The Skims 2026 accessories advent calendar has been likened to items you might discover at the bottom of your handbag, on the floor of your vehicle, or hidden behind your dresser when you move it away from the wall.
Following significant backlash from customers, Kim Kardashian’s fashion label is providing refunds to anyone who bought the calendar. Priced at $276 CAD (or $148 USD — considered a high price), it is marketed as “12 fun days of surprises” and includes a variety of hair ties, bobby pins, and key chains.
Viral unboxing videos shared over the weekend by unhappy customers have branded the expensive calendar “a disaster” and a scam.
“Are we really serious right now?” exclaimed influencer Kayla Ryan as she opened Day 4 to find three pink bobby pins. She declared it “the worst advent calendar I have ever seen” in her Saturday video, which garnered over 20 million views by Monday morning.
“I’m praying this is a joke and the final surprise is a $150 gift card for a full refund,” she remarked after discovering on Day 9 an ornamental keychain comb that is not functional for styling hair.
“This is the final one and it better be made of gold,” another creator announced in a TikTok video with close to 65 million views, before unveiling Day 12, which contained a furry compact mirror attached to a key chain, prompting a grimace.
“So, essentially, everything that falls between my car seats,” one viewer commented on the video, while another described it as “ridiculous 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 comments shared with multiple news outlets, a spokesperson for Skims stated that the company was “aware of the feedback” concerning the advent calendar and recognized that “for some, the calendar did not fulfill expectations.”
The brand informed Page Six that they “personally reached out to every customer who bought the calendar” and offered either a complete refund or store credit towards their 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 isn’t the first controversy surrounding advent calendars. In 2021, Chanel faced harsh criticism for a $1,025 calendar filled with stickers, a magnet, a keychain, and other assorted branded items, along with a miniature lipstick, hand cream, and a small bottle of perfume.
The following year, Dior was criticized for a nearly $5,000 advent calendar that primarily contained candle accessories and scented soaps, alongside small bottles of perfume.
Some observers have lambasted luxury advent calendars as merely status symbols fueled by the unboxing trend. For example, Dior sold an $11,000 calendar last year. In 2019, Tiffany & Co. released a limited advent calendar that featured 24 pieces of jewelry and was priced at $158,000.
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Luxury brand Chanel roasted online for $1,025 Advent calendar full of stickers, other trinkets
The Skims advent calendar is currently out of stock with a waitlist. Some users have pointed out that the online product description explicitly states what items are included each day: a bear keychain, hair elastics, scrunchies, bobby pins, a squishie, bra elastic hairbands, additional bobby pins, a comb keychain, a logo keychain, extra scrunchies, and a faux fur compact mirror keychain.
“While I agree the contents are ridiculously overpriced, we need to discuss personal responsibility as consumers,” one individual wrote 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 details were made clear, and you disregarded the description, spent $148 [USD], and then felt utterly shocked by what you received, part of that responsibility lies with YOU.”
A Toronto-based influencer known as Glamzilla came to the advent calendar’s defense in a TikTok video, emphasizing that the experience of unboxing something as the holidays approach is more important than a “big gift.”
She faced backlash in the video’s comments, with some accusing her of “gaslighting” and lacking sensitivity regarding the price.