What woman doesn’t remember dipping into her mother’s cosmetics, as a little girl, and playing dress-up? The result was always a splash of over-made lipstick, blush and heavy eye shadow. It was all, just for fun, and we never left the house wearing it.
But, this phase of growing up is now more sophisticated, and it’s a $24 million tween girls market. The retail giant, Walmart, is set to premiere a new cosmetic beauty line just for tweens. It’s called GeoGIRL, aimed at girls ages 8-12. It features 69 products, some of which are being touted as having anti-aging ingredients. There’s also blush, mascara and exfoliators. The cosmetic products include “anti-aging components like willow bark to exfoliate and chamomile to calm, as well as anti-oxidants, which prevent aging,” according to the GeoGIRL website.
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Joel Carden, executive vice president of marketing and sales for Pacific World, the product manufacturer, emphasizes the green-living, eco-friendly aspect of the products. He says all products are free of chemicals like paraben, phthalates, and sulfates. It’s a move to alleviate parent’s worries about the excess of chemicals in make-up.
The manufacturer targets this Z generation of tech-savvy kids with product names based on text lingo such as J4G lip balm. That’s text for “just for grins.” The line also offers ES(Erase Screen) concealer, used to cover dark under-eye circles and make it appear “like U’ve slept 8 hours,” according to the product description on the company’s website.
Other products include:
- CAD(Control+Alt+Delete)—geoGiRL’s refreshing toner. It brightens skin.
- glowAhead—“This cooling liquid does 4 skin what peppermint gum does 4 UR mouth.”
- GR8(Great)—geoGiRL’s lipshine“It gives lips a sublte glow and & tastes yummy…The color is buildable—the more U apply, the more colorful it is.”
- KEWL (Cool)—geoGiRL’s cooling, mattyfying, magic face refresher, which “instantly refreshes skin anywhere, anytime w/o water.”
Father Pedro Alfredo Galvan of Charlotte, North Carolina, says his 8-year-old daughter is not likely to be a consumer. His daughter is only allowed to wear fruit-scented lipgloss. “I am not happy about girls wearing makeup,” he says. “They’re too young. There’s plenty of time for that later. For now, let them be children.”
JUMP-STARTING GIRLS’ BEAUTY REGIMENS
For the manufacturer, this age group is the perfect customer. “It’s the first door to beauty for the next generation,” said Carden. “These are real cosmetics with natural ingredients that will create return purchases and create a true beauty consumer.”
Sandy Sanchez, however, sees this as an attempt to build brand awareness and loyalty at a young age. “Yeah. I think it’s a money-making gig, and they’re trying to target a young audience,” says Sandy Sanchez, a Texas mom to a 10-year-old girl. “They’re trying to get them as customers their whole life.”
But Sanchez believes the focus for these tweens should not be on enhancing their already beautiful, natural looks. “What we emphasize is healthy exercise. That’s what is more beautiful, says Sanchez. “I think it sends the wrong message. I think they need to develop their self-esteem before they put on a bunch of cosmetics.
GeoGirl is in stores now and it includes how-to videos and tips on how to protect the environment.
