Walk into Sephora or Ulta today, and you’ll see something no one expected.
🚨 10-year-olds swatching $50 foundations.
🚨 Middle schoolers with full carts of Drunk Elephant and Dior Lip Oils.
🚨 Pre-teens asking for anti-aging serums like they’re seasoned skincare pros.
This isn’t just a trend—it’s a retail takeover.
Little kids are treating high-end beauty stores like playgrounds, and brands aren’t stopping them.
But should they?
Let’s break down the beauty industry’s youngest (and most unexpected) new customer base.
Why Are Little Kids Shopping at Ulta & Sephora?
A few years ago, the beauty consumer was clear-cut:
✔ Teenagers getting into makeup.
✔ 20-somethings investing in skincare.
✔ Adults maintaining long-term beauty routines.
Now? The demographic has completely shifted.
💄 Elementary school kids are buying high-end beauty.
📢 TikTok has turned luxury skincare into a social currency.
💸 Parents are funding these mini-shopping sprees.
What changed?
- 1. Social Media Made Skincare & Makeup Entertainment
A 10-year-old doesn’t wake up one day and think, I need a $75 peptide serum.
But after watching Get Ready With Me (GRWM) videos on TikTok?
They know exactly what’s trending, what’s “aesthetic,” and what their favorite influencers use.
✔ Glow Recipe for the dewy look.
✔ Drunk Elephant because it’s all over TikTok.
✔ Dior Lip Oil because every influencer has it.
And just like that? Skincare is no longer a necessity—it’s a status symbol.
2. Luxury Beauty Is the New Playground Must-Have
Kids used to beg their parents for:
❌ Toys.
❌ Trendy sneakers.
❌ The latest iPhone.
Now?
They want Sephora gift cards, high-end skincare, and cult-favorite lip glosses.
💡 Luxury beauty has become a flex.
It’s not just about having a skincare routine—it’s about having the brands that everyone recognizes.
And at school? The Sephora haul is the new social currency.
3. Parents Are Footing the Bill
The biggest reason little kids are taking over beauty retail?
💸 They’re not paying for it.
Parents are:
✔ Handing over credit cards for skincare hauls.
✔ Taking their kids to Ulta and Sephora as a “fun day out.”
✔ Letting kids treat beauty like a toy aisle.
Many parents see it as harmless fun.
💡 “If it makes them happy, why not?”
But should we really be normalizing $300 beauty routines for 10-year-olds?
The Problem: Kids Are Using Skincare They Don’t Need
It’s one thing for kids to experiment with lip gloss.
It’s another for tweens to have full-fledged anti-aging routines.
🚨 Retinol at 10 years old? A terrible idea.
🚨 Exfoliating acids for pre-teen skin? Unnecessary (and possibly damaging).
🚨 Luxury moisturizers? Most kids don’t have dry skin.
The harsh reality?
❌ These kids don’t need these products—but they’re using them anyway.
Instead of letting their skin develop naturally, they’re overloading it with actives.
And when their barrier gets damaged from too much exfoliation?
Guess what? They become even bigger customers.
How Sephora & Ulta Are Handling the Tween Takeover
Let’s be real—retailers aren’t stopping this.
If anything, they’re cashing in.
✔ They’re happy to see kids flooding the stores.
✔ They’re welcoming this new demographic without question.
✔ They’re leaning into the trend without taking responsibility.
Because at the end of the day?
💡 If 10-year-olds are willing to drop hundreds of dollars on skincare, why would retailers stop them?
But there’s a bigger issue here:
Is beauty retail built for kids?
Or are we just letting them turn luxury beauty into a playground?
The Bigger Picture: What This Means for the Beauty Industry
The Gen Alpha beauty boom is both a goldmine and a crisis.
✔ Financially, it’s a win.
✔ Long-term, it raises serious concerns.
Here’s what happens next:
1. Brands Will Get Even Younger With Their Marketing
Right now, brands aren’t directly marketing to kids.
But they don’t have to.
✔ Drunk Elephant’s pastel packaging? Kid-friendly.
✔ Glow Recipe’s fruity aesthetic? Feels like a toy brand.
✔ Sol de Janeiro’s candy-scented body care? Feels made for tweens.
💡 Brands will lean into this without officially admitting it.
And Sephora & Ulta? They’ll continue to let it happen.
2. The Luxury Beauty Experience Will Shift
High-end beauty once felt aspirational, exclusive, and adult.
Now?
💄 It’s becoming mainstream for tweens.
📢 Retail stores feel less like beauty hubs and more like middle school hangouts.
📉 If the luxury beauty space feels too young, will adults move on?
If Sephora doesn’t manage this shift carefully, their core audience may start shopping elsewhere.
3. The Industry May Have to Step In
Right now, no one is regulating this.
❌ No rules on selling anti-aging skincare to kids.
❌ No guidance on ingredient safety for younger skin.
❌ No conversations on the long-term effects of this trend.
But if the tween beauty boom leads to actual skin damage, expect:
✔ More dermatologists calling out unnecessary product use.
✔ Brands forced to clarify what age groups their products are for.
✔ Retailers facing pressure to set age restrictions on skincare.
The question is:
💡 Will beauty brands and retailers regulate themselves—before it becomes a problem?
The Bottom Line: The Sephora & Ulta Kid Takeover Isn’t Slowing Down
Luxury beauty has never been younger.
✔ Little kids are shopping high-end beauty like never before.
✔ Retailers are embracing this new customer base.
✔ The beauty industry is shifting—but is it for better or worse?
At what point does a fun beauty shopping trip turn into an industry-wide issue?
And if 10-year-olds are this deep into beauty culture now, what does that mean for the future of beauty?
Because one thing is clear:
💡 Sephora and Ulta have changed forever.
And no one saw it coming.
