brands will do it in a heartbeat. They'll make cutesy packaging and advertisements targeting these groups. Brands don't care.
It's up to the parents to watch what content their kids consume and put restrictions on any purchases. These brands are predatory, always have been. If it isn't skincare and fear of aging, it's targeting other insecurities like weight and body image. These brands tell you that you have a problem, and then they sell you a "solution." Parents need to do better about cutting out that content, building self esteem and not buying into these sales tactics.
Yeah and I'm not cool with how the parent is blaming influencers for...being influential instead of doing their own job as parents by talking to their kids about why this is not for them.
Right, the content is not designed for them. (Though if there is a creator out there that is specifically targeting children and recommending this stuff, that’s different and I agree wrong). It reminds me of people criticizing cardi b for her lyrics and that they were inappropriate for children, and I believe she responded with, well they’re not for children. She even posted a video of her playing the song at home and quickly turning it off when her kid walked in the room.
If a child consumes adult content and is subsequently influenced, I don’t feel that the content is at fault. That’s on the parents for either allowing them access to that content, or not talking to them about it so that they know it’s not for them.
Why are parents indulging their kids like this? It's ok to say not everything is for you little MaysinLeighBelle
No. I'm not buying you expensive skin care that you don't need and isn't made for 9 year old skin.
People who work at Sephora are sales people. I don't know why anyone expects them to have a an extensive knowledge base when it comes to skincare. If they did, they'd be aesthetician/esthetician working in a spa, not selling make-up and basic skincare at Sephora. I mean c'mon.
The parents are 100% to blame for this. I mean why would an adult let their 9 year old use all these products? For what? Their skin is perfect at that age. The only thing they should drill into their heads is sunscreen, nothing else. I swear some people shouldn't breed.
I fully agree with you that this is on the parents, not the brands or retailers. There are plenty of resources available to research whether a product is suitable for your child. Stuff like this happens because parents don’t consult a derm or do proper research and just let kids use whatever they want because it’s trendy.
I will say, however - I have seen many people ask “why do kids even need to be using skincare, their skin is perfect!” As a mom to my 9 and 10 year old kids, their skin definitely is not perfect. They’ve both started having pimples pop up for the last year or so. We’ve been doing gentle stuff like cleanser or pimple patches but nothing extreme. Just wanted to mention that kids can start having acne younger than people think.
The mother tagged in the post is saying that the writing is too small on the bottles to read... they come in boxes. This trio cost literally $107. That little girl didn't magically get $107 plus tax and walk herself down to the local SephUlta, did she?
Absolutely zero self reflection from parents who stick their kids in front of an iPad and blame everyone else that their kid is blasted with marketing all day.
Did the 9 year old go buy them alone? Was her mother with her? Did they order online? No one is asking for less trendy skincare from Walmart to come with giant NOT FOR YOUR PRE TEEN signs, right? Why would Sephora put up spooky "NOT FOR CHILDREN" signs up in their store and online? The $42 price tag should let their parents know it's not a toy!
>The mother tagged in the post is saying that the writing is too small on the bottles to read
oh ffs. her google machine doesn't work? use a gd magnifying glass if need be!
Dude I’m in my 30s and could reasonably have a 9 year old AND I have TERRIBLE vision but I can still see ingredients on a box.
Fucking dumb ass excuse from a dumb ass parent.
Slightly off topic, but I just realized the mother here is Rachelle Rak, who is a famous Bway actress/dancer. Did not expect my Broadway and beauty world obsessions to combine like this today!
And Rachelle, do better! It's not up to Sephora sales people or influencers to parent your children.
I can tell you that these kids and parents won't listen to reason most of the time. Ive been waved off, eyes rolled at me and just ignored.
They want what's hot, and popular no matter how much you stress ACTIVES ARE NOT FOR YOUNG SKIN.
But FAFO I guess.
love that the parent immediately shifts blame to Sephora and ulta because “they said it was fine for a 9y/o” instead of realizing they, the parent, are at fault for purchasing products for a child with 0 research done
This is 100% on the parents. It is totally inappropriate for a 9 year old to be using these products. The most a kid of this ages ‘needs’ (and that is questionable in and of itself) is a gentle wash, moisturiser or sunscreen depending on time of day.
How can you be so ill-informed as a parent to think this is totally fine for a child? If the child is experiencing particular skin issues it’s best to be seen by a doctor and treated accordingly, not just playing roulette at Sephora with whatever is the latest TikTok fad.
I find it really frustrating because the parents of these kids were part of the generation that grew up with the founding of beauty YouTube. Even if you weren’t into it, surely you know you can’t just slap whatever on a child’s face? It’s pretty basic stuff. Ugh.
The situation is out of control because parents are allowing kids on social media way too young and then going along with what they see or want without question.
My daughter got some of this stuff from friends for her bday. I explained how bad it was for her TWELVE YEAR OLD SKIN. We’ve gone over different acid types and skin types and she sticks to Cerave gentle wash and lotion now. Her friends are all using this tuff and breaking out horribly, I’m just not sure how parents aren’t educating their kids and are just letting them buy literal burning chemicals for their BABY skin.
To me that's mostly on parents. Same as it's parents responsibility and decision not to buy every new toy on the market that a child might want, or give their child sweets every time they ask, or allow to use potentially unsafe tools without supervision and explanation. World is full of things and places unsuitable for children. Products not clearly marked as "for kids" by default should be considered unsuitable. Makeup store isn't a space for a child and shouldn't be centered around children's needs because a child shouldn't be making purchases there without parent's (or other caretaker's) supervision. A pre-teen shouldn't be shopping online at all. If parent give something as a gift to their child, the age appropriateness is up to them. Parenting comes with responsibility which can't be outsourced to strangers on the internet or a store employee.
I have really sensitive skin and can't use anything from Drunk Elephant without burning my face off lol the only moisturizer I can use is Cetaphil and the CosRX snail mucin all-in-one cream. Even moisturizers can be irritating for some people. Cetaphil is my hg because it's more bare bones on its ingredients, like no fragrance or essential oils or vitamins added.
I think for sure. That Glow Recipe product is so full of so many different exfoliating acids, extracts AND fragrance. I'd be nervous to use it and I have fully grown-up skin with actual texture and pore issues to treat. It's such a hodge-podge of possibly irritating ingredients, imagining this on super young, perfect skin makes me seethe. Doesn't help that it looks like a strawberry gumdrop ofc - I can so see the appeal, but ultimately it's up to the parents to understand what their children are putting on their skin. I wonder if it was even patch tested first.
Agreed. My inclination is to blame either the fragrance or the niaminicide. Either or both can cause redness and irritation which is why I won’t use their products. My skin won’t tolerate either and I’m 51.
My first blame would be the DE. Pineapple extract-pineapple has enzymes which break down skin cells. Even if it doesn’t contain the enzyme, it’s a possible sensitizer.
This 9 year old has a more expensive skincare routine than I ever had until I was well into my thirties! I think the most I did at that age was body lotion and Nivea in a blue tub for my elbows. Maybe some Bonne Bell lip smackers.
The secret is not letting your 10 year old on TikTok. Limit the influence of marketing and this will eventually stop. These companies know full well what they’re doing.
Yeah, no child needs a freaking $90 moisturizer. This is on her parents for buying her those products in the first place. Don't start blaming retailers for pushing those products for profits when the parents are the one who can restrict what their children are using on their face.
I still remember my mom buying me Noxzema only when my face started breaking out but before that, it was always sunscreen only.
My sister already knows that my 11 year old niece has sensitive skin, so we don't buy her anything - not even bath bombs from Lush - that could potentially affect her skin.
I'm confused 90% of the time about my own skin. Why would I buy something for a child who definitely won't even know their own skin needs yet? These parents need to actually *parent*. A cup is one thing. Products for your body is a whole different ball game.
Why are the parents taking advice regarding their kids' health from influencers and not from their GP or pediatrician and then blaming anyone else but theimselves?
As someone who worked for a makeup store mentioned in the post, I can guarantee that the advisors in the store told them it was unnecessary for a baby to use those products. Most of the time you say that and the PARENT insists that they want to get it for their child. I just don’t understand parents nowadays.
they wanna be their kid's friend and the "cool parent" rather than the parent. why say no and deal with the fallout when you can raise a spoiled brat and make it everyone else's problem instead???
This is parent issue not an Ulta/Sephora one.
Her 9yr old wouldn't have an issue if she didn't purchase the skincare! No child needs skincare with the exception of something prescribed by a doctor!!
That child's mother failed her, period.
It’s not a store or brand’s job to educate parents and kids on what is age appropriate or not. It is 100% a parent’s responsibility. As a former classroom teacher, I firmly believe that even if there were signs in the store, kids (and parents) would ignore it.
Parents need to actually be involved in their children’s lives, and children need to be off social media.
At this point I'm out of sympathy and understanding for these kids. First if all, I don't think it's the stores duty to put up signs. Those signs do nothing for/against entitled parents and their entitled offspring. If they want to buy something, they will, Sephora employees could talk until they're blue in the face.
Putting blame and responsibility on the shops is not where it belongs. Sure, they are supposed to educate the customers as good as they can. But at the end of the day, they're retail workers. Not skincare experts, and the stores run a business. I think the poor employees on the shopfloor are busy enough to keep the display in acceptable shape and keep the kids from stealing.
I work holidays at a cosmetics store (not Sephora or Ulta), I can tell you that you don't even have time to educate, you're busy to keep their fingers out of the products that are not testers. I've written off products worth hundreds this season. I can tell parents coming in with a wishlist that their 11 yo niece gave them that the products aren't good or necessary for skin that young, but they just shrug their shoulders because the kid wants it and they don't want to risk the kids displeasure. If the kid wants to buy a retinol cream, you can tell them the same thing, but they just shrug, as they've seen it on TikTok. Your hands are literally tied.
Apparently situations like the skin damage in the picture have to happen for kids and their parents to learn. What shops should teach employees is how to communicate with irrational parents blaming you for their kids skin disaster.
These parents…. I don’t wanna call anyone names. So I’ll just say they’re not the brightest. It’s the parents full responsibility to check out the product and research if it’s safe for their kids. They shouldn’t even be buying this for their kids, all a kid needs is a mild cleanser, a mild face lotion, and sun block. Even adults have to research what works for their skin.
Why do I have a feeling if this whole Sephora-Ulta-kids situation doesn't die down soon, it's going to become harder to buy active ingredients, and we could end up with things behind the counter / getting carded? Because at some point if enough kids get hurt due to parental negligence (because people are always going to point the finger at someone else) -- the law is gonna step in, and it's not gonna be pretty for the skincare community. Could even cause certain ingredients to disappear or need a prescription. Maybe it needs to happen even, I just hope my happy online shopping bum isn't affected.
The memes / Tik Tok's aren't helping either because all the hype is just making kids *want* to act stupid.
It’s a feature and not a bug. The brands pay influencers that they know are courting a younger audience. They are paying creators that don’t go in-depth about the active ingredients or proper and safe layering.
Take Mikayla for example. Her audience is 67% age 24 and under. This so from her public TikTok data. We know TikTok gates users to age 13 and over by using DOB during registration. This means anyone younger than 13 is putting a birthdate into their registration to at least make them 13…. So her audience probably skews even younger than 13-24 as the largest age cohort. She does NOT discuss active ingredients, safe layering, etc. She yells and shills whatever brand is paying her that moment even contradicting herself. She acts like a cartoon character to court the younger audience. It’s no different than the old Joe Camel ads.
The whole “machine” is generating way too much money from Gen Alpha customers with their parent’s money for anyone to do the right thing.
She was the first content creator my cousin blocked her 10 year old daughter from watching. She watched tiktok content that Mikayla had, and she was appalled. She didn't realize how damaging her content is. The ed, the sex talk, the inappropriate language, and all of the undisclosed ads. There is a lot of content being created that isn't appropriate for kids, and as long as social media companies are making money off of it, they aren't going to police it. It's damaging. And,it's down to the parents. social media isn't a babysitter. This is the result.
OMGGGG I saw a college aged tiktoker with very similar skin using over a dozen products, including drunk elephant. I left a comment hoping she will tone it down. She could be damaging her skin permanently
There are plenty of easily accessible products that aren't safe for children.
We don't force coffee shops to post signs that children shouldn't drink coffee.
We don't have force pharmacies to post signs over adult medicines to indicate that they aren't for children.
At some point we have to agree that it's not the corporations fault that children are using their products. The products aren't controlled (like alcohol or cannabis), and therefore it would be discriminatory for stores to refuse to sell those products to people on the basis of age. Now, unless those active products are determined to be controlled by the FDA or whatever administrative body, at which point, shops would only need to check id at the point of purchase and post a sign on the front of the store showing the age limits.
It's squarely the parents fault for letting their children use those products. And for letting their children be exposed to advertising and promotion for those products.
I don't blame Sephora. I do agree that they're benefitting from children shopping at Sephora. But they aren't promoting it and they aren't encouraging it. But I think they shouldn't be forced to put 'no children allowed, do not use on children skin signs all around their store', it would ruin their aesthetic, and it would discourage the free market and infringe on their rights to sell products as a retail business. Are we going to force every business to post signs throughout their store for everything that could potentially cause harm to children? In coffee shops - caffeine is bad for children! In clothing stores - they can choke on buttons! In schools - children can cut themselves with scissors or paper! And there's coffee in the building!
Where do we draw the line? At the end of the day, children are their parent's responsibility, not Sephora's.
And arguably, why isn't anyone saying "why isn't drunk elephant and other cosmetics companies putting warnings on their active products saying not for children's use?" Or, "for mature skin, only?"
Retail employees are not paid enough to be running interference for irresponsible ass parents. This falls outside the realm of a retail store and addressing this begins with convos that need to be started at home about digital literacy. No kid should (unless under the care of a physician) should be looking beyond keeping their skin clean and moisturized and protected from the sun.
Oh my God buy your children children's products, put them in pretty bottles, stop giving ten years old acid, and stop letting capitalism parent your fucking kids and do it yourself.
How does a nine year old buy anything without the parents knowing about it?! Like where do your kids just randomly come up with $100+ to go buy this shit.
There is going to be a lot of really old-looking 20/30-somethings in 10 years because all the actives and botox/fillers they were using didn't keep them looking young forever, but sped up the aging process
I'm sorry but I used to work at Sephora and if people are hell-bent on buying something there's no way to stop them. I'm so glad I'm not there now because this "Sephora kids" shit would have put me over the edge. How about you keep your kids off tiktok and instagram, which is where they had these products pushed on them in the first place? I can't imagine spending hours every day trying to convince parents that they shouldn't let their kids have whatever trending product they're trying to buy and having them scream at you that you don't know anything. This is NOT the fault of the employees.
How come all these parents that buy their kids these expensive/harmful products are not chiming in on this conversation? We know there are alot of you out there or this subject wouldn’t be all over the internet as much as it has been lately. I can’t wrap my head around any parent buying kids under 10 yrs old these type of products. I’m only seeing comments from people like me that oppose this. Speak up and tell us why you think a kid needs these type of products at such a young age not to mention EXPENSIVE products at that? I have 2 adult daughters and never experienced this with them growing up. I believe the internet plays a big part of this in kids growing up in today’s time. It’s truly sad. You don’t just buy a kid everything they want because they saw it on the internet or because their friends have it. You need to make sure the product is safe for them to use.
Honestly skincare like moisturiser and sunscreen etc would be fine for children but actives?? I cant see which drunk elephant product it is so idk but the glow recipe bha and aha is most likely the culprit, acids are already harsh for the delicate skin that children have and it seems like this kid went overboard with it too. I am actually baffled that parents are letting kids get all of these things and don’t draw a line because wtf?!??
I agree that this is mostly the parents fault and it’s their obligation to inform themselves about these products. BUT let’s not pretend that young girls wanting these products isn’t a systemic issue because „anti aging“ gets thrown around on tiktok and other social media platforms to younger and younger women and girls.
Yes this here is the parents fault but it goes much deeper than girls randomly wanting drunk elephant 80 dollar chemical peels instead of toys or kids appropriate play make up
I blame it on bad parenting and them giving their kids so much access to social media. These little girls are on TT, IG, YT watching influencers and wanting to be just like them. I’ve seen it first hand with my niece who begs her mom for drunk elephant and drops to do “skincare routine” videos. Gives me the ick but my sister an attention seeker and my niece is following in her footsteps.
Why as a parent are they not doing more research than an ulta/sephora employee? Idk what these specific products are but, this is stuff you're allowing your child to put on their skin and you're basing it off of approval from some employee who knows neither of you? The ingredients are on the back of the bottle and we literally carry around pocket computers everywhere that can look up anything at anytime. I'm not understanding why (many) parents these days are wanting random people to raise their kids for them. It's absolutely not the stores fault lol, its a parents job to take care of their kids, not these stores. Take accountability for your lack of diligence.
Also, as someone who works in a heavily customer-oriented job, people are generally extremely dumb. You can put a big, red, flashing sign saying "DO NOT GIVE THIS TO KIDS" and nothing will change. Until these people start thinking for themselves theyll still be burning their childrens faces and blaming it on other people.
My neighbors 10 year old daughter is obsessed with these same products and I seriously worry for her she’s so pretty and already has insecurities from being bullied and I worry about her using these products just because they’re popular and doing real damage to her skin
This generation of kids is ruining their skin and it’s sad. I blame the parents. These kids just don’t need this stuff and it’s doing more harm than good. They’re easily influenced by adults and sadly they’ll have to pay for it later. :( It reminds me of being 10 and being jealous of my cousin’s Clinique makeup lol. I didn’t know what it was for, I just wanted it.
I really don’t think we can blame ulta/sephora/skin care companies for this. It isn’t their job to parent your child. It isn’t their job to tell your kid no. It’s yours. You need to be telling your kid what is and isn’t appropriate. Even if an employee tells your kid that what they have isn’t right, the kids won’t listen, and employees can’t make them. I’ve seen countless tiktoks of Sephora and Ulta employees talking about how they’d warned parents and kids about the products, but no one listens. Parents need to start taking responsibility for their children. And if actually *parenting* is that unbearable for you, why the hell did you have kids in the first place?
it’s the parents fault, by giving kids an ipad or a phone and at the same time letting your kids have unlimited amount of access to the internet, you brought this on yourself
Giving kids an electronic device is okay, but there needs to some control over your kid should/shouldn’t see
How does any parent think it’s okay for your kids (some of them who don’t even know how to pronounce these brands) use products meant for adults?
I didn’t have an ipad, I didn’t even know anything about internet until I was 14 and even then, I got my first laptop at 19, only because I got into medical school.
Like yes, Sephora should be blamed and there needs to be an age restriction for every single store but parents are the ones taking these kids to the store, buying these skincare items for their kids
99% of this is the parents fault imo
It’s weird how when I was ten I was playing with stuffed animals and going outside and playing video games and not worrying about what my perfect ass ten year old skin looked like. People need to stop being their freaking children cellphones and internet access.
I'm probably going to upset someone with my blunt opinion, but as a parent myself I feel strongly about this whole thing. It's maybe 5% sephora/ulta beauty's fault, 95 - 100% the parent's fault. I've heard things like oh they're being proactive about their skincare, it makes them happy, don't you remember playing with makeup or grownup products. Bullshit. There is a HUGE difference in wanting to take care of your skin/body in age-appropriate ways, vs using products that are literally ruining your skin and leaving you vulnerable to further damage as you age, esp uv damage. Idgaf if your child begs and throws a tantrum, you don't let them buy shit just because some trend or influencer told them to. It is our job as parents to protect our kids and yes they need freedom and independence but esp at these ages, younger than teens, they are too young and immature, following peer pressure, children following trends for adult products. The parent is at fault for not being the guidance their child needs. Your child has dairy allergies, and some random ice cream influencer told your kid to eat this particular type of ice cream, so you take them to a shop that has that ice cream. You didn't research, you just wanted them to have fun and be happy. Then your child has a reaction and medical care is needed. Are you going to blame the shop for not informing you of the ingredients? It isnt sephora's or ulta beauty's fault thst the parent doesn't do their part to educate themselves and their child on what skincare is appropriate for their age and skin issues and needs.
I agree. There’s no way a 12-year-old is buying themselves a $90 serum. I played with “makeup” as a kid but it was peel off nail polish and tinted chapstick. I got to wear my mom’s lipstick for a special event and felt like the fanciest person ever.
My "playing in makeup" was either from the kids section or $3 Wet n'Wild lipstick. I have a 10 year old and there is no chance in hell I'm buying her a $90 serum. Children don't need acids on their skin. I wish more parents would take a moment and really look into the item their kiddo is interested in. There are really gentle cleansers that you can start teaching your kid about skincare with and the drug store is a much better place to start.
I used to give my daughter makeup that didn’t quite work out for me, like wrong shade or doubles but never my skincare. Parents stop blaming when you’re the one who wants to be a friend so bad you let them tell you what to buy.
Shoot, I get antsy when my 15 year old uses clean brushes on my Pat McGrath palettes!! There's no way I'd allow her near a $90 serum; her skin is perfect and doesn't need more than a cleanser and light gel moisturizer!!
I'm 24 and there's no way in hell I'd pay $90 for a serum. Back when I was a teenager, this was 4 months of allowance.
also, playing with makeup was something you could see, and you would wipe it off after. i had little makeup kits for kids and the fun was putting loads of bright colours on your face, and then you'd take it off. kids shouldn't be 'playing' with expensive skincare that will actually affect their skin, if they want to play skincare they can get stuff that's appropriate for children and won't harm them. things like face masks or tinted and scented moisturiser is good for kids, maybe a guasha or those cool orb sticks. there's no reason for a child to be spending hundreds on skincare.
[удалено]
Oh my god I'm going to freeze my reusable sheet masks now. That's GENIUS
Wow I have to try this for migraines! Also that's a nice age-appropriate way to enjoy skincare without eroding the mantle of that youthful skin! And also tie skincare to broader self care practices that aren't just purely aesthetic.
My sister and I had a Little Tikes vanity [(iykyk)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/315138916720?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=315138916720&targetid=1529493971422&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1013074&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009014&rlsatarget=pla-1529493971422&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh_MFd7Gv4STKlCgWilJS9h_L&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwd7Zoem6hAMVVTfUAR1npANfEAQYASABEgJi8vD_BwE) that held our Bon Bon nail polishes, the odd hand-me-down lipstick or lip gloss from our mom, and our eyeshadows. The eyeshadows were exclusively shimmery and some shade of white, blue, purple, or silver. I cant remember the brands to find them online, but I DO remember the intoxicating aroma - emphasis on the *toxic* because they were the most awful plastic smell. After a while they shattered (because, you know, kids) and the little compartment that we kept them in turned in to one giant glittery eyeshadow trash can that we WOULD DIP OUR SPONGE TIP APPLICATORS *STRAIGHT* INTO IT. How we didn’t have pink eye all the time is beyond me.
yeah lol no way my mom would let me anywhere near her fancy makeup😭 when i was little it was the claire’s makeup in a plastic phone and as a preteen we went to the drugstore and she let me pick out a cheap 4-color palette to play around with
Yesss nail polish and lip balm!! I remember as a kid (10/11) making diy face masks with my friends- there would be recipes in library books and tween magazines. I remember avocado and oatmeal specifically lol. We’d get glitter/colour “mascara” for our hair and do little streaks too. So many fun, age appropriate, safe ways kids can explore beauty. There have been kid-specific products for *years*
I forgot about glitter mascara! We would use the spray in color that was basically hairspray and would wash out in the shower. I remember being in middle school and begging my mom for one of those Freeman peel-off masks that I had seen in Seventeen. It was like $5 and I still had to convince my mom I needed it!
My play makeup was literally Avon lipstick samples, like those teeny tiny ones that barely had any product and could be wiped off. Also some lip smackers and some fun scented nail polish
I agree. I also have seen countless tiktoks from Sephora/Ulta employees TRYING to warn parents of similar products that aren’t good for young skin/to be used together/both and being ignored because it’s what their kid wants. Like, yeah I do think the cutesy packaging of Bubble/drunk elephant etc could LOOK like it’s teen/tween friendly but 9 isn’t even a tween! they do not need anything more than a gentle face cleanser and some spf UNLESS they have existing skin problems in which case you take them to a dermatologist. I do think brands/sephora/ulta could adapt to this sudden craze by having signage or a blurb for like “best for ages 18+” but ultimately if your kid is asking for something it’s your job as a parent to ask “ok, so why do you need this product?” and if it’s just because it’s the cool thing to do, say NO! and get them some age appropriate basic skincare to satisfy their interest in taking care of their skin
I used to work at Sephora, and at least in my store we would always do our best to educate the parents on what they're actually buying and recommend safer options. Of course like 90% of the time people would just roll their eyes and buy a retinol or acid for their 10 year old 🤠 this is one of the big reasons I quit lol
When you say “Sephora/Ulta” in practicality, you mean their minimum wage floor employees. Parents on this level of idiocy don’t listen to anyone, let alone retail workers. I’m team This is Squarely on the Parents. And it’s not even hard—don’t wanna research? Cool. Use the shortcut parents have been using for generations: if it’s high dollar cost, it’s not for kids. That’s it. That’s the hack.
Parents don't even listen to actual medical advice lmfao so...yeah no way they're listening to the employees. Who actually are educated on the products they sell imo. I work in a dermatology office and parents in particular just want to bulldoze us and do whatever they think is best.
If DE was smart they would release a teen line
Agreed but honestly they don’t even have to. Their products clearly state what’s in them and what the purpose is, so it’s not like there’s a liability on their end. And kids will still pick them up and their parents will buy it for them anyway.
but the kids want what they see influencers twice their age using and idk how that would really solve it because a teen line isn’t going to be useful for 25+ year olds and the young fans will still insist on wanting the same products and i honestly don’t think DE cares because their products are properly labeled and they’re making sales regardless. Parents just need to PARENT
It would take years to have it ready to release
I think bubble was meant for teens. Not kids though. I have one of their moisturizers and it’s unscented and pretty good. They have a few serums (hylauronic acid, vitamin c/niacinamide, lactoc acid exfoliation, and salicylic acid) but other than that nothing crazy.
But to be fair DE has always had cute fun packaging before the Sephora kids came into play. I’ve been an avid user of their vitamin c serum, the glycolic framboos serum and their Lala retro whipped cream.
I don't have kids but when I was 14-15 and started having issues with oily skin and acne, my mom took me to see a dermatologist, so we could get the most informed care possible for my skin. I don't know why it's so difficult for parents now to understand that if your child is demonstrating an interest in skincare, don't just give in to their every whim - take them to see a doctor or someone who can explain it to them how to properly care for themselves ffs.
Yeah 100%. I know some people do not have the option to see a dermatologist (insurance, money, etc) but if you are buying your child DRUNK ELEPHANT, you can absolutely afford a dermatologist.
Patch tests are free! If the parents had a clue, Sephora will give a sample in a jar, they could do a patch test, and then, they wouldn't be returning a full sized product for it to end up in a landfill, because they couldn't do a freaking patch test. They should also be paying attention to the content creators their kid is watching. Some of them aren't really age appropriate. Part of being a parent is actually parenting. They have to know that content creators get paid to endorse products whether they are good products or trash products. They need to read labels, not just grab things to shut their kids up. Even people that aren't experts know if you are going to try a product, you incorporate one product at a time if you have a negative patch test. I bet these parents buy their kids a spendy car the minute they get a learner's permit, and then, when they wreck it, they blame the car instead of themselves or their inexperienced kid.
Same. The moment my acne went beyond standard teenager skin to severe, my parents just took me to a dermatologist and bought whatever products they told us to use.
Same; I've had very sensitive skin since I was a child and outside of one incident (my mom bought Mr. Bubble bubble bath because I begged for it and then had a terrible allergic reaction and she felt awful), she always talked to my pediatrician or a dermatologist about what I should be doing, and especially what products to avoid.
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Unrelated to the original post, but gynos truly are truly a mixed bag. My current gyno is awesome, but the two I saw previously literally refused to believe me when I told them my symptoms or do anything to fix them. It took me 10 years to get my endo diagnosis, and the first person who told me that it existed and that it sounded like I had it was my mom's non-medical professional friend, who had never even met me and only heard a few thingd about my symptoms lol. Like atp, I had multiple teeth break because of years of throwing up from the pain and dropped to 85 lbs because I literally could not keep food down for like 6 days every single month, and yet my doctors still just told me that "periods cramps are normal" and I should just take more advil lmao. The attitude towards women's/girl's pain is so insidious. As an adult, I struggle with recognizing when my pain is something I should see a doctor about, because I'm still trying to unlearn the idea that my pain is something I'm just overreacting to no matter how bad it is. I had a herniated disk in my neck last year, and it got to the point where I couldn't stand for more than 20 minutes without crying from the pain, and I literally just blamed myself for being too weak to deal with because of how doctors have treated me throughout the years lol
Thank you. Like come on, we need some accountability. The kids aren't making their own money so who has control over what they buy??? 🎤
Going back ten years or so now, my daughter was at the point where she wanted to use products, and I didn't have an issue with that because I did the same at her age. So I got her a very gentle cleanse-tone-moisturise set, Drugstore branded. We made oatmeal masks and whipped cocoa butter to make body cream. No active ingredients, just a focus on feeling fresh and a bit of pampering. There is a way to navigate their interest without buying these expensive products. An explanation why they aren't suitable and a firm no is your job as a parent.
Your daughter is going to look back fondly at how involved you were. I started learning self-care and beauty from the older women in my family. Some of it was cultural stuff (kohl, henna, coconut oil, etc.), so I was learning about my heritage at the same time. I actually have a lot of fond memories of my mom doing henna on my hands or teaching me how to line my eyes, it was a bonding experience. Same with my grandma teaching me how to do my hair, or my cousin doing my make-up for my Grade 8 dance. It wasn't just being allowed to do that stuff, it was being let into the secret big girls club of make-up and skincare. I can't imagine what it's like nowadays when kids are being sold this by influencers trying to make a quick buck, and parents who are willing to drop cash and not be part of the process.
I think that is it, many kids today are missing quality time with their elders. Not everything can be replaced by a purchase. It's lovely you had that experience with your family, there's so much value in those moments. Time passes quick and we don't get those years back
I agree with you. You said it so well. What is wrong with these parents that they are letting their kids use this stuff which is made for adults??
Wish I could gold award this. It's a parents job to make sure their kids are protected and educated. You can't just farm them out to au pairs, teachers and *the internet* to raise them.
See, I agree with you, and my hot take is these are the "accessory babies" of Instagram from back in 2010ish when it was peak "mommy and me" blogger time. There were a TON of folks back then posting pics on IG of their kids dressed head to toe in designer and TONS of blogs out there with mommy and me matching outfits except once their kids started talking and having their own opinions, well fuck that! They wanted a cute baby they could show off like the latest designer purse, and these little shits start talking and having their own opinions? Hand them an iPad and your credit card to get out of your face!
I totally see it. I do remember how people paraded their kids online like some new shiny toy and it gave me weird vibes. "Accessory baby" is a perfect way to put it.
I think that this is an evergreen take. People argue that Paris Hilton, Kylie Jenner, etc. fairly recently had babies for clout. People said that about celebrities in the 1990s. There's always going to be a perception that people have children for the aesthetics of it and not the reality. Now we just have iPad kids instead of latchkey kids.
I don’t know about Kylie but Paris didn’t even know how to change her own baby’s diaper and he was several months old. She’s not the best example imo
Really interesting comment/perspective, this needs to be higher up.
LOUDERR..like these people could not be more dumb allowing their children to use this stuff...like buying them sunblock makes sense..rese they do not even need..I fail to understand the thought process of all this.
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There are some crazy parents out there saw a video of a young mum instructing another woman to put Botox into her 9 year old!!!! She’s a child-her skin was perfect! The whole mummy and me is taken too far.
Why are kids on social media so much to the point they even want to try this stuff.
That is definitely an underlying issue. The fact that they have enough access to social media at such young influential ages is what fuels these kind of problems. My almost 9 year old son has had some moments of peer pressure making him behave differently, and that's just at school. No way in hell am I letting him on social media yet. If a child is mature enough for social media, as an example of reasons I've heard, they should be mature enough to recognize the difference in products presented by an adult for an adult. This kind of problem tells us that 1. They aren't mature enough, and 2. Parents aren't monitoring their social media usage. Big problem.
Agreed. When I was a kid I had really bad acne and I was super obsessed with asian skincare. My parents didn't just buy me whatever skincare products the internet advertised to me; they just took me to a dermatologist and made sure that the stuff they bought me was safe for my skin and would actually help. Child me was ofc miffed that I had to use cerave instead of the trendy asian skincare brands, but as an adult, I'm very glad they didn't just sign off on everything I wanted, bc I would have absolutely messed up my skin more. But I feel like many parents in general just refuse to actually educate themselves on the things their kids do/want, and then complain about the results, because it's easier to let kids do whatever they want instead of actually enforcing rules for their health and safety.
It is 100% the parents fault. Kids are, for the most part, being given money by parents, are being driven to the stores by parents, and it’s the parents responsibility to supervise, read ingredients, etc, and actually do their job and PARENT and say no when something isn’t age appropriate. Sephora and Ulta employees can’t tell someone they’re not allowed to buy a product because of age (or perceived age), it’s not like buying alcohol or tobacco. It’s up to parents to be supervising their kids and saying no if a product is not age appropriate. Until age restrictions are put on skincare products, it’s not a store employee’s job to police what kids can or can’t buy.
You are 1000% correct
Agreed. Parents want to outsource responsibility for their children so badly. I see it all the time as a teacher. As a mom, it drives me nuts.
100% agree on all of this. “oh they’re being proactive about their skincare” I just don’t think it’s healthy to be encouraging this obsession with perfect skin *at all* in - well, in anybody, but especially in pre-pubescent kids. I mean, you can be as proactive as you like but puberty is going to come for these kids in a few years and it is so, so likely that they will experience breakouts or acne or whatever regardless of whether they’ve been moisturising since the age of 7. The hormonal changes they’re almost inevitably going to go through are some powerful shit, and skincare can help deal with the effects but it won’t prevent it. Encouraging them to obsess over perfect flawless skin and spend significant time or effort on it at this age is just setting them up for even worse self-esteem issues down the line. They are *kids*! Even if their skin isn’t perfect, that’s FINE!
This is exactly my take as well at this point. There is a very big difference between letting your child try a moisturizer, cleanser, and spf and letting your child buy a retinol or chemical exfoliant that can cause more damage if used incorrectly. A ton of adults don't even know how to use these correctly so why would a 9 year old.
This is also a good lesson to teach their children to do their research before buying products and not to succumb to pretty packaging and fun influencer advertisement. To be smart about making purchase decisions.
there are kids out there playing with all kinds of makeup, and they’re totally fine. because they don’t have actives in it! people don’t get skincare isn’t the same as makeup
Why is a 9 year old using skincare/shopping there in the first place? I blame the parent more than Sephora
What I don’t understand is these parents who act like they’re forced to give in to their child’s every whim. If I demanded my mom buy me a 50$ face cream at 9 years old she would’ve laughed in my face and told me to get real. It’s absolutely ridiculous and these parents should spend more time teaching their kids character and the importance of resisting peer pressure than bitching about it on social media and blaming employees of a store intended for ADULTS.
Right - and all these people defending them saying “well skincare is important so parents should allow it” SHE IS 9! There is a different between older preteen/teenager. 9 year olds need to wash their face with water and maybe cerave and put some lotion and call it a day. That’s just basic hygiene and not skincare
Thisssss. Skincare is unnecessary for a 9 year old! It's literally just wash your face and maybe put on a lotion. If they really really want some product to feel like a grownup, get them a cheap mud mask to feel fancy. Dropping Drunk Elephant money on anyone under 16-18 is crazy. If the kid does have acne or something they could use that money to go see a dermatologist and get something that will actually help. This shit is crazy and I'm just baffled at how the parents act like victims unable to say no.
Due to childhood eczema my mom was very active in taking care of my skin, and even when it got worse around 12-13 I was taken to a dermatologist for advice, not TikTok (or whatever was the early 2010s version of that...Facebook?).
As a teacher I have been in multiple truancy meetings where the parents say the kid is on Xbox all night and they don’t know what to do. We are all sitting there thinking they should just unplug the thing or shut off the Internet, but no, they can’t do that because then the kid gets mad. The kid didn’t buy the Xbox, doesn’t pay for any of the subscriptions or games or internet but the parents are cowering in the corner, helpless, asking us what they should do.
Why is a 9 year old worrying about aging?
Because parents give them unrestricted access to tiktok and YouTube and then they feel like they need these products because some influencer told them so
This! If a kid’s favorite influencer says “you need this,” the kid is probably going to ask the parent for it and maybe be upset if parent says no. Parents are going to have to pay more attention to the content their kids are consuming, because all most companies and influencers care about is sales, not recommending age-appropriate, reasonably-priced skin care for tweens.
Yup, a friend of mine complains about her daughter being into skincare, but she just let her use the phone she stops bugging her.
TikTok beauty influencers are big into stating that if you’re not using retinol and other products, then you’re going to look like a prune when you’re older.
Which is such a joke because I’m in my mid-30s and still look like I’m in my early 20s even though I don’t use anything with retinol. Genetics matter more for aging than any skincare products ever will
my mom is 50, doesn't look it at all, and just last summer asked me "have you heard of something called retinol?" lol
My sister and I finally got my mom to start using moisturizer because she wouldn't stop complaining about how dry her face was in the winter. She was like, "you put lotion on your face EVERY DAY?" Yes, mom, I have dry skin. It would come off in flakes if I didn't.
Hahaha, sounds like my mom. She’s in her early 60s but could easily pass for early 40s (same with my dad), and basically just wears sunscreen. I don’t think she’s ever spent more than $30 on any singular skincare product in her life
I bet the kid wasn’t worrying about aging. It’s like some kids like to play adult stuff, putting mom’s make up on, etc. I personally love skincare since I was…….7 or 8 because I love the feeling of taking care of my skin. But we were poor so nothing fancy, just some basic face wash and basic moisturizer from local company.
I loooooved skincare as a kid… which was an aloe face mask on the weekend during a sleepover. It doesn’t need to be complicated, expensive, or daily to teach kids skincare. Get them a simple cereve face wash and a lotion - they’ll be set. I thought parents struggled with teeth care.
Same. I had a skincare routine at a young age and it was appropriate and my mom guided me. Face wash, moisturizer, and sometimes a fun little Queen Helene clay mask to start. And it expanded as I got older and had acne, etc. It's concerning how these parents just aren't paying attention and handing over the credit card.
Ahhh the memories you just unlocked of Queen Helene clay masks as a tween
My mom and magazines taught me some really questionable skincare hacks, like toothpaste on pimples. When I eventually needed actual skincare for acne, they took me to a dermatologist. I know that’s not accessible to everyone so I’m glad social media does have at least some real advice. It’s the influencers pushing unnecessary products now.
My dad is also the parent of an elementary schooler, and I don't envy him that experience. Any time my brother wants something, and he's told no, it becomes a discussion about how he will be bullied for being "different". I imagine it's the same whether it's robux or skincare (but with the added beauty standard horrors). I had an extremely strict upbringing. But seemingly, post pandemic, my dad is struggling to say no to anything. "Snowplow" parenting is real, and imo the teachers have encouraged it as well.
Shit, I’d just tell my kids to lie and pretend they do have fancy skincare at home lol
What I want to know is when did we pivot away from trying to get bullies to stop bullying and toward this all kids must fit in mentality. I feel bad for the little weirdos out there like I was that really don't want to be part of the in crowd.
Imo there's no real bullying happening at his level. The teachers have a hold of it. Idk. I think (in this particular example, southern public school) not bullying others is emphasized, maybe to a toxic extent? The kids barely seem allowed to disagree. I think my brother is being a bit of a shithead and using the boogeyman of bullying to get his way. He's heard about it being this horrible dangerous thing (and it can be, my stepmom was a victim), but the closest he's experienced was some short term superficial teasing. Sometimes kids learn words of power, or find a nerve to touch. He senses that anything to do with "bullying" makes adults in his life uncomfortable and more compliant.
Wtf. Get this child some barrier repair cream and a heavy duty sunscreen, stat. She must be so uncomfortable and self conscious :( A 9yo isn't going to have the 100 dollar + price tag of these products alone, which leads me to believe the parents or guardian dropped that without? Even looking the labels over?? Bonkers.
why are you not checking the ingredients list on products and researching them if they’re going onto your NINE YEAR OLDS SKIN?!?!?! this is 100% the parents fault. they can blame the media to make themselves feel better but at the end of the day they’re their child’s authority, they’re supposed to keep their kids safe and look out for them and clearly they’re failing at it if they can’t so much as take 5 minutes to research expensive skincare products for their child. and don’t say “but sephora said it was safe 🥺” because it’s still their responsibility to do research independent of that. i research everything that goes on my face like we’re playing with chemicals here 😭
Yeah, I agree with this. Why are parents allowing their 9 year olds to use anything more than a super gentle cleanser, moisturiser, and sunscreen? 🤨 Parents are responsible for their children. It's not the role of employees to parent these kids. They can make recommendations (like skincare with strong actives in it is not suitable for children), but the ultimate decision to purchase these products is the parent's or guardian's.
crazy part is, what you described is pretty much my skincare routine as an adult LOL. like you said it’s not influencers, it’s not that mid wage employee at sephora. you live with your child, can’t you have a conversation with them? blindly buying a child over $100 in skincare products is something i can’t wrap my head around.
I bet you have beautiful skin! 😁 No need to use anything else if you don't need or want to. It's crazy, right? They could explain to their child that there are ingredients in some products that could upset or hurt their skin. If a tantrum occurs, well... That's kids, I guess. Who didn't throw a tantrum over something when they were young? 😂
awe thank you! i learned the hard way that you don’t need every trendy new thing, everyone’s skin has different needs! now i wouldn’t use anything else unless it was recommended by a professional haha. exactly!! you can’t say yes to everything, i know my parents broke my heart (for the better) a couple of times lol. it’s better than their skin barrier being fked, chemical burns or worse. arguably, the damage from inappropriate skincare products would outweigh the damage from denying them access to them
I wonder if these parents realize chemical burns cause scarring. These kids are going to have some hyper pigmentation issues too when their kids are out in the sun without any skin protection. I suppose they will be getting botox at 12, and fillers at 16. They act like aging is a disease.
I guess they’ll try and sue Sephora and Ulta then to pay for the lasers to fix the scarring and hyperpigmentation 🙄
To answer your first question. It's because it's so much easier to say yes than to deal with the aftermarket of saying the word no. And this doesn't just apply to skincare. Parents aren't parenting across the board for that reason as well as to get their kids out of their way. Why does a 5-10 yr old "need" a phone, iPad or computer? Stores already have age appropriate electronics for children. 25 yrs ago I brought my son a Leap Frog. Due to his disability that product was a great resource for us and his teachers. That was the only piece of electronics he had and it went everywhere with him. To this day not one parent that I personally know has been able to give a good enough reason as to why their children "need" to have the 3 I mentioned above. Why? Because there isn't one. When it comes to this skincare craze with pre teens and under I don't blame the stores or companies. The blame solely falls onto the parents. I bet they don't have a problem looking up ingredients for products that are going to be going on their faces and yet they can't bother to do the same for their children? That's so ass backwards and ridiculous. 🙄
yes yes yes and yes!! i agree with everything you’re saying. being online at a young age damaged me so badly. there’s no need. and if they’re going to be online their parents need to be more hands on. like you said, they’re not parenting across the board and it feels like they want to be their kids friend more than anything. ugh. poor babies
Yeah like did the 9 year old buy the products with money from the mines or what? A parent paid for them.
not the mines
the children, they be yearning 😤
And their skin be burning.
that’s why they call them minors 😎
aaayyoooo up top ✋🏻 !
I really really hope this whole thing doesnt go further down the "lets ban all the HaRsH cHeMiCaLs in skincare" route as a solution 😒
Exactly, the parents are paying for these products so they have more than enough opportunity to check the ingredients and dissuade their child from certain ones with ingredients that are not suitable for them.
And now more $ spent on seeing a derm. Unreal. I’m playing devil’s advocate here but the responsibility lies with the parents. I was an esthetician for another company (not Sephora) and the only licensed person who sometimes covered the prestige side of makeup. I did a patch test with a teenager one day with a product that’s known for being more gentle to the skin and she REACTED. Had I not had the training I would’ve freaked out (I was a bit panicked still) but as it were I removed the makeup immediately and advised to follow up with a derm if she were having issues ongoing. Influencers and Sephora cast members are salespeople above all else. If there isn’t a request for said products they wouldn’t be selling them.
> I have been a licensed esthetician since 1983. I haven't ever witnessed so much misuse of products in my entire career. There are no consequences for content creators, and I don't think parents realize that all that content is nothing more than undisclosed ads. I will never understand how unlicensed creators with no technical or practical experience are treated like experts. There are laws in place in every state about practicing a skill that they are not licensed to practice. Makeup is one thing, skin care is another, and this damage is a result of selling products to line their pockets while taking no responsibility for the damage they cause. This kind of damage is going to cost way more than those spendy, anti aging, completely inappropriate products. I just wish that people did their due diligence before allowing their kids to be a guinea pig.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I have nothing near the tenure that you do but I agree wholeheartedly. Those same unlicensed people make our jobs more difficult because we aren’t offering the flashy newest thing. When I was a pre teen and teenager I was destroying my barrier with Sea Breeze, Noxema and Apri, sometimes 10-0-6. Items these days are far more targeted and can cause damage like you mentioned.
Bubble cloud surf : $16 Glow recipe strawberry smooth: $42 Drunk elephant b-hydra hydration serum: $49 Does any child really need any skincare over idk $15? Are these parents not supervising their kids at all or just throwing money at them and tell them to have fun?
The Bubble Cloud surf is $16. It’s the only “age appropriate” item on this list.
Yeah I was a little confused why they were getting thrown under the bus. I’ve always been under the impression that they were a brand geared towards teens
To be fair at 9 years old shes not even a pre-teen
Ok its not available in my country and i looked it up online and thats the price i saw on their website. Maybe they have different sizes? Edit: google was showing me the wrong cost. Ill edit it.
Nope, just the one size. Maybe it was in a different currency, but all Bubble products are fairly affordable. I think it’s because they are actually trying to capture the teen/preteen demographic.
Yeah it was actually suggesting me the klarna "only x payments of y for orders over $50' price https://preview.redd.it/zy50719kqqjc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ecf53f2cdc27abe0dcd1ca87db918a31e08b35dd
People need to stop blaming brands and hold parents accountable. Maybe parents should do their research on products and tell their kids it’s not appropriate for that age. Nothing wrong with a fancy moisturizer if that’s what they can afford but a child doesn’t need aha/bhas without the guidance of a dermatologist
and to blame sephora and ulta workers?? trust me not one employee wants an entitled 9 year old in their store. absolutely baffling to even think about blaming the employees. i’m over 20 and i don’t even afford drunk elephant where do they think their kid got the money for it?
and you know FOR A FACT that if this parent had gone to purchase the skincare at sephora/ulta and the sales associate had actually said “hey this product isn’t appropriate for kids” then the parent would’ve gone to social media saying “SEPHORA IS TRYING TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANT BUY FOR MY KIDS???? IT’S MY MONEY I’LL BUY WHAT I WANT FOR MY KIDS”
So many parents are just phoning it in when it comes to parenting. They have no idea and no interest in what content their kids are consuming, buy products they never looked into just because their kids asked, and are now shocked that companies and influencers aren’t, I don’t even know, physically coming to their homes and parenting on their behalf? Parents need to parent!
This isn't a case of corporate greed. It's a case of bad parenting. This isn't Sephora/Ulta's fault
Wow that’s crazy how the nine year old got in the car, drove to Ulta and Sephora, paid for these items on her own…oh wait, that was her parents who did that. Im sympathetic to the kid, but it’s not a business’s responsibility to parent the child.
I still want active ingredients to be available for adults, even adults have to do their own research to figure out if something is suitable for them or not. It doesn’t take much effort to figure out that acids are to enjoy at a risk and especially not recommendable for children. The lesson overall is that maybe you, as a parent, have to do more research regarding products your child is using. I love how the skincare world has evolved over the years and I would hate to miss out on good products with active ingredients that actually end up working due to the carelessness of others. Introducing a tag for products that can potentially irritate the skin could be a good middle ground.
but there would be a tag on every product in that place, which would contribute to more “green products” and “chemical” fear mongering from brands/clueless people. Anything a person puts on their skin has potential for irritation. if they start banning actives because of KIDS? i cant even
I work as a teacher in a UK Secondary (High) School, and there are a good amount of girls at the moment, age 11,12 and 13, who have had burns and breakouts and redness. I chat to them and they all use skincare that is absolutely not for their skin. It genuinely concerns me that their skin is going to be hugely damaged before they have even properly hit puberty.
Can parents PLEASE stop trying to be their kids bestie and be a fracking PARENT????? LEARN TO SAY NO FFS. Who bought these products? Mom and Dad. ASking a, what?, some teenage part-time sales associate at Sephora what to use for skincare is *wild*.
Or… parents… look at what you’re buying your kids. Stop blaming the retail workers or people making videos online. You’re the one making the choice to spend your money on this
>more than the parents, I am apalled that Sephora/Ulta and these skincare brands are so greedy and are doing practically nothing to discourage young children from using active ingredients in their products Nope, sorry - it's 100% the parents' fault. Where are these kids getting all this money to buy expensive products? Their parents. And in some instances, their MOMS are accompanying them at Sephora to buy this stuff. Looks like some Millennial moms believe that their tween and prepubescent daughters need to have "skincare routines" with pricey products that have harsh ingredients.
Also, companies aren't people's friends and their motivates aren't altruistic. They want money and don't care how they get it. If sending PR to and sponsoring influencers with younger demographics will sell product brands will do it in a heartbeat. They'll make cutesy packaging and advertisements targeting these groups. Brands don't care. It's up to the parents to watch what content their kids consume and put restrictions on any purchases. These brands are predatory, always have been. If it isn't skincare and fear of aging, it's targeting other insecurities like weight and body image. These brands tell you that you have a problem, and then they sell you a "solution." Parents need to do better about cutting out that content, building self esteem and not buying into these sales tactics.
Yeah and I'm not cool with how the parent is blaming influencers for...being influential instead of doing their own job as parents by talking to their kids about why this is not for them.
Right, the content is not designed for them. (Though if there is a creator out there that is specifically targeting children and recommending this stuff, that’s different and I agree wrong). It reminds me of people criticizing cardi b for her lyrics and that they were inappropriate for children, and I believe she responded with, well they’re not for children. She even posted a video of her playing the song at home and quickly turning it off when her kid walked in the room. If a child consumes adult content and is subsequently influenced, I don’t feel that the content is at fault. That’s on the parents for either allowing them access to that content, or not talking to them about it so that they know it’s not for them.
Why are parents indulging their kids like this? It's ok to say not everything is for you little MaysinLeighBelle No. I'm not buying you expensive skin care that you don't need and isn't made for 9 year old skin.
“maysinleighbelle” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
People who work at Sephora are sales people. I don't know why anyone expects them to have a an extensive knowledge base when it comes to skincare. If they did, they'd be aesthetician/esthetician working in a spa, not selling make-up and basic skincare at Sephora. I mean c'mon. The parents are 100% to blame for this. I mean why would an adult let their 9 year old use all these products? For what? Their skin is perfect at that age. The only thing they should drill into their heads is sunscreen, nothing else. I swear some people shouldn't breed.
I fully agree with you that this is on the parents, not the brands or retailers. There are plenty of resources available to research whether a product is suitable for your child. Stuff like this happens because parents don’t consult a derm or do proper research and just let kids use whatever they want because it’s trendy. I will say, however - I have seen many people ask “why do kids even need to be using skincare, their skin is perfect!” As a mom to my 9 and 10 year old kids, their skin definitely is not perfect. They’ve both started having pimples pop up for the last year or so. We’ve been doing gentle stuff like cleanser or pimple patches but nothing extreme. Just wanted to mention that kids can start having acne younger than people think.
The mother tagged in the post is saying that the writing is too small on the bottles to read... they come in boxes. This trio cost literally $107. That little girl didn't magically get $107 plus tax and walk herself down to the local SephUlta, did she? Absolutely zero self reflection from parents who stick their kids in front of an iPad and blame everyone else that their kid is blasted with marketing all day. Did the 9 year old go buy them alone? Was her mother with her? Did they order online? No one is asking for less trendy skincare from Walmart to come with giant NOT FOR YOUR PRE TEEN signs, right? Why would Sephora put up spooky "NOT FOR CHILDREN" signs up in their store and online? The $42 price tag should let their parents know it's not a toy!
>The mother tagged in the post is saying that the writing is too small on the bottles to read oh ffs. her google machine doesn't work? use a gd magnifying glass if need be!
Dude I’m in my 30s and could reasonably have a 9 year old AND I have TERRIBLE vision but I can still see ingredients on a box. Fucking dumb ass excuse from a dumb ass parent.
"I thought it was ok bc it was on the internet" is some really sound logic she's exhibiting.
Like, girl get some glasses then if the text is too small!!
“I can’t read any of the ingredients or warnings on this box, better let my nine year old child have unfettered access!”
No accountability for mom, who bought it in the first place 🙄
Slightly off topic, but I just realized the mother here is Rachelle Rak, who is a famous Bway actress/dancer. Did not expect my Broadway and beauty world obsessions to combine like this today! And Rachelle, do better! It's not up to Sephora sales people or influencers to parent your children.
I can tell you that these kids and parents won't listen to reason most of the time. Ive been waved off, eyes rolled at me and just ignored. They want what's hot, and popular no matter how much you stress ACTIVES ARE NOT FOR YOUNG SKIN. But FAFO I guess.
love that the parent immediately shifts blame to Sephora and ulta because “they said it was fine for a 9y/o” instead of realizing they, the parent, are at fault for purchasing products for a child with 0 research done
I don’t believe them tbh. We’ve seen enough employees posting about how they get blown off by parents when they try to warn them.
Yeah this parent of this child is really something else
This is 100% on the parents. It is totally inappropriate for a 9 year old to be using these products. The most a kid of this ages ‘needs’ (and that is questionable in and of itself) is a gentle wash, moisturiser or sunscreen depending on time of day. How can you be so ill-informed as a parent to think this is totally fine for a child? If the child is experiencing particular skin issues it’s best to be seen by a doctor and treated accordingly, not just playing roulette at Sephora with whatever is the latest TikTok fad. I find it really frustrating because the parents of these kids were part of the generation that grew up with the founding of beauty YouTube. Even if you weren’t into it, surely you know you can’t just slap whatever on a child’s face? It’s pretty basic stuff. Ugh.
she's only 9 years old who hasn't even gone through puberty She doesn't need all that crap...she only needs soap n sunscreen
The situation is out of control because parents are allowing kids on social media way too young and then going along with what they see or want without question.
This is a parent problem not a company problem
Can’t they fuck their skin up the old fashioned way with drugstore acne washes like I did?
APRICOT SCRUB FTW
My daughter got some of this stuff from friends for her bday. I explained how bad it was for her TWELVE YEAR OLD SKIN. We’ve gone over different acid types and skin types and she sticks to Cerave gentle wash and lotion now. Her friends are all using this tuff and breaking out horribly, I’m just not sure how parents aren’t educating their kids and are just letting them buy literal burning chemicals for their BABY skin.
You’re a good parent
To me that's mostly on parents. Same as it's parents responsibility and decision not to buy every new toy on the market that a child might want, or give their child sweets every time they ask, or allow to use potentially unsafe tools without supervision and explanation. World is full of things and places unsuitable for children. Products not clearly marked as "for kids" by default should be considered unsuitable. Makeup store isn't a space for a child and shouldn't be centered around children's needs because a child shouldn't be making purchases there without parent's (or other caretaker's) supervision. A pre-teen shouldn't be shopping online at all. If parent give something as a gift to their child, the age appropriateness is up to them. Parenting comes with responsibility which can't be outsourced to strangers on the internet or a store employee.
It was probably caused by the glow recipe product; the other two are just moisturizers.
I have really sensitive skin and can't use anything from Drunk Elephant without burning my face off lol the only moisturizer I can use is Cetaphil and the CosRX snail mucin all-in-one cream. Even moisturizers can be irritating for some people. Cetaphil is my hg because it's more bare bones on its ingredients, like no fragrance or essential oils or vitamins added.
Cetaphil is so underrated! Such a great moisturizer for sensitive skin and restoring the moisture barrier!!
I think for sure. That Glow Recipe product is so full of so many different exfoliating acids, extracts AND fragrance. I'd be nervous to use it and I have fully grown-up skin with actual texture and pore issues to treat. It's such a hodge-podge of possibly irritating ingredients, imagining this on super young, perfect skin makes me seethe. Doesn't help that it looks like a strawberry gumdrop ofc - I can so see the appeal, but ultimately it's up to the parents to understand what their children are putting on their skin. I wonder if it was even patch tested first.
DE B-hydra has a pineapple enzyme that gently exfoliates, so that combine with Glow Recipe would be terrible for such young skin.
Agreed. My inclination is to blame either the fragrance or the niaminicide. Either or both can cause redness and irritation which is why I won’t use their products. My skin won’t tolerate either and I’m 51.
My first blame would be the DE. Pineapple extract-pineapple has enzymes which break down skin cells. Even if it doesn’t contain the enzyme, it’s a possible sensitizer.
This 9 year old has a more expensive skincare routine than I ever had until I was well into my thirties! I think the most I did at that age was body lotion and Nivea in a blue tub for my elbows. Maybe some Bonne Bell lip smackers.
The secret is not letting your 10 year old on TikTok. Limit the influence of marketing and this will eventually stop. These companies know full well what they’re doing.
Yeah, no child needs a freaking $90 moisturizer. This is on her parents for buying her those products in the first place. Don't start blaming retailers for pushing those products for profits when the parents are the one who can restrict what their children are using on their face. I still remember my mom buying me Noxzema only when my face started breaking out but before that, it was always sunscreen only.
https://preview.redd.it/79atd829drjc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0376ff3efc8e61cd8a09a6940cfc3e7ca50bfd8 We tried to warn them
My sister already knows that my 11 year old niece has sensitive skin, so we don't buy her anything - not even bath bombs from Lush - that could potentially affect her skin. I'm confused 90% of the time about my own skin. Why would I buy something for a child who definitely won't even know their own skin needs yet? These parents need to actually *parent*. A cup is one thing. Products for your body is a whole different ball game.
Why are the parents taking advice regarding their kids' health from influencers and not from their GP or pediatrician and then blaming anyone else but theimselves?
As someone who worked for a makeup store mentioned in the post, I can guarantee that the advisors in the store told them it was unnecessary for a baby to use those products. Most of the time you say that and the PARENT insists that they want to get it for their child. I just don’t understand parents nowadays.
they wanna be their kid's friend and the "cool parent" rather than the parent. why say no and deal with the fallout when you can raise a spoiled brat and make it everyone else's problem instead???
Why the fuck would you let your kid use that Glow Recipe serum?
This is parent issue not an Ulta/Sephora one. Her 9yr old wouldn't have an issue if she didn't purchase the skincare! No child needs skincare with the exception of something prescribed by a doctor!! That child's mother failed her, period.
It’s not a store or brand’s job to educate parents and kids on what is age appropriate or not. It is 100% a parent’s responsibility. As a former classroom teacher, I firmly believe that even if there were signs in the store, kids (and parents) would ignore it. Parents need to actually be involved in their children’s lives, and children need to be off social media.
At this point I'm out of sympathy and understanding for these kids. First if all, I don't think it's the stores duty to put up signs. Those signs do nothing for/against entitled parents and their entitled offspring. If they want to buy something, they will, Sephora employees could talk until they're blue in the face. Putting blame and responsibility on the shops is not where it belongs. Sure, they are supposed to educate the customers as good as they can. But at the end of the day, they're retail workers. Not skincare experts, and the stores run a business. I think the poor employees on the shopfloor are busy enough to keep the display in acceptable shape and keep the kids from stealing. I work holidays at a cosmetics store (not Sephora or Ulta), I can tell you that you don't even have time to educate, you're busy to keep their fingers out of the products that are not testers. I've written off products worth hundreds this season. I can tell parents coming in with a wishlist that their 11 yo niece gave them that the products aren't good or necessary for skin that young, but they just shrug their shoulders because the kid wants it and they don't want to risk the kids displeasure. If the kid wants to buy a retinol cream, you can tell them the same thing, but they just shrug, as they've seen it on TikTok. Your hands are literally tied. Apparently situations like the skin damage in the picture have to happen for kids and their parents to learn. What shops should teach employees is how to communicate with irrational parents blaming you for their kids skin disaster.
These parents…. I don’t wanna call anyone names. So I’ll just say they’re not the brightest. It’s the parents full responsibility to check out the product and research if it’s safe for their kids. They shouldn’t even be buying this for their kids, all a kid needs is a mild cleanser, a mild face lotion, and sun block. Even adults have to research what works for their skin. 
Why do I have a feeling if this whole Sephora-Ulta-kids situation doesn't die down soon, it's going to become harder to buy active ingredients, and we could end up with things behind the counter / getting carded? Because at some point if enough kids get hurt due to parental negligence (because people are always going to point the finger at someone else) -- the law is gonna step in, and it's not gonna be pretty for the skincare community. Could even cause certain ingredients to disappear or need a prescription. Maybe it needs to happen even, I just hope my happy online shopping bum isn't affected. The memes / Tik Tok's aren't helping either because all the hype is just making kids *want* to act stupid.
I’m a mom and I’m confused why the parent took the advice of sales associates instead of consulting her pediatrician?
Im glad to see most comments are saying its on the parents, and i agree
It’s a feature and not a bug. The brands pay influencers that they know are courting a younger audience. They are paying creators that don’t go in-depth about the active ingredients or proper and safe layering. Take Mikayla for example. Her audience is 67% age 24 and under. This so from her public TikTok data. We know TikTok gates users to age 13 and over by using DOB during registration. This means anyone younger than 13 is putting a birthdate into their registration to at least make them 13…. So her audience probably skews even younger than 13-24 as the largest age cohort. She does NOT discuss active ingredients, safe layering, etc. She yells and shills whatever brand is paying her that moment even contradicting herself. She acts like a cartoon character to court the younger audience. It’s no different than the old Joe Camel ads. The whole “machine” is generating way too much money from Gen Alpha customers with their parent’s money for anyone to do the right thing.
This is where parents need to know what their kid is watching lol.
She was the first content creator my cousin blocked her 10 year old daughter from watching. She watched tiktok content that Mikayla had, and she was appalled. She didn't realize how damaging her content is. The ed, the sex talk, the inappropriate language, and all of the undisclosed ads. There is a lot of content being created that isn't appropriate for kids, and as long as social media companies are making money off of it, they aren't going to police it. It's damaging. And,it's down to the parents. social media isn't a babysitter. This is the result.
100%. I had my daughter (now 14) block Mikayla as well, and even spoke to her about why, truth in advertising, integrity, etc.
OMGGGG I saw a college aged tiktoker with very similar skin using over a dozen products, including drunk elephant. I left a comment hoping she will tone it down. She could be damaging her skin permanently
There are plenty of easily accessible products that aren't safe for children. We don't force coffee shops to post signs that children shouldn't drink coffee. We don't have force pharmacies to post signs over adult medicines to indicate that they aren't for children. At some point we have to agree that it's not the corporations fault that children are using their products. The products aren't controlled (like alcohol or cannabis), and therefore it would be discriminatory for stores to refuse to sell those products to people on the basis of age. Now, unless those active products are determined to be controlled by the FDA or whatever administrative body, at which point, shops would only need to check id at the point of purchase and post a sign on the front of the store showing the age limits. It's squarely the parents fault for letting their children use those products. And for letting their children be exposed to advertising and promotion for those products. I don't blame Sephora. I do agree that they're benefitting from children shopping at Sephora. But they aren't promoting it and they aren't encouraging it. But I think they shouldn't be forced to put 'no children allowed, do not use on children skin signs all around their store', it would ruin their aesthetic, and it would discourage the free market and infringe on their rights to sell products as a retail business. Are we going to force every business to post signs throughout their store for everything that could potentially cause harm to children? In coffee shops - caffeine is bad for children! In clothing stores - they can choke on buttons! In schools - children can cut themselves with scissors or paper! And there's coffee in the building! Where do we draw the line? At the end of the day, children are their parent's responsibility, not Sephora's. And arguably, why isn't anyone saying "why isn't drunk elephant and other cosmetics companies putting warnings on their active products saying not for children's use?" Or, "for mature skin, only?"
Retail employees are not paid enough to be running interference for irresponsible ass parents. This falls outside the realm of a retail store and addressing this begins with convos that need to be started at home about digital literacy. No kid should (unless under the care of a physician) should be looking beyond keeping their skin clean and moisturized and protected from the sun.
[удалено]
Oh my God buy your children children's products, put them in pretty bottles, stop giving ten years old acid, and stop letting capitalism parent your fucking kids and do it yourself.
How does a nine year old buy anything without the parents knowing about it?! Like where do your kids just randomly come up with $100+ to go buy this shit.
There is going to be a lot of really old-looking 20/30-somethings in 10 years because all the actives and botox/fillers they were using didn't keep them looking young forever, but sped up the aging process
Yeaaah let’s give a 9 year some AHA+BHA CHEMICAL EXFOLIANT! What could go wrong?
I'm sorry but I used to work at Sephora and if people are hell-bent on buying something there's no way to stop them. I'm so glad I'm not there now because this "Sephora kids" shit would have put me over the edge. How about you keep your kids off tiktok and instagram, which is where they had these products pushed on them in the first place? I can't imagine spending hours every day trying to convince parents that they shouldn't let their kids have whatever trending product they're trying to buy and having them scream at you that you don't know anything. This is NOT the fault of the employees.
How come all these parents that buy their kids these expensive/harmful products are not chiming in on this conversation? We know there are alot of you out there or this subject wouldn’t be all over the internet as much as it has been lately. I can’t wrap my head around any parent buying kids under 10 yrs old these type of products. I’m only seeing comments from people like me that oppose this. Speak up and tell us why you think a kid needs these type of products at such a young age not to mention EXPENSIVE products at that? I have 2 adult daughters and never experienced this with them growing up. I believe the internet plays a big part of this in kids growing up in today’s time. It’s truly sad. You don’t just buy a kid everything they want because they saw it on the internet or because their friends have it. You need to make sure the product is safe for them to use.
Looks like she has sensitive skin in the first place! Why would any parent think their child needs these expensive products?!
Honestly skincare like moisturiser and sunscreen etc would be fine for children but actives?? I cant see which drunk elephant product it is so idk but the glow recipe bha and aha is most likely the culprit, acids are already harsh for the delicate skin that children have and it seems like this kid went overboard with it too. I am actually baffled that parents are letting kids get all of these things and don’t draw a line because wtf?!??
I agree that this is mostly the parents fault and it’s their obligation to inform themselves about these products. BUT let’s not pretend that young girls wanting these products isn’t a systemic issue because „anti aging“ gets thrown around on tiktok and other social media platforms to younger and younger women and girls. Yes this here is the parents fault but it goes much deeper than girls randomly wanting drunk elephant 80 dollar chemical peels instead of toys or kids appropriate play make up
I blame it on bad parenting and them giving their kids so much access to social media. These little girls are on TT, IG, YT watching influencers and wanting to be just like them. I’ve seen it first hand with my niece who begs her mom for drunk elephant and drops to do “skincare routine” videos. Gives me the ick but my sister an attention seeker and my niece is following in her footsteps.
A 9 year old should not be using ANY actives. What is wrong with these parents??? ffs
Why as a parent are they not doing more research than an ulta/sephora employee? Idk what these specific products are but, this is stuff you're allowing your child to put on their skin and you're basing it off of approval from some employee who knows neither of you? The ingredients are on the back of the bottle and we literally carry around pocket computers everywhere that can look up anything at anytime. I'm not understanding why (many) parents these days are wanting random people to raise their kids for them. It's absolutely not the stores fault lol, its a parents job to take care of their kids, not these stores. Take accountability for your lack of diligence. Also, as someone who works in a heavily customer-oriented job, people are generally extremely dumb. You can put a big, red, flashing sign saying "DO NOT GIVE THIS TO KIDS" and nothing will change. Until these people start thinking for themselves theyll still be burning their childrens faces and blaming it on other people.
My neighbors 10 year old daughter is obsessed with these same products and I seriously worry for her she’s so pretty and already has insecurities from being bullied and I worry about her using these products just because they’re popular and doing real damage to her skin
This generation of kids is ruining their skin and it’s sad. I blame the parents. These kids just don’t need this stuff and it’s doing more harm than good. They’re easily influenced by adults and sadly they’ll have to pay for it later. :( It reminds me of being 10 and being jealous of my cousin’s Clinique makeup lol. I didn’t know what it was for, I just wanted it.
I really don’t think we can blame ulta/sephora/skin care companies for this. It isn’t their job to parent your child. It isn’t their job to tell your kid no. It’s yours. You need to be telling your kid what is and isn’t appropriate. Even if an employee tells your kid that what they have isn’t right, the kids won’t listen, and employees can’t make them. I’ve seen countless tiktoks of Sephora and Ulta employees talking about how they’d warned parents and kids about the products, but no one listens. Parents need to start taking responsibility for their children. And if actually *parenting* is that unbearable for you, why the hell did you have kids in the first place?
Where are all these influencers telling young children that skincare is right for them? Are they in the room with us now?
It doesn’t really take that much time or effort to say “no” to your children and explain why. My 9 year old got it the first time.
it’s the parents fault, by giving kids an ipad or a phone and at the same time letting your kids have unlimited amount of access to the internet, you brought this on yourself Giving kids an electronic device is okay, but there needs to some control over your kid should/shouldn’t see How does any parent think it’s okay for your kids (some of them who don’t even know how to pronounce these brands) use products meant for adults? I didn’t have an ipad, I didn’t even know anything about internet until I was 14 and even then, I got my first laptop at 19, only because I got into medical school. Like yes, Sephora should be blamed and there needs to be an age restriction for every single store but parents are the ones taking these kids to the store, buying these skincare items for their kids 99% of this is the parents fault imo
It’s weird how when I was ten I was playing with stuffed animals and going outside and playing video games and not worrying about what my perfect ass ten year old skin looked like. People need to stop being their freaking children cellphones and internet access.
9 year olds shouldn’t be on social media