Products glorifying youth are being sold to actual youth. Kristina Varaksina / Gallery Stock February 24, 2024, 7 AM ET During my time in Seoul—arguably the beauty capital of the world—I witnessed grade-schoolers get mani-pedis, saw 6-year-olds with hair highlights, and was asked by a fellow parent whether my toddler had eyelash extensions. (The answer was no.) These events took place years ago, and the fluency that kids had with cosmetic practices mystified me then. But since returning stateside with three daughters, I’ve begun to think of those experiences as premonitions. In recent months, “Get ready with me” videos featuring middle-school-age influencers putting sheet masks, lip oils, and moisturizers on their face have been racking up millions of views on TikTok. The app is also rife with stories of Gen Alpha girls cleaning out testers at Sephora. This phenomenon isn’t just anecdotal: In 2023, a survey by the investment bank Piper Sandler found that teen shoppers spent 19 percent more on skin care and 33 percent more on cosmetics than in the year prior. This …