"My oldest daughter turns 11 this year, and she is what the Internet would call a “Sephora tween.” She still loves riding her bike to the park, doing cannonballs into the pool, and playing with slime. But she also loves exploring the skincare at Sephora. She’s at the age between kid and teen, where she’s starting to discover the allure of beauty products.
The “Sephora tween” craze can make older shoppers roll their eyes when they’re trying to browse the store amongst a group of children. But I argue that these Gen Alpha kids aren’t really doing anything that millennial and Gen Z kids didn’t already do. It’s just changed shape. I’m a millennial, and found myself interested in beauty products at a similar age. My exploration wasn’t via TikTok and YouTube and Sephora, though—it was via magazines and Bath & Body Works. Personally, I’m jealous that she can access all these makeup tutorials. I just had to learn through some awkward years of trial and error!
I’ve really enjoyed this phase of life we’ve gotten to. Our mother-daughter activities have moved past the little-kid stage of imaginative play. It’s been wonderful to find things to do on a Saturday afternoon that we both enjoy, like a trip out for lunch and Sephora.
During our outings, she’s been the one to introduce me to some fun new beauty products. I can tell that she’s so proud when she tells me about something that I end up liking. Below are some makeup and skincare products that my Sephora tween introduced me to that I genuinely like!
The Sephora Tween Trend
Overall, I think the “Sephora tween” trend is harmless because it’s common for pre-teens to start showing interest in skincare and makeup products. Also, learning how to care for your skin early is a good thing—as long as you learn to do it properly and age-appropriately. Young skin has very different needs than adult skin. So it’s important to know what ingredients to avoid as products for adult skin can irritate kids’ faces.
As my daughter has gotten more interested in makeup and skincare, we’ve had more talks about needs versus wants. I’m more than OK with her learning how to take care of her skin. But I’m not OK her going overboard on consumerism. Whenever she asks for a new product, we discuss the need it serves and whether a product she already owns can meet that need. We talk about how it’s not necessary to have multiple moisturizers just because you’re interested in a new one while you already have one. Moisturizers are for hydrating your skin, not for collecting.
These products are also usually expensive, so we cover that factor in our conversations as well. Drugstore cleansers work just fine, but I understand why high-end products and splurges are attractive. Because of the cost, these special products usually end up being holiday or birthday gifts instead of an everyday buy, and she understands that rationale.
Sephora Tween Products That I Love Too
I live in the Midwest, and my lips get incredibly dry during the winter months. They usually need more assistance than what chapstick can provide, and this deeply moisturizing lip mask I wear overnight does the trick. My pre-teen talked me into the “sweet candy” scent. On a chilly evening, it’s so soothing to climb into bed, generously lather my hands with lotion and my lips with this densely hydrating lip mask, and go to sleep. I wake up with soft, conditioned lips that are ready to battle another cold day.
I love the color and amount of shine this lip balm provides. I’ll keep using it because it has great staying power while still feeling comfortable and providing a layer of moisture. Continuing with the sweets theme, my daughter convinced me to buy the “birthday cake” color and scent, which is a flattering, shimmery light pink. I usually wear this as gloss over a darker lip stain and its versatile and hydrating enough to also work as a lip mask.
I can’t believe I was influenced by a hand sanitizer, but I was—and it is a 2024 allure Best of Beauty Award winner, so I’m not the only one. Since I have a toddler, it’s useful to always have sanitizer on hand. I like that the packaging of this one is slim, so it doesn’t take up much space in a small crossbody bag. This hand sanitizer doesn’t have the usual medicinal smell and it’s hydrating. I like that it is a spray bottle, so it’s easy to just use a little at a time and have the container last. It also makes it easy to get on sticky little 3-year-old hands. I personally have the lavender scent, which is a usual favorite of mine. This version has an easygoing, low-key scent, which I really appreciate because sanitizers can often smell way too strong.
These are bright and fun and have pleasant, light scents that can be used as a hair or body spray. I find most perfumes and sprays too strong and distracting but I find these mists to be the perfect small touch. My daughter got me scent 62 for Christmas, which I love. Some of their other scents I enjoy are 68, 59 , and 40. The different bright colors and floral smells transport me back to trying out scents at Bath & Body Works with my friends—the allure of experimenting with perfumes as a preteen (and adult!) lives on.
This is another product that has the most incredible hydration abilities and it also smells amazing. In the winter, my skin usually needs more of a kick than just lotion because it gets cracked and flaky, and this body butter helps my skin stay soft and smooth. It’s also super absorbent and not greasy at all. I personally have this in scent 59 in the purple jar and it feels and smells so luxurious after a shower.
My daughter introduced me to the Glow Recipe line of products. I dislike anything that feels too heavy on my face, and this moisturizer with hyaluronic acid is super lightweight and oil free. My adult skin is still sensitive so this gel is a great option for my needs. Discovering the Glow Recipe brand also led me to the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops which are also super lightweight but give your skin a nice bronzed glow. Products that work this well for a sun-kissed tone don’t usually feel so weightless on your face! It evens out skin tone and looks flattering and not fake. The niacinamide in the product works to brighten skin over time.
Thanks to my daughter for introducing me to some great products—I can’t wait for our next mother-daughter shopping trip!
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Brigette Marshall, Contributing Writer
Brigette is a mom of two little girls and works full-time in project management, both at home and in the office. She loves book clubbing, antique shopping, watching documentaries, and convincing her husband to cook gourmet meals for her.