Whether you like it or not, the recent rumors that Sephora will implement age restrictions for in-store shopping appear to have no basis.
Rumors, mostly via TikTok, have begun to crop up over the last several weeks. A video dated February 26 from Samantha Kaplan (@sammysamlife; 24,900 TikTok followers) details a rumor that people under 18 years old will no longer be allowed in Sephora stores without a legal adult. The video saw over 760,000 views. But the rumors go back further: A Jan. 31 video posted by Peyton Smith (@misspeytonsmith; 114,000 TikTok followers) cites age restrictions at both Sephora and Australian beauty retailer Mecca. It racked up 176,000 views. Comments on these videos are divisive, with teenagers frequently commenting that an age restriction would be unfair and others supporting the idea of a restriction for shoppers under 13 years old. On a related note, others are expressing support for the idea of brands labeling their products as suitable or unsuitable for certain age groups.
While neither Sephora nor Ulta Beauty has public age restriction policies for those who can shop in their stores, malls and shopping areas where many of their stores are located can enforce their own policies. For example, the St. Matthews Mall in Louisville, Kentucky requires that shoppers 17 years old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or a supervising adult age 21 or older after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Additionally, Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn requires anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult during most business hours.
The only in-store policies related to age at either Sephora or Ulta Beauty are pegged to services such as waxing or piercings. Sephora does not have age restrictions on makeup or skin-care services, but children under 12 years old cannot receive waxing services. At Ulta Beauty, a parent or legal guardian must be present for anyone under the age of 18 for the duration of a piercing appointment, and the minimum age to receive the service is 3 months old. Additionally, a guardian must be present for anyone under the age of 18 for the duration of a waxing appointment. Several phone calls made by Glossy to Sephora stores in three different national markets showed no current shopping age restrictions. An Ulta Beauty spokesperson said at this time, the retailer does not have an age-restriction policy for shopping in-store, while a Sephora spokesperson said there is “no truth” to the rumors.
As a recap of how Sephora found itself in this situation, one can go back to the beginning of the year. Around the holidays, reens and tweens went to Sephora en masse, after which dozens of videos were posted by Sephora shoppers and staffers complaining about the onset of kids as young as 9 years old. According to the posts, the young shoppers displayed disruptive behavior including fighting, breaking testers and otherwise being rude. The brands favored by Gen Alpha include Rare Beauty, Drunk Elephant and Sol de Janeiro. While most videos focused on Sephora, Ulta Beauty was also mentioned.
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