The items included in the Skims 2026 accessories advent calendar have been likened to the random things you might discover at the bottom of your handbag, on the car floor, or behind your dresser when you move it.
Following significant customer outrage, Kim Kardashian’s fashion label is now refunding anyone who bought the calendar. Priced at $276 CAD (or $148 USD — a considerable markup), it is marketed as “12 fun days of surprises” and includes a variety of items like hair ties, bobby pins, and key chains.
Viral unboxing videos uploaded over the weekend by dissatisfied buyers have branded the expensive calendar as “a disaster” and a scam.
“Are we serious right now?” questioned influencer Kayla Ryan as she opened Day 4 to find three pink bobby pins. She referred to it as “the worst advent calendar I have ever encountered” in her Saturday video, which garnered over 20 million views by Monday morning.
“I’m hoping this is a joke and the final one is a $150 gift card for a full refund,” she added after discovering Day 9 contained a decorative keychain comb that serves no functional purpose for hair.
“This is the last one and it better be made of gold,” another content creator remarked in a TikTok video with almost 65 million views, before unveiling Day 12, which revealed a furry compact mirror on a keychain, prompting a grimace.
“So, essentially, everything that slips between my car seats,” one viewer commented on the video, while another noted it was “absurd for perhaps $20 worth of items.”
A composite of three screen grabs from TikTok unboxing videos for the new 2026 Skims advent calendar by, from left, @wetsloppyswollen, Brittany Shaw, and influencer Kayla Ryan. (@wetsloppyswollen/TikTok, @kaylaryan/TikTok, @brittanyshaw2.0/TikTok)
In statements provided to various media outlets, a spokesperson for Skims acknowledged the “feedback” regarding the advent calendar and admitted that “for some, the calendar fell short of expectations.”
The company informed Page Six that they have “personally reached out to every customer who bought the calendar” and offered either a complete refund or store credit for their other products.
CBC News contacted Skims for additional comments but has not yet received a response.
Chanel’s limited edition advent calendar, priced at $1,025, has faced criticism online after leaving some consumers disappointed. Experts suggest it could highlight the importance of marketing to a Gen Z audience.
‘Frustrated they received what they paid for’
This is not the first time advent calendars have sparked controversy. In 2021, Chanel faced backlash online for a $1,025 calendar filled with stickers, a magnet, a keychain, and other assorted branded items, along with a mini lipstick, hand cream, and a small bottle of perfume.
The following year, Dior was criticized for a nearly $5,000 advent calendar that mainly included candle accessories and scented soaps, alongside small perfume bottles.
Some commentators have slammed luxury advent calendars as merely status symbols fueled by the unboxing trend. For instance, last year, Dior marketed an $11,000 calendar. In 2019, Tiffany & Co. launched a limited advent calendar containing 24 pieces of jewelry priced at $158,000.
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A Dior calendar for $11K? Here’s how the humble advent calendar has gone bananas
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Luxury brand Chanel roasted online for $1,025 Advent calendar full of stickers, other trinkets
The Skims advent calendar is presently sold out, with a waiting list in place. Some individuals have pointed out that the online product description clearly outlines what will be found in the calendar each day: a bear keychain, hair elastics, scrunchies, bobby pins, a squishie, bra elastic hair bands, more bobby pins, a comb keychain, a logo keychain, additional scrunchies, and a faux fur compact mirror keychain.
“While I concur that the items are excessively priced, we should discuss consumer responsibility,” one individual remarked on Threads.
Rob Warren, a marketing professor at the University of North Dakota, discusses with host Marjorie Dowhos the trend of high-end advent calendars for adults and the way retailers are exploiting childhood nostalgia.
“If the items were made clear, and you overlooked the description, spent $148 [USD], and then acted completely surprised by what you received, some of that accountability falls on YOU.”
A Toronto influencer known as Glamzilla defended the advent calendar in a TikTok video, arguing that the excitement comes from the experience of unboxing something leading up to the holidays rather than expecting a “grand gift.”
She faced criticism in the comments section of her video, with some accusing her of “gaslighting” and lacking sensitivity regarding the cost.
