Key Takeaways:

• Connecticut requires Sephora to include warning labels for anti-aging products for children.
• Regulators cite influencer marketing driving unsafe skincare habits among minors.
• Global scrutiny grows as authorities challenge the beauty industry’s youth targeting.

Tweens shopping at Sephora in Connecticut will soon find warning labels slapped over the dancing watermelons and ballet-pink packaging of their favorite skincare products.

On April 20, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced that Sephora must adopt safeguards regarding the marketing of anti-aging skincare products to children.

The settlement follows an investigation that began after Attorney General Tong sent a letter to Sephora in November 2024 regarding the matter. In his letter, Tong noted that many of the marketed products contained active ingredients, including retinol and other acids that are often unsuitable for—and potentially even harmful—to children’s skin.

“Our kids—especially tween and teen girls—are inundated with influencer content pushing product after product loaded with messages about appearance, hygiene, and self-care. Not every product promoted online is safe or appropriate, and far too often, that information is not clear,” said Tong in a statement regarding the investigation's outcome.

Sephora cooperated with the investigation, which was led by Tong, Assistant Attorney General Tess Schneider, Legal Investigator Carly Smedberg, and Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section, and has agreed to all of the following enforceable terms: 

• Requiring all brands that supply Sephora with skincare products to provide the retailer with all warnings and disclaimers about the suitability of their products for children under the age of 13.
• Clearly and conspicuously disclose these warnings and disclaimers on all pages where such products are sold on its website.
• Requiring all employees who assist consumers to be trained to identify products that may not be suitable for children under 13 and to provide appropriate information regarding manufacturers’ warnings and disclaimers.
• Maintaining a resource, clearly and conspicuously disclosed on its website, that informs consumers about products that may not be suitable for children under 13.

“Today’s settlement with Sephora includes strong, enforceable measures to ensure young customers are seeking accurate warnings and information about the safety and suitability of products for young skin,” Tong added.

What is not clear from the press release is when these “enforceable measures” will go into effect, or whether these warnings will be required for all skincare products sold in Connecticut Sephora locations and online (as mentioned in the statement), or just those with anti-aging ingredients.

BeautyMatter reached out to Tong’s press office to obtain responses to these questions. A representative wrote in an email that it will be up to the brands to determine the appropriate warnings. When BeautyMatter asked whether Tong intended to extend this initiative to other Connecticut retailers, such as Ulta Beauty and Target, the representative declined to comment on “future potential actions regarding additional companies.”

Dr. Andrew Carlson, Division Head, Primary Care at Connecticut Children’s, noted in the statement that cosmetics potentially pose a threat to young children and that “strong acids can cause irritation and even long-term damage.” Dr. Carlson also stressed that accurate education about cosmetics is paramount. "It is important to help families understand that when it comes to kids’ skincare, simpler is often safer. Efforts like this do that and give parents and young consumers the critical information they need to make healthy choices.”

In an email, a Sephora spokesperson told BeautyMatter that the safety and well-being of customers is a top priority. "Following a cooperative review, we have reached an agreement with the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office regarding our skincare advertising practices. This does not constitute an admission of liability or fault. We remain committed to providing industry-leading product discovery, support, resources, and education in-store and online."

The settlement follows other global efforts to control the marketing of cosmetics to children. Just last month, Sephora was put under the microscope in Europe when the Italian competition authority Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) reportedly launched investigations into LVMH’s Sephora Italia and Benefit Cosmetics over “possible unfair commercial practices” relating to the advertising of products created for adults to children and adolescents.

AGCM claimed the companies (Benefit Cosmetics LLC, Sephora Italia S.r.L., and LVMH Profumi e Cosmetici Italia S.r.L.) encouraged consumers as young as 10-12 to make compulsive purchases of face masks, serums, and anti-aging creams. The authority believes this fuels the issue of “cosmeticorexia”—an obsession with skincare—among minors. AGCM also claimed that the companies used “insidious” marketing strategies involving very young influencers.

The growing number of investigations into beauty brands and retailers marketing to younger audiences could signal a global reckoning. As scrutiny intensifies, it’s clear that young consumers can no longer be treated as a spillover market for adult beauty. For Sephora, the agreement could mark a significant step toward compliance; for the wider industry, it could serve as a bellwether that transparency, age-appropriate messaging, and consumer safety are becoming nonnegotiable.