Spas for children, beauty salons for little girls… Pre-teen girls want to take care of themselves and wear makeup, like the young women they follow on social networks and who have become their models.
They are barely 10 years old and already showing a renewed interest in beauty products. These pre-teens, who use influencers as models, wear makeup, take care of their skin, their nails, and even share their tips in videos, for perfect makeup. In the United States, they are nicknamed “Sephora Kids”: more and more of them are going to specialized stores to buy makeup, creams, perfume or glosses. There is sometimes reason to be surprised as parents or sellers, especially when the little girl asks for concealer, simply because she wants the same product that she saw on Tiktok. The problem is that adult products are not intended for younger children and can irritate children’s skin.
In addition to this tendency to want to wear makeup like adults, little girls also have beauty institutes and spas dedicated to them, from the age of 3, such as Kingdom of Bella, a beauty salon which welcomes little ones. girls in Levallois-Perret, in 92. This time, the products are adapted and they can spend time with friends to take care of themselves or enjoy a special moment with their mother (the mother-daughter duo). On the program: manicures and pedicures, a facial treatment, all accompanied by a refreshing drink, or a hot drink, a pastry depending on the formula chosen, from 45 euros per person. The little girls are dressed in a bathrobe and even wear a princess crown.
Children’s care has indeed become the new area of predilection for beauty institutes who see it as a promising market. The Mamabali institute in Paris 11ᵉ focuses on natural products with vanilla, chocolate, fruit or Barbapapa. Children can therefore choose several options such as the relaxing massage (between 45 and 65 euros), the chocolate body wrap (45 euros), a massage and a facial treatment (75 euros) or even enjoy a duo massage with a parent (158 euros).
“I think kids care about how they look younger and younger, whereas before puberty there’s really no need to take care of their skin. On the other hand, for a birthday, a sleepover or an original outing, this type of place can please” believes Anaëlle, mother of two little girls aged 8 and 10, who also like to wear makeup.
Remember that another beauty institute, the Mini Kids Spa, caused controversy when it opened in 2011, and for good reason: it offered massages, but also hair removal from the age of 6. So, let’s give our children time to grow up without having to worry about their hair and remind them that they are naturally beautiful (yes, like their mother).