Italy Probes Sephora and Benefit for Marketing Adult Skincare to Children

Face serums and anti-ageing creams for children under 10 sit at the center of formal investigations that Italy's competition authority opened against LVMH-owned Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics, accusing both brands of deploying what regulators described as a "particularly insidious" marketing strategy targeting some of the youngest and most commercially exploited consumers.

The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, known as AGCM, said both brands used very young micro-influencers on social media to encourage premature use and compulsive purchasing of adult skincare products among minors. The watchdog directly linked those practices to a growing phenomenon it termed "cosmeticorexia," an unhealthy obsession with skincare among children and adolescents.

AGCM officials, assisted by the Italian financial police, carried out on-site inspections at the premises of Sephora Italia, LVMH Profumi e Cosmetici Italia, and LVMH Italia on Thursday, March 26.

The regulator's core charge involves misleading omission: that critical warnings and precautions for products not intended for, or tested on, minors "may have been omitted or presented in a misleading manner," both in-store and across social media platforms. AGCM said both brands failed to appropriately label products or include adequate precautions for items not suited to younger users. "Frequent use of a wide range of cosmetics by minors without proper awareness may be harmful to their health," the authority said.

The investigation covers products including face masks, serums, and anti-ageing creams that AGCM said were promoted to children and adolescents through "covert marketing strategies involving young micro-influencers" who encouraged compulsive purchasing among what the regulator characterized as "a particularly vulnerable group." One study cited in coverage of the probe found that popular skincare videos by teen influencers featured products containing an average of 11 irritating ingredients.

LVMH's response was reported differently across outlets. A company spokesperson said LVMH "was prepared to cooperate fully with the probes" and that both brands are in "strict compliance" with Italy's laws. The Guardian reported LVMH said it, Sephora, and Benefit would "fully cooperate with the authorities" and that "all the companies reaffirm their strict compliance with applicable Italian regulations." Reuters, separately, reported that LVMH, Sephora, and Benefit did not immediately reply to its own request for comment.

The investigations arrive against the backdrop of what has come to be known as the "Sephora kids" phenomenon, a descriptor for the intense attachment between preteen children and high-end beauty products that has spread rapidly across platforms in recent years. AGCM said its marketing concerns extended to children and adolescents broadly, with some reporting indicating the youngest targets were under age 10 and other accounts referencing children under the age of 10 to 12.

The case carries implications well beyond Italy. Analysts have noted that while Gen Alpha represents an avid, commercially influential consumer base with considerable sway over household beauty purchases, the probe signals tighter regulatory expectations around transparency, product suitability disclosures, and influencer marketing directed at minors across Europe. No fines or formal enforcement orders have been issued; the investigations remain open.