Miniature versions of popular beauty products are creating a stir among consumers who are concerned about waste and early brand marketing to children.
What happened?
A Redditor shared a photo of a display case at Ulta Beauty filled with tiny replicas of popular beauty products.
"Seen at Ulta," the user posted in the r/Anticonsumption community. "What even is this? Beauty supplies for ants?!"
An Ulta product site says that "Mini Brands x Ulta Beauty Series" items do not contain product, explaining that they are "iconic beauty mini replicas" to collect.
Reddit users pointed out that these aren't sample-sized products but toys designed to look like real merchandise.
"They are toys. Not real products. Doesn't make it any better, but yeah, toys," one commenter wrote.
This clarification only amplified concerns. "It kind of makes it worse," another user responded.
A third Redditor agreed: "It definitely makes it worse. It gets kids hooked on brands at that age."
Why are the minis and marketing beauty brands to children concerning?
Although the company's website does not explicitly refer to the items as toys, miniature beauty products can be seen as tying in to a growing trend of marketing adult products and brands to increasingly younger audiences. When children play with toy versions of real beauty products, they build brand recognition and loyalty years before they're consumers in that market.
Zuru, the company Ulta partnered with to create the Mini Brands, has admitted to marketing via young people, telling The Washington Post, "Partnering with a toy brand allows consumer brands to access the household shopper through the most influential channel of all — their children!"
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Cost 💰 The environmental impact also raises eyebrows. These tiny items, often made from various plastics, eventually end up discarded. Small plastic items frequently escape recycling systems, contributing to plastic pollution in waterways and natural areas.
The mini items also reinforce beauty standards at a time when children are particularly impressionable. By normalizing beauty products as playthings, kids can develop concerns about their appearance much earlier than they might otherwise.
Is Ulta doing anything about this?
Ulta Beauty has announced sustainability initiatives, including its "Conscious Beauty" program. To qualify for the "Sustainable Packaging" pillar, 50% of a brand's packaging must be made from recycled or bio-sourced materials or be refillable or recyclable. Ulta has also partnered to provide collection boxes to take back hard-to-recycle containers for recycling.
On the product website for the "mystery capsule" that contains minis, Ulta claims sustainability benefits in at least the outer packaging: "Mini Brands Capsules are now made with Certified Recycled Plastic."
The company does not appear to address concerns about marketing beauty brands to children through toy versions of its products. The miniature product line is part of its gift and novelty merchandise rather than its sustainability-focused offerings.
What's being done about marketing to children and packaging more broadly?
Some cosmetic brands are taking different approaches, focusing on education rather than brand loyalty. Companies such as Hanahana Beauty and Kinfield offer sustainability programs that teach kids about ingredient sourcing and environmental impact.
Parents can help by talking with children about advertising tactics and helping them think critically about the products they see. Teaching kids to question why they want certain brands and what benefits those brands provide builds consumer awareness from an early age.
Some families support eco-friendly toy companies that use sustainable materials and avoid brand-specific toys altogether, focusing instead on open-ended play items that inspire creativity without building brand attachment.
Families can also seek items that reduce packaging or avoid plastic containers.
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