TikTok hype

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

(Bild: Screenshot/TikTok)

Little girls rave about moisturizer and beg their parents to buy them anti-wrinkle cream. Cosmetics videos by children are taking over TikTok, with thousands following primary school girls on the platform in the USA alone. 

The trend is mainly focused on products from the French brand Sephora, which is why the trend has its name: Doctors warn of the health and psychological consequences for the "Sephora Kids".

In the clips, eight to twelve-year-olds pose in front of the mirror with their hair tied back tightly and imitate make-up tutorials by showing off their new cosmetic products.

Celebrity beauty influencers test "Sephora kids " 
Like celebrity beauty influencers, the "Sephora kids" test products from luxury brands, such as moisturizers for 76 dollars (70 euros). "How can these little girls spend so much on skincare?" comments a Sephora saleswoman on TikTok about the children's clips.

Dermatologists do not approve of the use of creams and lotions on children's skin. Ingredients such as retinol are completely unsuitable for them. US dermatologist Danilo Del Campo sees the consequences in his practice. "Visits to the doctor due to skin reactions caused by the incorrect use of products have increased," he says. "Many of the influencers are more trusted than doctors. And most parents are not aware of the risks."

(Bild: Screenshot/TikTok)

Lack of self-esteem
The doctor is not only concerned about damaged skin. Some girls also suffer from a lack of self-esteem. "They think they have to correct blemishes that don't really exist," Del Campo reports on his experiences with the children.

The sales assistants in the Sephora stores are also not happy about the new young customers. In videos, they show devastated dressing tables with spilt products. The company, which belongs to the luxury group LVMH, did not respond to inquiries from the AFP news agency.

Psychoanalyst: TikTok trend not a harmless game
Some mothers see their girls' videos as a harmless game. However, psychoanalyst Michael Stora, who specializes in online behaviour, accuses parents of using such videos to turn their children into fetishes. The girls in the videos "are not playing with dolls as you would expect at their age - they are the dolls", he says.

Solène Delecourt from the University of Berkeley in California criticizes that the clips "contribute to a very stereotypical portrayal of girls and women on the internet". Delecourt conducts research into social inequality and published a study in the journal "Nature" in February, according to which online images reinforce gender-specific prejudices, particularly against women. This makes the videos of the "Sephora Kids" all the more disturbing. "This is not about women, but about little girls who are already exposed to this strong social pressure," says Delecourt.