The items included in the Skims 2026 accessories advent calendar have been likened to objects you might discover at the bottom of your handbag, on the floor of your vehicle, or hidden behind your dresser when it’s moved away from the wall.
In response to significant customer criticism, Kim Kardashian’s fashion label is providing refunds to customers who bought the calendar. Priced at $276 Cdn (approximately $148 US — a considerable markup), the calendar is marketed as “12 fun days of surprises” and is filled with a variety of hair ties, bobby pins, and keychains.
Viral unboxing clips shared over the weekend by unhappy customers have labeled the expensive calendar “a mess” and branded it a scam.
“Are we really serious right now?” responded influencer Kayla Ryan while unboxing Day 4, which contained three pink bobby pins. She described it as “the worst advent calendar I have ever encountered” in her Saturday video that garnered over 20 million views by Monday morning.
“I’m hoping this is a joke and that the final one is a $150 gift card for my entire refund,” she remarked after revealing Day 9, which contained an ornamental keychain comb that can’t actually comb hair.
“This has to be the last one, and it better be made of gold,” another content creator stated in a TikTok video that has received almost 65 million views. Upon opening Day 12, they found a furry compact mirror attached to a keychain and grimaced in disappointment.
“So, essentially, everything that slips between my car seats,” one viewer commented on the video, while another remarked it seemed “outrageous for maybe $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 comments to various news outlets, a spokesperson for Skims stated that the company is “aware of the responses” regarding the advent calendar and recognized that “for some individuals, the calendar did not meet their expectations.”
The brand informed Page Six that they had “personally reached out to every customer who ordered the calendar” and provided options for a full refund or store credit toward other products.
CBC News contacted Skims for additional comments but has yet to receive a response.
Chanel’s limited edition advent calendar, priced at $1,025, has become the subject of backlash online after it left some consumers unimpressed. Strategists say it could serve as a reminder of how to market to a Gen Z audience.
‘Disappointed they got what they paid for’
This is not the first time an advent calendar has sparked controversy. Back in 2021, Chanel faced significant criticism for its $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 perfume bottle.
The following year, Dior came under fire for a nearly $5,000 advent calendar that primarily contained candle accessories and scented soaps, in addition to small perfume bottles.
Critics have labeled high-end advent calendars as little more than luxury status symbols fueled by the unboxing trend. For instance, last year Dior offered an $11,000 calendar. In 2019, Tiffany & Co. launched a limited advent calendar that included 24 pieces of jewelry and was 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
Currently, the Skims advent calendar is sold out, and a waitlist has been established. Some individuals have pointed out that the online product description clearly outlines the items included in the calendar each day: a bear keychain, hair elastics, scrunchies, bobby pins, a squishie, bra elastic hairbands, additional bobby pins, a comb keychain, a logo keychain, more scrunchies, and a faux fur compact mirror keychain.
“While I agree the contents are absurdly overpriced, we must engage in a discussion about consumer accountability,” one commenter noted on Threads.
Rob Warren, marketing professor at the University of North Dakota, speaks with host Marjorie Dowhos about the rise of high-end advent calendars for adults and why retailers are capitalizing on childhood nostalgia.
“If the items were properly listed, and you overlooked the description, spent $148 [US], and then felt completely blindsided by the contents, some of that responsibility falls on YOU.”
An influencer from Toronto, known online as Glamzilla, defended the advent calendar in a TikTok video, claiming the focus is on the experience of unboxing something in anticipation of the holidays instead of a “significant gift.”
She faced backlash in the comments, with some accusing her of “gaslighting” and being out of touch with the cost.