Tiny Beauty Fanatics

Generation Alpha is coming and already has a skin care routine.

- LIZ KRIEGER

My 13-year-old daughter, Mia, is learning all the typical middle school stuff, her schooldays taken up by the ho-hum of algebraic equations. But ask her about the hydrating properties of hyaluronic acid, and this is when she really understands the assignment. Her eyes light up-and it's not just from the shimmery dots she's placed on the inner corners.

Mia is right on target with her fellow beauty lovers in Generation Alpha, roughly defined as kids born since 2010. At 10 years old, North West posts TikTok videos of her beauty routines. According to a spring 2023 report on teen spending from Piper Sandler, a financial services firm, girls spend an average of $123 a year on makeup and $119 on skin care, double-digit increases from the year before. While there is no hard data on Gen Alpha specifically, the survey is "a good leading indicator of where spending among other age groups is heading, particularly for preteens," says Korinne Wolfmeyer, a senior research analyst who covers beauty and wellness at Piper Sandler.