Tiktok and makeup, the disturbing children’s success of the “Sephora kids”

On TikTok they are known as “Sephora Kids”. They are girls between 8 and 12 years old who, encouraged by their parents, add millions of followers by counting their purchases of make-up and his routine “skincare”a trend that could ultimately affect its Physical Health and mental.

These girls, in many cases American, appear on the networks screaming with joy in front of a jar of moisturizing cream and “rejuvenating” or imploring their mothers to give them a concealer. “It’s the one I saw in the video, I want it, I want it!”says one of them.

In the same video, the girl appears in front of the mirror, wearing a makeup headband, imitating adult beauty influencers, pinching her lips or placing her face between her open hands. “The shine is too elegant, I love the result”says one of them.

There is controversy on the networks, especially about the price of the products and one of the girls’ favorite creams. “tiktokers” exceeds 80 dollars.

“How can these girls spend the equivalent of my salary on beauty products?”a Sephora salesperson in the United States asks on TikTok.

Employees of the brand, owned by the French group LVMH, also deplore the behavior of this type of customer and some videos show shelves destroyed after groups of girls passed through stores in the United States.

Sephora has not responded to AFP’s questions although the phenomenon seems to be limited for the moment to the United States, where one of the “Sephora Kids” The best known is North West, ten years old, daughter of Kim Kardashian.

According to a saleswoman at a chain store in Gare de Lyon, in the center of Paris, “We see more and more young girls, but they go with their parents and behave well.”

“Dolls”

The products promoted in these videos, despite being packaged in soft colors, contain aggressive substances such as retinol, intended for mature skin, experts point out.

“More and more children use adult cosmetics. “Many of the parents who come to the consultation do not even know that there is a risk and trust beauty ‘influencers’ more than their own doctor.”American dermatologist Danilo Del Campo tells AFP.

Lately, it has detected “an increase in consultations for skin reactions and problems derived from the misuse of these products (…) young skin is more delicate and more sensitive to irritation.”

The skin acts as a barrier and we must avoid damaging it with inappropriate products or exposing it too soon to the chemicals contained in these cosmetics, warns the dermatologist.

In his consultation, Dr. Del Campo has also detected “self-esteem problems in young children who feel the need to correct defects that do not even exist.”

On TikTok, the girls’ mothers claim that it is just a “game”. But according to Michaël Stora, a psychoanalyst expert in digital practices, “These girls don’t play with dolls as one would expect at their age, they are the dolls.”

Stora assures that the phenomenon was predictable in the current context in which children appear in photos and videos on social networks from their birth.

Solène Delecourt, a Berkeley professor and specialist in social inequalities, believes that these videos “can reinforce and perpetuate a very stereotypical representation of girls and women.” “They are not yet women but they are subject to intense social pressure,” point.