After Sephora shopping became a hot topic for tweens, California lawmakers are calling for increased restrictions on what they can buy. California’s bill, AB 2491, introduced by San Jose Democrat Assemblyman Alex Lee, would ban the sale of anti-aging skin care products to children under the age of 13.
“Children don’t need anti-aging products. AB 2491 protects children from potential harm from the use of products that can cause short-term or long-term skin damage that they would not otherwise experience.” and protect teenagers,” Lee said in the paper. press release.
Children don’t need anti-aging products. Using these powerful products can cause serious harm. Scarlett, a 10-year-old fifth grader, shared a story today about how she thought using these products would make her “glow,” but instead it caused a painful reaction. pic.twitter.com/JWbkiLzhCD
— Alex Lee æ Žå¤©æ˜Ž (@alex_lee) April 24, 2024
If passed, the bill would require businesses to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that customers buying anti-aging products are over the age of 13. This could include posting signs or asking for a customer’s date of birth at the register.
But some people and businesses are already pushing back. The Personal Care Products Council, an industry group representing Sephora’s parent company Ulta and about 600 other cosmetics and personal care brands, said the bill would be “nearly impossible” to implement.
“This bill threatens to overregulate products essential to safe and healthy skin care by proposing sales restrictions on a wide range of cosmetics and personal care products, including basic necessities such as sunscreens, moisturizers, and cleansers. ,” the association said in a statement. .
The first public hearing was held after the bill was introduced, and one of its supporters, a 10-year-old named Scarlett, spoke about how she experienced a painful skin reaction after purchasing an anti-aging product. Ta.
“I was mainly looking for products like sheet masks, creams, and mists that had words like ‘shining,’ ‘moisturizing,’ ‘whitening,’ and ‘anti-wrinkle.’ Because I don’t want to get wrinkles. “Sorry, you look old,” she said to a room full of lawmakers, who responded with laughter.
She added that some of the products gave her a rash that was so painful she couldn’t sleep and that she still suffers from redness and bumps on her face.
“I really wish I knew these things affected me, because if I had known, I never would have used them,” Scarlett said. “I didn’t know you could buy products that looked so good but could actually harm your skin.”
