While you may think 10-year-old girls are obsessed with unicorns and stuffed animals, more and more pre-teens are turning into so-called "Sephora kids" who are consumed with skincare routines and beauty products.
Fueled by trends and influencer culture they see on social media sites like TikTok, a growing number of tweens are shopping at beauty retail stores like Sephora and Ulta, buying up skincare products intended for adult use.
"Girls who have never discussed skincare before are now fixated on having 10-step routines," therapists Lindsay Fleming and Stacy McCarthy told BuzzFeed News.
But it's not all about taking care of their skin.
"It becomes more about having the product all their friends want/have than the actual impact that product has on their face," Fleming and McCarthy added.
The problem is that most products are designed for adult skin with certain ingredients that can be too harsh and are not appropriate for young kids. Dermatologist Brooke Jeffy called the trend "definitely concerning."
"I am concerned not only by the damage these kids are doing to their skin with products that are inappropriate for their skin but also for the psychological consequences with being so focused on appearance at such an early age," Jeffy told Fox News.
"Social media filters have created unrealistic expectations of perfect pore-less skin fueling sales of makeup to kids," Jeffy added. "Add to that a fear of aging modeled by influencers, parents and friends and the desire for anti-aging skincare is born."
On top of that, "Sephora kids" have gained a reputation for being rude to other shoppers and store employees. Sequoia Cothran, a Sephora employee from Tennessee, told Fox News it's not a problem that the kids are shopping at a beauty store, but it's about their behavior.
"You see this aggressive demeanor towards older people. This level of disrespect that you've never seen from a child to a woman. Like they just simply do not care," she said. "You see these kinds of mean girl antics from these 10-year-olds."
Reports and posts on social media indicate that "Sephora kids" display rude and entitled attitudes, push other customers out of the way to get the products they want, and leave tester products contaminated and disorganized. The issue has left some adults calling for beauty stores to impose an age restriction to enter.
For parents who may be dealing with a skincare-obsessed tween, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Fleming and McCarthy noted that trends come and go quickly and that tweens will likely move on to the next thing relatively soon.
"Instead of focusing on this specific trend, parents can zoom out and help their kids learn valuable life skills around social media and consumerism," they told BuzzFeed. "These skills will enable them to have the confidence to think independently."