Key Takeaways:
The “Sephora Kids” express has hit an Italian red light.
The Italian competition authority Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) has 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 claims 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 claims the companies used “insidious” marketing strategies that involved very young influencers.
"The investigations were opened over concerns that important information—such as warnings and precautions for cosmetics not intended for, or tested on, minors—may have been omitted or presented in a misleading manner," AGCM said in a statement. The regulator emphasized that frequent use of a wide range of such cosmetics by minors without proper awareness can be harmful to their health.
A Long Time Coming
Italy’s intervention, whether its claims are found to be true or not, feels unsurprising and somewhat inevitable. The rise of the Sephora Kids phenomenon, powered by TikTok routines, influencer hauls, and sophisticated product positioning, has been shadowed by growing unease among dermatologists, parents, and regulators alike.
This debate centers on a crucial question: When does aspirational marketing become inappropriate targeting?
Brands say skincare is now self-expression and education for younger consumers. Many are facing the onset of acne, early puberty, and the social pressures of the digital world. Gen Alpha lives in a beauty-saturated ecosystem, and brands have met them with playful packaging, accessible prices, and influencer-led stories.
On the other hand, critics say the industry has blurred critical boundaries. Products formulated, tested, and marketed for adult skin are being normalized for children with little regard for long-term impact. The result, they argue, is not just premature consumption, but a reframing of childhood itself through the lens of correction, prevention, and “fixing” perceived flaws.
Italy’s investigation brings that tension into sharp regulatory focus. In Sweden, brands have come together to reduce the sale of skincare products with certain actives such as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), retinoids, and vitamin C to underage consumers. Many Swedish pharmacies now require customers to be at least 15 years old or have parental consent to purchase these items. While there is currently no national law in the country to restrict sales, voluntary industry action has influenced the changes.
Italy’s investigation sharpens the accountability question when it comes to brands marketing to younger generations in an online era: When marketing reaches children through their peers, the responsibility of brands, platforms, parents, and creators becomes paramount.
As retailers like Sephora are now cultural hubs for younger consumers, not just places for them to shop, they are falling under more acute scrutiny from the wider industry and concerned parents. The in-store experience once inspired discovery; now consumers and authoritative agencies are examining this space for how it shapes young shoppers’ behaviors and expectations.
Not the First Brand Under Scrutiny
As the Sephora Kids debate has peaked over the past 18 months, several other brands have been placed under the magnifying glass of responsibility. Drunk Elephant came under fire as a key brand fueling the rise of young shoppers tapping into active ingredients. Founder Tiffany Masterson previously defended her brand on the Gloss Angeles podcast, arguing: “So what if we are targeting children to use products that are appropriate for children?”
Even though the brand attempted to welcome young shoppers, it faced backlash. This prompted a rebrand a year later through the campaign “Please Enjoy Responsibly,” created to phase out its younger audience. The new marketing effort failed, as some on social media said there was “no coming back for Drunk Elephant.”
As one consumer on TikTok put it: “The ‘please enjoy responsibly’ tagline and some education about not letting kids use their harsher products would’ve been a hit during the peak Sephora Kid Armageddon, but this is far too late.”
Others have taken a more direct approach to marketing to younger consumers. In November of last year, consumers cringed when actress Shay Mitchell launched Rini, a skincare brand encouraging children as young as four to practice skincare “just as mommy does” with dystopian-like face masks. While Mitchell was hoping to bring a more gentle approach to skincare for kids with products containing no actives, critics were dismayed that she had even considered such a business venture.
On the other hand, some other approaches to tween skincare are being praised by beauty fans. The debut pop-up of Sincerely Yours—created by 15-year-old Salish Matter and her father Jordan Matter—which coincided with its official launch, drew over 10,000 attendees and has received high praise from consumers ever since. In theory, skincare for younger consumers isn’t always bad; it’s just about how it's executed, in Sincerely Yours’ case: using ingredients safe for children and promoting basic, but effective routines.
The Ultimatum
What happens next in Italy could set a precedent far beyond its borders. As regulators across Europe (and increasingly, the court of public opinion) intensify their scrutiny of youth-targeted marketing, the beauty industry is entering a new phase of accountability.
Now, the test for brands is not whether they will be observed, but how they will adapt to scrutiny, signifying a shift toward greater accountability in Gen Alpha marketing.
The industry must now directly confront its responsibility for marketing aspiration to minors, a challenge it can no longer avoid.
