Summer camps ban ‘Sephora Kids’ from bringing upscale cosmetics into cabins
Forget pitching tents — beauty-crazed babies may be pitching a fit.
Summer camps are counting skincare cosmetics as contraband this year, denying “Sephora kids” the luxury of lathering up in luxe lotions, creams and cleansers.
“Tweens and younger girls are encouraged to leave their elaborate arsenals of skincare products at home to focus on inner beauty while at summer camp,” tweeted NYC psychiatrist Gail Saltz, touting the recent string of glam-bans being instituted at youth retreats across the northeast.
Sleep-aways such as Lake Bryn Mawr Camp, Pennsylvania’s $16,000 all-girls stay, as well as Tyler Hill Camp near the Pennsylvania-New York border and Camp Mataponi in Maine are just a few kiddie escapes to forbid designer goops like Drunk Elephant’s polypeptide cream, per Business Insider.
It’s an effort to dissuade Gen Alphas — tots under age 15 — against competing over who boasts the most glossy glow while away from home and the schoolyard.
Camp execs, too, reportedly fear the ritzy rubs will attract bugs, and that multistep primping routines will ultimately distract campers from enjoying the great outdoors.
The skincare sanction comes in response to the “Sephora Kids” eruption. It’s a trend that sees girls as young as age five flocking to beauty huts for chic makeups, washes and anti-aging serums in effort to amp their little faces.
And mamas of the movement are backing their babes.
Kate Foster, who co-created sensitive skincare brand, The Outset, alongside actress Scarlett Johansson, loaded her pre-teen up with “mom-approved” products before sending off to camp in June.
Beauty influencer mom Elise Tabin treated her daughter to a deep-cleansing, pre-camp facial ahead of the girl’s two-month getaway.
Dermatologists have also jumped on the bandwagon, promoting summertime skincare must-haves for youngsters online.
But green spaces like Somerset Camp for Girls aren’t budging on beauty bans.
“Please refrain from sending any Sephora (and similar) accessories to camp,” reads the campsite’s site. “We know that skincare and makeup are popular and accept that they have a place in the lives of a maturing young person, but they are NOT needed for a summer camp experience.”
“They DO NOT need perfume, a daily six-step skincare routine, or excessive amounts of makeup,” Somerset honchos tell parents, pleading for their cooperation in curbing the cosmetics craze.
“We want the campers to be comfortable in their skin, literally and figuratively,” execs added, “and not weighed down by the demands of this trend.”
