At what age did you start to swap your Barbies for beauty products? Maybe at 15? 16? If you’re of the millennial variety, your early skincare routine was probably just soap, water, and maybe whatever drugstore moisturizer your mom had lying around. Fast forward to 2024, and we’re facing a new reality: 10-year-olds are storming Sephora with the fervor of 20-somethings on payday. But why are preteens treating themselves to $40 Drunk Elephant serums instead of playing dress-up?

Today’s 10-year-olds are no longer the glitter lip gloss connoisseurs of our youth. No, these kids are stocking up on Glow Recipe’s latest serum and arguing over the benefits of niacinamide like they’re estheticians with years of experience. And they have the receipts—well, their parents do actually…

This epidemic of preteens-turned-skincare-gurus is fed by a niche yet wildly influential group: Gen Alpha influencers or “Sephora Kids.” These are kids who, instead of playing house, are making “get ready with me” videos that feature seven-step skincare routines complete with serums, masks, and anti-aging products. What’s the irony here? They’re barely a decade old—with skin as fresh as a dewy morning.

Beauty stores like Sephora and Ulta have seen a surprising demographic shift. Once the stomping ground of makeup aficionados and skincare enthusiasts aged 18 and up, they’ve now become playgrounds for tweens who test samples with impunity and even worse with sticky, unwashed hands. Picture it: a sea of middle schoolers swarming the aisles, dripping product from testers, and leaving glittery fingerprints on every highlighter palette in sight.

Store employees have been left playing defense, trying to protect pricey products from the siege of enthusiastic preteens who’ve swapped playgrounds for product swatches.

But here’s where this trend turns from a playful “aww” to an “uh-oh.” The problem isn’t just the sudden surge in Sephora’s tween traffic; it’s what these young skincare devotees are doing to their faces. With social media glorifying “luxury” and “self-care” through aesthetic videos and over-filtered influencers, kids are picking up routines meant for skin damage control—not prepubescent perfection.

Think retinol—yes, the holy grail of anti-aging—being applied to faces that haven’t even seen a pimple yet. Or vitamin C serums slathered on kids who have yet to encounter dark spots. And don’t get me started on exfoliating acids. These products, designed to combat signs of aging and environmental stressors, are overkill for a 10-year-old.

According to dermatologists, introducing these potent products too early can disrupt the skin barrier, lead to irritation, and potentially cause long-term sensitivity issues. In other words, by the time Gen Alpha hits their teenage years, their skin might already need actual repair—ironically, from the ‘care’ they’ve been lavishing on it.

It’s easy to blame the influencers, but let’s not pretend parents don’t have a front-row seat to this show. A full-sized jar of La Mer doesn’t just waltz into a 10-year-old’s room unannounced. So, why aren’t parents stepping in? One part of it is likely the desire to keep up with trends, even through their kids. Social media has turned parenting into an arms race of “look at what my kid has” moments. If Sarah’s 11-year-old can flaunt a mini-fridge stocked with The Ordinary serums, so can yours.

To make matters even worse, a good deal of these “Gen Alpha Influencer” accounts are actually run by parents themselves. Yep, they are not only funding these Sephora shopping sprees, but they’re active participants.

Social media is shaping Gen Alpha’s beauty standards in ways that would make even the most trend-obsessed millennial’s head spin. The overexposure to high-end skincare has turned these kids into mini-beauty moguls, often at the cost of their still-developing skin.

Until parents, influencers, and brands take a hard look at this trend, expect to see more 10-year-olds at Sephora—fighting over the last tub of Glow Recipe.

Till next time, be wickedly wonderful.