Illustration by Elham Ataeiazar
When Melissa Fuentes imagined the Christmas gifts she would buy for her nine-year-old Tatiana, she thought she would want Barbies, Bratz dolls or a scooter — the kind of things she found under her tree in the 1990s.
Instead, something unexpected topped the list this year: skin care.
“I never thought I would buy moisturizer” for a child, Fuentes, 31, told CNBC from Coral Springs, Florida. “There’s an obsession with moisturizing. … That’s all she really loves right now. Cheerleading and taking care of her face.”
Fuentes isn’t the only parent hitting the skincare department for their kids this holiday season.
At a time when TikTok and YouTube have replaced linear TV for America’s youngest consumers, kids are adopting skincare routines like never before, absorbing online content from so-called “Skinfluencers,” experts say.
Many of Generation Alpha, including those born in 2010 and later, have become budding experts in serums, toners, moisturizers, and sunscreens. In their quest to emulate the cool teens they view on social media, some know more about the ingredients in those products than their parents.
As the new generation of skincare enthusiasts floods the beauty aisle, new brands are popping up that cater exclusively to Gen Alpha and retailers are capitalizing on what parents say has become an obsession. During this year’s crucial holiday shopping season, Generation Alpha’s fascination with skin care is expected to drive a boost in sales.
“[We] know from some of our own research, as we head into the holiday season, that skin care is one of the categories at the top of their list,” Ulta Beauty’s Chief Merchandising Officer Monica Arnaudo said of the Gen Alpha consumer.
Walmart is expanding price points in its beauty department. A “Beauty Finds” display was recently added, featuring makeup, skin care, hair and other items for $3, $5 or $9 each. It is also selling prestige brands through a new deal with British beauty retailer SpaceNK.
Melissa Repko | CNBC
Both Lumpy and elf Beauty — two brands that have used TikTok to woo young consumers — also said they expect significant sales this holiday from parents looking for gifts for their Gen Alpha children.
“We’re definitely seeing it on TikTok. We’ve seen a lot of kids and a lot of people posting their holiday wish lists [and we’re] I get tagged a lot,” said Shai Eisenman, founder and CEO of Bubble, in an interview.
Eleven’s CEO Tarang Amin said the growing interest among young people in skin care is one of the reasons the company has invested in the category, including through its recent acquisition of skin care company Naturium.
“It’s never too early to start taking care of your skin, especially when it comes to sun protection,” says Amin.
Generation Alpha’s interest in skin care comes as millennials and Gen Z consumers are also delving deeper into the category — a trend that many believe started during the pandemic, when people wore makeup less often and focused more on self-care.
According to Circana, annual spending on prestige skincare increased from $6.6 billion to $8 billion between 2019 and 2022. As of September, spending is up 14% this year compared to the same period a year ago.
Meanwhile, massive sales of skin care products grew from $7.8 billion to $9.2 billion between 2019 and 2022, according to Circana. This year, spending has increased by 10% from September.
Piper Sandler is not yet following Gen Alpha. But according to the latest teen spending survey, where the average age of respondents was 15.7, skincare spending rose 19% year-over-year this fall to an average of $122. It was 16% higher than the multi-year average.
That’s no surprise to father Rick Aaron of Salt Lake City, whose daughters Allie, 15, and Katie, 13, have been religious about skin care since they were about 10 and 8 years old.
“My wife recently got one [mini-fridge] to keep all her and the girls’ skin care products inside, saying it needs to be kept in the refrigerator and will spoil over time at room temperature,” said Aaron, 45. “And then my wife recommended, ‘Well, that won’t be the case. big enough, so maybe we should buy a second mini fridge just for skin care products.'”
A photo of just some of the skin care products that Rick Aaron’s daughters use.
Thanks to: Rick Aaron
When asked how much money he spends on his daughters’ skin care each month, he told CNBC he doesn’t know — and doesn’t want to.
“Between the subscriptions, Amazon purchases, and store purchases… it’s probably close to, if not over, $1,000 a month,” Aaron says. “I would probably burst into tears if I actually saw a hard figure on it.”
Adult products on growing faces. Is it safe?
In the bright white light of the bathroom she shares with her mother, 7-year-old Marley-Rose speaks to the camera as she prepares for her nightly skincare routine.
“Hey guys, I’m Marley and today I’m doing my skincare routine,” Marley says in the clip, which was filmed and shared with CNBC last month.
With her hair neatly tied into matching buns on either side of her head, Marley shows off her Youth to the People superfood facial cleanser, a moisturizer from the same brand and a Laneige toner before starting to cleanse and moisturize her face.
“I’m going to do it up because if you do it down, your face will sag at a young age,” Marley explains as she applies the toner.
Two minutes later, Marley ends the clip with a smile and says she’ll be back soon for her next skincare routine.
“I never thought she would come to me at the age of seven and ask about skin care and want to buy it,” Marley’s mother Karla Joseph, 41, told CNBC in an interview.
Karla Joseph says her daughter Marley-Rose, 8, has become fascinated with skin care and recently spent her birthday at Sephora.
With thanks to: Karla Joseph
She said Marley first became interested in skin care last month after watching a TikTok video of a teenager doing her routine. After getting her hands on a number of products, Marley now has her own morning and evening ritual and shares videos of it on social media.
“It’s a different time, you know? They’re on their phones, they’re on the internet and they see all these things and they want to try it,” Joseph said. “I just have to get on with it because this is what they’re exposed to.”
For her eighth birthday last weekend, Joseph took Marley to Sephora and is already preparing to buy her daughter tons of skincare items for Christmas.
She said her daughter’s interest in skin care is “great,” and better than playing with makeup. But she has researched products to make sure they are age-appropriate.
That commitment is crucial for any parent whose children are interested in skin care, says Dr. Amy Wechsler, a board-certified dermatologist and psychiatrist.
“I like routine. I think routines in general are a great idea… especially if that routine includes sunscreen,” Wechsler told CNBC in an interview. “But on the other hand, young teenagers using products that are often too harsh for their skin because they are adult products is not a good idea.”
Aveeno skin care, a Johnson & Johnson product.
Jodi Gralnick | CNBC
Wechsler, who runs a practice in New York City, said her Gen Alpha patients regularly develop rashes, irritation, dryness, flaking and even swelling in their faces and eyes from using skin care that is inappropriate for their young skin.
“I had a kid yesterday who felt some peer pressure at a sleepover and she knew she had sensitive skin, but she tried a mask or a new product that her friends were all using because she wanted to be part of the group. and then she got an itchy rash on her face,” Wechsler said. “Treating it is quite simple, but you want to prevent this from happening again.”
She said many skin care products are safe for children, and a routine can promote self-esteem, as long as it doesn’t become obsessive.
Here come the Gen Alphas
Considering how young Gen Alpha is and that the generation is not yet ready to be born, it is difficult to determine what effect the group has on skin care sales. But the age group is on track to transform the overall consumer landscape.
Gen Alpha is expected to be the largest generation yet, reaching roughly 2.5 billion people by 2024, and the group is expected to have the largest purchasing power in history, according to demographer and social researcher Mark McCrindle. He coined the term Gen Alpha and is considered a leading expert on the generation.
Momo Productions | Digital vision | Getty Images
McCrindle estimates that by the end of 2024, when the oldest generation of Alphas will be 14 years old, more than $5.39 trillion will be spent annually on these devices worldwide.
This spending dwarfs the purchasing power of millennials and Generation Z, which is estimated at about $2.5 trillion and $3 trillion, respectively, according to research and forecasts collected by Harvard Business Review.
“They are the most materially endowed, the most globally connected, the most digitally integrated. They will also be the most formally educated, we also predict, so they will be a very influential generation,” says Ashley Fell. , a social researcher at the McCrindle firm who co-authored a 2021 book on Gen Alpha.
“It’s something every brand should think about.”
If not, they risk becoming “irrelevant,” Fell says.
— CNBC’s Melissa Repko contributed to this report