HASIn the United States, they are called “Sephora tweens” or “Sephora kids”, kids who leave fingerprints on foundation testers and snatch the last pots of miraculous cream from the hands of old skin. We’re not there yet, but we’re already seeing cohorts of pre-teens who are no longer satisfied with strawberry lip gloss but want to buy serums, exfoliants and eye contour creams for their skincare routine.
To the surprise of their parents who, at the same age, were slathering themselves with Clearasil, in a few months they went from making slime based on Cleopatra glue to concocting moisturizing mixtures, because well hydrated skin is is fundamental. The cosmetics sector did not hesitate to adapt its marketing to their taste for splashes: the Drunk Elephant brand added “smoothie bars” to its displays (“goodbye layering, now we mix”). Others are multiplying the miniatures to try and collect or perfume masks and glosses on everything that can be eaten.
How do we recognize them?
The potions arrive at their home through mysterious channels, a mixture of birthdays and ” gifts “. Which means they have more creams than their mothers and grandmothers combined, including lotions they no longer remember what they are for. They have a morning routine, but they are not very morning. With the makeup remover pads they use every week, we could make a highway from their bedroom to Sephora. They like to fiddle with expensive little pots whose colors seem to have been chosen by colorists from bubble teas, but then go and raid Action because it’s cheaper. They don’t go to Claire’s anymore because it’s not their age anymore. They don’t do this for boys, but talk about their skin care with a mix of self-help rhetoric and dermatology terms.
They stay in the bathroom for a long time because of the exposure times. If they’re in the kitchen, it’s time to boil some sage and thyme for a decoction to put in a spray bottle. The military discipline with which they follow their skincare routine contradicts the entire messy reputation of adolescence.
They travel with a huge kit, sometimes they need to get an exfoliating mask on the subway. They leave lotions in their desk drawers and rolls of adhesive in the bathroom. They also keep empty boxes of certain creams. They don’t have dark circles, but don’t plan to go out without concealer, unlike their mothers who would do well to wear it. They only give hugs with their arms and to say goodnight, give kisses which stick a little because of the lip balm.
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