This summer, sunscreen and bug spray will not be enough for the following generation of skincare-obsessed tweens. The “Sephora Kids“” are so obsessive about beauty products that summer camps have taken measures to ban them from suitcases and cabins.
Lake Bryn Mawr Camp, a girls-only retreat in northeastern Pennsylvania, Camp Mataponi in Maine, and Tyler Hill Camp near the Pennsylvania-New York border are amongst several summer resorts that specifically advise campers and their families to not bring makeup brushes and face creams to camp. Business Insider reported. Camp Canadensis in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains has been monitoring camper trends through the years and sent parents a letter to organize them for coping with their kids’ latest obsession.
“While nail polish and sheet masks in limited quantities can be a fun activity to incorporate into camp recreational time,” the letter states, “we want to avoid turning ‘playing with skin care products and cosmetics’ into an activity.”
Parents have been pleased with the stricter measures taken at camps with regards to skincare. A couple of years ago, sheet masks became a trend amongst young people, a fad that soon evolved into multi-step beauty routines. Some parents complained that their middle school-aged daughters were using 20 kilos of products, including some that cost over $90 an oz. According to a report from NielsenIQ, U.S. households with 6- to 12-year-old children spent 27% more on skincare last 12 months than the 12 months before. Beauty has develop into a fixation of Generation Alpha. And it isn’t only a distraction from camp activities—it is a full-blown obsession.
“It has everything: retinol serums, masks, hyaluronic acids, eye creams,” said a parent of a 9-year-old camper insider“I’ve seen them walk by with makeup bags full of expensive products that I couldn’t even afford myself, like $40 blush and Dior lip oil.”
Beauty beyond the bunk bed
Skin care is definitely the newest trend amongst Generation Alpha, a demographic that seems to grow up quickly. The generation born between 2010 and today, now approaching their teens, is fascinated by beauty influencers and prone to brands related to status. Influencer beauty content online has not only contributed to sales of cosmetic products, but additionally encouraged Generation Alpha – who spend over two hours every week shopping online – to make use of their parents’ bank cards to buy popular brands.
“Whether we like it or not, many children are chronically online because they grew up with the Internet,” said Alex Popken, vice chairman of trust and safety at content moderation service WebPurify Assets“They have a higher level of digital literacy in navigating websites than their parents.”
In their online escapades, teens have stumbled upon products like Drunk Elephant’s polypeptide cream and The Ordinary’s squalane serum, which contain skin-tightening retinol and are intended for older adults who fear wrinkles. Skin care experts are skeptical of youngsters using these products, despite the fact that most should really just use cleansers, moisturizers and sunscreen.
“They don’t understand the function of the skin and that it’s not just this wall that you can throw anything against,” says dermatologist Brooke Jeffy told USA todayThe fight to persuade them otherwise is “a battle of reason – sometimes the words of their parents, mine or other doctors – against this huge beauty and social media industry.”
But concerned parents have reason to not panic, says Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a baby psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. As with any trend, it comes and goes, and Generation Alpha will likely jump on the bandwagon on what the Internet thinks will probably be interesting next.
“Sometimes we see things from an adult perspective. Children, for example, are probably attracted to skin care products because they think it’s fun and the products smell good – we panic that they’ll want anti-aging treatments next,” she says. told Today“We project our own adult fears onto them.”
