Anti-wrinkle cream for eight-year-olds: doctors are concerned

The trend mainly focuses on products from the French brand Sephora, which is why the trend gets its name: Doctors warn of the health and psychological consequences for the ‘Sephora Kids’.

In the clips, eight- to 12-year-olds pose in front of mirrors with their hair tied back and imitate makeup tutorials by showing off their new cosmetic products.

Prominent Beauty Influencers Test “Sephora-Kids”
Just like prominent beauty influencers, the ‘Sephora kids’ test products from luxury brands, such as moisturizers for €76 (70 euros). “How can these little girls spend so much on skin care?”, a Sephora saleswoman responded to the children’s clips on Tiktok.

Dermatologists do not believe in using creams and lotions on children’s skin. Ingredients such as retinol are completely unsuitable for this. American dermatologist Danilo Del Campo sees the consequences in his practice. “The number of doctor visits due to skin reactions caused by incorrect use of products has increased,” he says. “Many of the influencers are more trusted than doctors. And most parents are not aware of the risks.”

Lack of self-esteem
The doctor is not only concerned about the damaged skin. Some girls also suffered from low self-esteem. “They think they have to correct cosmetic defects that aren’t actually there,” Del Campo said of his experiences with the children.

The saleswomen in the Sephora stores are also not happy with the new young customers. In videos they show vandalized dressing tables with spilled products. The company, which belongs to the luxury group LVMH, did not respond to questions from the AFP news agency.

Psychoanalyst: TikTok trend not an innocent game
Some mothers consider their girls’ videos as a harmless game. Psychoanalyst Michael Stora, who specializes in online behavior, accuses parents of giving their children fetishes with such videos. The girls in the videos “don’t play with dolls like you would expect at their age – they are the dolls,” he says.

Solène Delecourt of the University of Berkeley, California, in turn criticizes that the clips “contribute to a highly stereotypical representation of girls and women on the Internet.” Delecourt conducts research into social inequality and published a study in the journal Nature in February showing that online images reinforce gender bias, especially against women. The ‘Sephora Kids’ videos make them even more concerned. “This is not about women, but about little girls who are already subject to these strong social pressures,” says Delecourt.