“It’s so preppy in here!” Preteens and tweens have recently been influenced by creators online to buy brands such as Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, Sol de Janeiro, The Ordinary, Laneige, Rare Beauty, Summer Fridays, and so many more. These tweens and preteens are running a rampage in Sephora and costing their parents hundreds and hundreds of dollars.  Little do they know the damage these skincare products can cause to their skin in the future. According to some skincare experts, it’s okay for kids to use some skincare products such as sunscreen, moisturizer, and other creams, but they do not need anti-aging products, especially those containing retinol, that may contain chemicals that are too strong for young skin.

A lot of these products, especially Drunk Elephant and Glow Recipe contain active ingredients that can be damaging and irritating to young skin. These active ingredients include retinol and skincare acids, like glycolic acid and BHAs.

The preteens and tweens are also creating “skincare smoothies” which are a mix of different products. The popular skincare line even has recipe cards for mixing skincare products. According to the National Health Institute, mixing skincare products without the proper knowledge is dangerous, especially with ingredients like retinol and acids which can cause reactions when mixed with the wrong product. 

Drunk Elephant has gone as far as encouraging this skin care mixing saying it’s an alternative to layering the skincare products. For example one of the “skincare smoothies” they offer on their website comes out to about $156, and it only includes three products. Making a smoothie could work for some people, however some combinations could irritate the skin.

Another problem with this is the fact that kids are going into Sephora and making these smoothies with the testers. This leaves giant messes for the workers to have to clean up, and it is also a health hazard for customers. It is also just very disgusting for other customers who want to try the product and discover it’s covered with other used products.

“I really wish these kids and teens would do their research before coming into the store and buying all of these products with these harsh chemicals and ingredients,” Nicole, a Sephora at Victoria Gardens, said. “From my personal experiences, a lot of them have been just really rude and disruptive when we simply try to recommend them other products we think might be more suitable for their skin. Honestly, it’s just sad, like they don’t even know how much damage they’re causing to their skin.”

The makeup products that these young preteens are purchasing can come at very high prices.

For example the most popular Drunk Elephant product which is the Whipped Refillable Moisturizer rings up to about $62 dollars. Reviews for this product say that the price is so expensive for what you actually get. 

“It’s 62 dollars for an oily, heavy moisturizer that is anything but ‘nourishing.’ You get two months of product for 62 dollars! It’s crazily overhyped. Don’t even get me started on the refill. You get 3 dollars off,” a reviewer comment on the Sephora website said.

The problem with these expensive products is that many of these kids aren’t working a job, so they have no way to fund this monthly haul of skincare products. Usually, it’s the parents that either buy it without a second thought or hand their kids money to spend on whatever they want. 

Besides the fact that they’re damaging their skin, they’re also running wild in the makeup stores to get these products, giving the employees and customers a headache.

“Personally, I think that buying Drunk Elephant and like other trendy products is fine, like it doesn’t really matter what the Sephora workers think because I know what’s good for my skin and at the end of the day it’s my parents’ responsibility for those kind of things, not a random employee at Sephora,” Alta Loma Christian School 8th grader Violet S. said. “I will say that all of the running around and horseplay the kids are doing is wrong, but we are still kids, and growing up in this society and just being a middle schooler is hard enough. It doesn’t help that we are portrayed this way because it’s not everyone that’s causing problems.” 

Articles have been arguing if these products are necessarily “bad” or “good” for kids’ skin. For example, an article by beautyindependent.com states that the founding partner and chief creative officer Tiffany Masterson of Drunk Elephant replied to an Instagram post that was asking “Can kids & tweens use Drunk Elephant?”

“Yes!” However, she cautioned that teens and tweens should “stay away from our more potent products that include acids and retinols—their skin does not need these ingredients quite yet,” said Masterson as a reply to the Instagram post.

Overall skincare for kids is fine as long as it has gentle ingredients and the kids and their parents have done their research.