Sweden Is Cracking Down on 'Sephora Kids'
In an effort to address concerns over Gen Alpha's increasing preoccupation with their appearance, Swedish drugstore giant Apotek Hjärtat has banned under-15-year-olds from purchasing anti-aging skincare products.
The new rule — which will be enforced at Apotek Hjärtat's approximately 390 locations across Sweden — encompasses "advanced skin care" products formulated with vitamin A (also known as retinol), vitamin C, peeling enzymes, and exfoliating acids like AHA and BHA. Exceptions will be made for under-15s who have parental consent, or a relevant skin condition.
"Using advanced skin care that, for example, aims to reduce wrinkles and get a more even skin tone is not something a child needs," Annika Svedberg, chief pharmacist at Apotek Hjärtat, told The Guardian. Svedberg added that the age restriction will encourage kids to build skincare routines "based on needs, not ideals."
CEO Monika Magnusson elaborated in a post on Apotek Hjärtat's Instagram: “We want to be ahead of the curve, and take greater responsibility for not being involved in pushing unhealthy behaviors and ideals that have grown up among many young people.”
Apotek Hjärtat's move comes amid spirited discussion of Gen Alpha's beauty-buying habits —namely, their consumption of pricey products, including anti-aging solutions, from brands like Drunk Elephant and Tatcha. The phenomenon has even earned its own headline-friendly nickname: the "Sephora kids epidemic," after adults' displeasure at the beauty retailer's increasingly diminutive clientele.
Of course, we can't blame kids for their desire to use adult beauty products. While 10-year-olds using anti-aging cream is certainly dystopian, these children are simply mimicking the appearance-related anxieties modeled by their elders.
