Evereden's Beauty Products That Won't Sexualize Tweens?

Rachel Brown posted on Beauty Independent that “Evereden Is Positioning Itself To Lead The Race For Gen Alpha Consumers” (September 12, 2023) In other words, Evereden is selling makeup to 13-and-under-year-olds. And it states in the piece’s kicker that Evereden is: “[...] encouraging gen alpha consumers to play with beauty products [...]” [Emphasis added]

And why is Evereden selling makeup to 13-year-olds? We’ll answer that with a bit of poetry from Method Man: “Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M./Get the money; dollar, dollar bill, y'all.” And the piece’s kicker added: “Evereden isn’t playing when it comes to its aspirations to win their [i.e., Gen Alpha] business for the long term.”

The makeup, which is, once again: “[...] aimed squarely at alpha’s budding beauty consumers,” was strategically named Face Crayon and Lip Oil and will be sold on Evereden’s website, on Amazon, and at Sephora. [Emphasis added]

Called Evereden At Play, the collection contains $20 Kids Fantasy Face Crayon in nine vivid shades and $16 Kids Tinted Lip Oil in two shades. The products are launching on Evereden’s website as well as Amazon and will be rolling out to select retail partners. The brand is available at 90-plus Sephora doors in 20 international markets.

Kimberley Ho, the founder and CEO of Evereden, left no doubt about her company using the allure of nymphets, in makeup, to make money. 

“Gen alpha is just getting started. The oldest gen alpha consumer is 13 years old. In a few years they’re going to be 18 years old, and their spending power is not to be underestimated.”

To be fair, Evereden isn’t prompting 13-years-olds to wear makeup. Evereden is simply providing options, because, per Evereden’s research, a whopping number of pre-teens already use cosmetic products. 

The brand tapped around 50 kids under the age of 13 to provide Evereden feedback about the colors, scents and texture of the products in its color collection. What’s clear to the brand is kids are enthusiastic about beauty—and it doesn’t anticipate that enthusiasm waning as they mature. Evereden shares estimates that 70% of children under 12 use kids’ cosmetics products, 54% of them use at least one cosmetic item per month, and 60% use kids face paint.

And per Ho, tweens on TikTok are, “[...] talking about Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty [...] [And] [t]hey’re using their mothers’ Drunk Elephant products.”

In addition, we’ve blogged about nepo tweens in makeup. For example, we recapped Jessica Bennett’s Page Six post: "Kourtney Kardashian faces backlash after daughter Penelope, 10, shares makeup routine (August 27, 2022).

And we blogged about Riley Cardoza’s Page Six piece: “Alec Baldwin's 9-year-old daughter, Carmen, wears makeup in back-to-school photo” (September 8, 2022)

Ho went on to acknowledge that some parents may not condone their 13-year-olds wearing makeup, but Ho argued that tweens are “hugely independent” and that she’s simply fulfilling a demand.  

“Whether some parents agree with this or not, this generation does want their own products. They want their own routine. They’re hugely independent.

In a conspicuous contradiction, Brown wrote that parents want: “[...] beauty products that are safe for their kids.” [Emphasis added] But that: “Parents also want beauty products for children that don’t degrade their self-confidence or sexualize them.” [Emphasis added]

And Ho added to the conspicuous contradiction by stating:

“We don’t really consider it a ‘cosmetic’ line in the traditional sense, and the goal is certainly not glamour or beauty, but rather to allow children [...] to unleash their imagination and express their unique style with safe, kid-appropriate products. Rather than restricting or inhibiting their natural curiosity, why not provide them with fun, safe products to express themselves with?”

Evereden's Kids Tinted Lip Oil in Ruby Red

Thus, Ho doesn’t “really” consider the $16 Ruby Red Lip[stick] Oil to be a glamorizing or beautifying cosmetic. 

However, Brooke C. shared in her 5 star review (09/12/23): 

The lip oils were a hit! My kiddos like doing “lipstick like mommy!” 

Jessica F. wrote in her 5 star review (09/08/23): 

Obsessed with the new Evereden AT PLAY Tinted Lip Oil. I like the Ruby Red color for a bit of a pop” 

And Karen V. asked in her 5 star review (09/03/23): 

“Why didn’t they have this when I was a kid? My 11 year old loves this stuff. It makes her feel as if she’s wearing makeup [...]”