“Making Up” A New Generation: The #SephoraKids Trend Controversy

At the beginning of 2024, Sephora, a French luxury beauty retailer, had yet to react to social media posts from employees and shoppers complaining about the behavior of tweens in their US stores. This new group of consumers, Generation Alpha, was born after 2010. They had grown up in a digital world and were technologically savvy. Many were interested in beauty products, often responding to social media influencers. When visiting stores, these young consumers were seen destroying product displays, screaming at their parents, and fighting for the last high-end product. Some of them had suffered from the effects of harsh ingredients that were not generally suited for young skin. The #SephoraKids social media posts had created obstacles for Sephora, its shoppers, and its employees. The protagonist was a twenty-year-old Sephora customer who was upset by such misbehavior and wondered whether she would continue shopping at Sephora stores.