Sephora, known for its high-end and diverse makeup and skincare products, has been a staple store for many women for years. Recently, it’s been documented that it has now reached a younger audience. This new phenomenon has become a meme and a talking point on social media, especially TikTok. Videos titled “Storytime about the Sephora 10-year-olds” and news headlines titled “‘10-year-olds at Sephora Controversy” have become increasingly common. Questions about these young girls and their new trending interests have swarmed the internet. Why are they spending hundreds of dollars on skincare products they don’t need yet? What happened to kids buying Claire’s eyeshadow palettes and drugstore makeup?

“Enter the world of premium beauty brands like Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and others better suited for older people. These brands are known for their high-end, potent formulations, often packed with harsh active ingredients such as retinol and chemical exfoliants,” Teen Magazine said.

Preteens, especially those below 10, should not use these creams too early on sensitive skin. Using these products too young can be damaging and have long-lasting adverse effects. The “anti-aging” creams can thin out young skin and can be more susceptible to UV rays. 

“The concern here is twofold: not only are these products becoming less accessible for adults with genuine skin concerns, but there’s also the risk of young children using these products incorrectly and causing irreversible damage to their skin,” Mudia Ighile wrote for The Tenn Magazine.

The younger crowd has also been reported to be mishandling the samples and being rude to Sephora employees and other surrounding customers.

“Displayed behavior such as overusing or destroying makeup samples, several anecdotes of adults facing rude behavior from children and their overall strand and uncanny nature of seeing a 10-year-old searching for the same concealer shade and exfoliant cleanser as say a 27-year-old woman,” The Teen Magazine said.

The question now is, why are 10-year-olds suddenly so obsessed with skincare and makeup? Is it a parenting issue, or is it because of social media? 

“Preteens are bombarded with influencer-sponsored advertisements and step-by-step tutorials for makeup and skincare products unlike generations past; communication with friends is often on camera or via social media,” USA Today said.

The result, mental health experts say, is a generation of children with unprecedented levels of anxiety and self-esteem issues. 

“Social media influencers are expanding their target group, so there’s a lot of pressure for kids to fit in and figure out what’s trending to feel connected with their friends much earlier than they need to be feeling that,” said Sonia Rodrigues,psychotherapist and senior director of Child and Adolescent Services with Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care in New Jersey. 

Even without social media, young kids are still exposed to makeup on TV. As the younger generation uses TikTok and social media, people have found that there need to be more age-appropriate resources.

“It’s so hard even to find appropriate clothes for this age group when developmentally, they’re just trying to figure out where they fit in,” Rodrigues said. “There’s a lot of identity issues happening in those preteen years.” 

Despite the negatives, there are some positives of this ‘10-year-old takeover’ in Sephora stores.

“I like going to Sephora because I love makeup, and it makes me happy,” an anonymous local Medea Creek Middle School student wrote.