As I walk into Sephora, I see kids snatch skincare bottles on top of shelves. One brand, packaging anti-aging agents into colorful bottles, catches their attention. The Drunk Elephant. 

The Drunk Elephant is severely damaging to adolescents.

When I watch clips of products on my social media feed, I tend to contemplate getting those products, saving the clips to my account. For example, Renée Chow, a skincare enthusiast, reviews a moisturizer she uses, and I make note of the product.

Young influencers, such as Kim Kardashian’s daughter, North West, often post their skincare routines. One video includes North West putting on a moisturizer from Drunk Elephant.

Children’s minds are still developing, and by the age of 13, most start to become more influenced by friends when making decisions. With social media around, adolescents get an insight of more people and become influenced by them.

“So these adolescents are not only looking to their peers…but also tons of influencers who don’t have these children’s best interests in mind,” mentioned Dr. Adrianna Crossing, a child psychologist. “The result is teens trying to keep up with what they see.”

One of the most popular Drunk Elephant products is A-Passioni Retinol Cream. The A-Passioni Retinol Cream contains 1% of the retinol serum, the main and most effective ingredient for anti-aging.

By kids applying the retinol cream, it can trigger “irritation, redness, and flaking in younger skin,” according to Dr. Nicki Cunningham, a certified dermatologist. The creams may also provoke “conditions like eczema and acne.” 

To prevent children from buying the Drunk Elephant products, Sephora needs to label the age limit and monitor who is buying the products, while Drunk Elephant should list the side effects of children usage. 

In addition, I suggest parents research the products their kids are begging for.