Skims Refunds $148 Advent Calendar After Unboxing Backlash

By Amara Osei

Skims is offering full refunds or store credit to every buyer of its $148 (about R$ 830) advent calendar after unboxing videos turned the Christmas product into a social media punchline. The box holds 12 surprise items — hair elastics, bobby pins, keychains and bra straps — that customers said did not come close to justifying the price.

What did the calendar actually contain?

Buyers who filmed themselves opening the 12 compartments found:

• Four keychains
• Hair elastics and headbands
• Hair clips and bobby pins
• A small plush toy carrying the Skims logo
• A compact mirror

Some users compared the accessories to objects found at the bottom of a handbag or scattered around the house. Others said the same products could be bought in budget retail stores for a fraction of the price. The recommendation that spread fastest across the videos and parody montages was blunt: "Don't spend your money on this."

Who drove the backlash?

Content creator Kayla Ryan published one of the unboxing recordings that pushed the controversy into wide circulation. She expressed frustration as she revealed each item and captioned the product the worst advent calendar she had ever seen.

Notably absent from the box: underwear, one of Skims' core categories. The brand marketed the product as an accessories calendar, but a portion of buyers expected items more representative of the company's portfolio. That gap between expectation and delivery — not the price alone — is what turned disappointment into a public relations problem.

How did Skims respond?

A Skims representative acknowledged the product fell short for part of the audience and apologized. The company also said it contacted all buyers personally and will factor the feedback into future launches.

"We are aware of the comments shared by some customers about the Skims advent calendar and have listened carefully. We understand that for some the product did not meet expectations and we are sorry this happened," the brand said in a statement.

The promise of refunds is concrete. The promise that feedback will shape future launches is, for now, a statement without any specified mechanism — buyers will have to wait to see whether the next holiday box changes course.

Did the controversy hurt sales?

It did not, at least not on paper. The calendar sold out on the Skims website, which opened a waitlist for interested customers. The product was later removed from the page. Selling out amid a backlash suggests the outrage and the demand came from overlapping audiences — a pattern brands increasingly factor into holiday launches.

Advent calendars from aspirational brands have become a recurring social media format, turning the traditional Christmas countdown into a commercial strategy. Cosmetics, fashion and toy companies now sell boxes of miniature products or accessories, usually at premium prices, with unboxing videos functioning as free — or in this case costly — promotion.

What is the context behind Skims?

Kim Kardashian founded Skims in 2019 with entrepreneurs Jens and Emma Grede. The brand began with shapewear and lingerie, expanded its catalog over the years, and was valued at $5 billion in 2025.

A $5 billion valuation does not immunize a brand from a $148 box of hair ties — but it does give it the margin to apologize, refund and try again next December.