I’m on a video call with my cousin’s 10-year-old daughter, Layla. She is wearing a black leotard and a pink tutu. She has her hair up in a high ponytail, sitting cross-legged in her dad’s desk chair and chatting excitedly with me. What’s the topic? beauty. I recently gave Layla an advent calendar that included bath bombs and lip gloss. She loved it so much that she told me she couldn’t wait and opened all her little doors at once. She was able to share “me” and it warmed my heart.
I’m interested in Layla. As I continued my conversation with Layla, she told me that she loves making her homemade avocado and honey face masks and explained that she makes them because she can’t afford skincare products. There’s a wholesomeness to her enthusiasm for Leila’s self-care. She explains that she wants to keep her beautiful skin even into her teenage years. But her enthusiasm feels completely out of step with the global army of teenagers looking for highly active skin care products for their prepubescent skin. In case you don’t realize it, tweens are shopping by storm, greatly influencing their parents’ purchasing decisions at the very least, and leaving a trail of product testers in their wake. The term “Sephora Kids” has been circulating on social media for a while now. Check out the hashtags on TikTok. A movement of 8- to 12-year-olds is taking over French brand Sephora stores around the world. So why on earth would teenagers buy anything other than tinted lip balms and bath bombs? And even though these active ingredients are completely unsuitable for children’s skin, skinfluencers (yes) , I cringed as I typed that word), why would we advise teenagers to buy retinol? And is it ethical for companies to capitalize on the tween beauty trend? As we listen to the ongoing debate among consumers, we wondered how brands are responding. At the end of the day, the potential for economic return is what makes good business no matter where the market is, especially considering that tweens are the next generation of consumers. The teenager personal care products market is expected to grow by AUD 8.81 billion from 2021 to 2026, at a steady annual growth rate of 6.5%. A study by marketing agency Razorfish found that more than half (51%) of Gen Alphas (i.e. those in their 20s) first learned about the brand through his YouTube videos. If you’re playing in a market that has the power to attract teenagers, you might be looking at these numbers with money signs in your eyes. So I decided to approach three major Australian brick-and-mortar retailers who know how much teenagers love to play with their products. None of the retailers agreed with the comments. Take what you want from this. Drunk Elephant Takes on Social Media Controversy over tween beauty has thrown several beauty brands into turmoil. Drunk Elephant is a brand that is and has been at the forefront. As word spread that tweens were using the brand’s active skin care products, Drunk Elephant decided to take steps to control the narrative. In December, at the peak of holiday gifting, when girls around the world were putting Drunk Elephant on their Christmas wish lists, the brand posted on Instagram that Drunk Elephant products are safe for use by children and teens. ” posted a list. The post advises, “It’s best to avoid strong products that contain acids or retinol. Their skin doesn’t need these ingredients yet.” However, the post was interpreted as a call for further scrutiny from the public, with comments such as “No child needs skin care, but unfortunately social media is making them think they do” and “A post on Instagram… This is not due diligence.” When asked about this on the “Gross Angeles” podcast, Texas-based Drunk Elephant founder Tiffany Masterson replied: Masterson seemed pleased with the brand’s newfound attention, saying, “I’m very honored and privileged to be able to appeal to such a wide range of people.” He said. Asked by Ad Age earlier this year whether the move was intentional, Masterson denied targeting children. “The answer is no. We have never tried to target children in any way, and we never will.” However, in the same interview, she told Kim and Kourtney Kardashian that their daughter He also confessed that he sent the product with a note with his name written on it. North West and (Kim Kardashian’s niece) Penelope Kardashian are arguably the world’s biggest tween influencers, boasting a combined 23.6 million followers on TikTok, and coincidentally, shortly after Drunk Elephant skin care. They shared the routine to their accounts. A huge marketing success for the brand. Intentionally? Well, you decide. I came across a post by my aunt who was looking to buy her 12 year old niece something “nice”. Immediately afterwards, I was flooded with responses from mothers and aunts who had experience with this very game. I was flooded with warnings to avoid becoming “the old lady who buys Drunk Elephant skin care from 12 years ago.” Other posts from mothers with kids the same age recommend Sol de Janeiro, Laneige Rip Her Mask, Frank Body Scrub, and Glow Recipe Face Wash, and advise that MCoBeauty makeup will make your niece smile, too. was doing. As I thought about the thread of replies, I thought of little Layla. Maybe I won’t be able to be the cool aunt, but I decided to buy her a toy nail care set instead. I thought Sephora would wait.