Skims' $148 Advent Calendar Backlash Forced Refunds in Three Days

Skims began offering full refunds on its $148 advent calendar by Nov. 8, just three days after a TikTok unboxing video pulled in 65 million views and turned the holiday product into a viral liability for Kim Kardashian's brand.

The Nov. 6 video by creator @wetsloppyswollen walked through the calendar's doors: a teddy bear keychain, hair ties, satin scrunchies, a foam Skims squishy toy, and — by day eight — bobby pins. Day four had also been bobby pins. One commenter called the box a "box of pranks," and the phrase stuck. Beauty creator Kayla Ryan, who has 1.6 million followers, posted her own reaction: "Terrible!"

Other creators piled on. Some posted comparison unboxings of competitors' calendars, including P. Louise and H&M. Commenters mocked the contents as things you'd find under couch cushions or on a car floor. "Not the SHEIN advent calendar being better than skims," one TikTok user wrote. Others began replacing "SKIMS" with "SKAMS" online.

What did Skims actually do?

The brand moved fast. "We understand that the calendar didn't meet expectations," a Skims representative told Entertainment Weekly on Nov. 9, adding that the company had contacted everyone who bought the box. Customers can return the calendar for a full refund or keep it and accept store credit.

Despite the backlash, the calendar appears to be sold out. Demand for Kardashian-affiliated product held even as criticism spread.

There's a disclosure wrinkle, too. When Skims released the box on Oct. 29 as part of its Holiday Shop, shoppers who checked the "Fit & Fabric" dropdown on the product page could see exactly what was behind each door:

• Seven of 12 days held hair accessories: two packs of satin scrunchies, two packs of bobby pins, and headbands made from bra elastic.
• Four doors contained keychains, including one with a comb and one with a fuzzy compact mirror.
• The final item was the Skims squishy.

The original product URL now redirects to the brand's accessories page.

Was the criticism fair?

Some customers and fans defended the product. Beauty creator Glamzilla argued the calendar was for "fans of SKIMS" who'd enjoy opening a little something from the brand each day. One X user wrote: "Tbh I was mad about it until I saw it's literally labeled as an accessories advent calendar. They made it very obvious there would be no clothes (all advent calendars are scams imo though)."

But disclosure isn't really the issue here. What plays well with a devoted superfan can play very differently on social media, where anyone can watch all 12 doors open in a two-minute clip and judge for themselves whether the contents justified $148.

For anyone marketing "unboxing-friendly" products, the lesson is straightforward: TikTok democratizes the reveal. Every buyer's experience becomes public, and perceived-value gaps get amplified at 65-million-view scale within days of launch. Brands that build products for the unbox still owe the people who pay for them something worth getting excited about — or they'll be issuing refunds by the weekend.