Skims Refunds $148 Advent Calendar After Backlash

Skims is refunding customers for its $148 (£110) advent calendar after the product drew widespread mockery on social media over the quality of its contents. The company, co-founded by Kim Kardashian in 2019, has personally contacted every buyer of the calendar, a spokesperson told multiple media outlets.

The accessories calendar promised "twelve days of fun surprises." Buyers received hair clips, keychains and hair ties instead — items that some compared to things found down the back of a sofa. At roughly $12 per day, the math did not favor the customer.

What did Skims say?

A spokesperson for the brand told a number of outlets: "for some, the calendar didn't meet expectations." The company said it has "personally contacted every customer" to offer a full refund or credit to put towards other products. The BBC has contacted Skims for further comment.

The offer of a credit, rather than cash alone, keeps disappointed buyers inside the brand's own store — a standard retention play, but one that SoftBank-style growth companies rarely discuss in public. Skims did not say how many calendars it sold or how many refunds it expects to process, and that omission matters when weighing the financial impact.

What is actually in the calendar?

The full contents, per the source:

• Day 1: Tartan teddy bear key chain
• Day 2: Hair ties
• Day 3: Hair ties
• Day 4: Skims logo hair clips
• Day 5: Skims logo squishy ornament
• Day 6: Skims logo hair clips
• Day 7: Beige elastic straps/hair bands
• Day 8: Skims logo hair clips
• Day 9: Skims logo comb keychain
• Day 10: Hair ties
• Day 11: Skims keychain
• Day 12: Furry compact mirror keychain

Five of the twelve days deliver branded hair clips or hair ties. That concentration of low-cost, logo-heavy items is what triggered the backlash.

How did social media respond?

The criticism spread fast. One TikTok account, spicychathouse, compared the contents to things "my cat collects from around my house." Another account said it looked like "a bunch of stuff that Kim Kardashian was emptying out of her bedside table."

Several users filmed themselves cleaning out their own sofas and claiming they had accidentally created the Skims advent calendar. The joke format turned a premium product launch into a viral liability within days.

How big is the exposure for Skims?

The stakes are real. Skims, the shapewear and clothing business Kardashian co-founded in 2019, has made the reality TV star a billionaire, according to Forbes. The company was valued at $5bn in 2025 when it raised millions of dollars in new funding.

Against a $5bn valuation, refunds on a $148 product are a rounding error. The reputational math is less forgiving. A brand built on premium positioning — and priced accordingly — cannot easily absorb a narrative that its holiday product resembles household detritus.

What happens next?

Skims has stopped short of withdrawing the calendar or explaining how the contents were chosen. The company has not disclosed sales figures, refund uptake or whether future holiday products will change course. Until it does, the refund offer reads as damage control rather than a design rethink — and the next product launch will test whether the $5bn brand's pricing still commands trust.