Skims, the shapewear and clothing company co-founded by Kim Kardashian, is offering refunds to customers who bought its $148 (£110) advent calendar after the product drew widespread criticism on social media over the quality of what was inside.
The accessories calendar was marketed as “twelve days of fun surprises,” but its contents — hair clips, hair ties and keychains among them — have been mocked online, with some comparing the items to the sort of clutter found down the back of a sofa.
A Skims spokesperson said that “for some, the calendar didn’t meet expectations,” and that the company had “personally contacted every customer” to offer a full refund or credit to put toward other products.
Skims was co-founded by Kardashian in 2019 and has grown into one of the most prominent names in shapewear and loungewear. The business was valued at $5bn in 2025 when it raised millions of dollars in new funding, and Forbes has estimated that it made the reality TV star a billionaire.
Videos on TikTok drove much of the criticism. One account, spicychathouse, compared the calendar’s contents to things “my cat collects from around my house.” Another said the box looked like “a bunch of stuff that Kim Kardashian was emptying out of her bedside table.” Several accounts filmed themselves cleaning out their own sofas, claiming they had accidentally assembled the Skims advent calendar.
Kate Vlietstra, senior director of food and drink at the market research firm Mintel, said the episode fits a broader pattern. “It is really interesting to see this kind of backlash,” she said, adding that such reactions have become more common in recent years, particularly with the trend for unboxing on social media. When buyers do not feel they are getting the value they hoped for from a calendar they purchased, she said, “there is going to be a backlash.”
Advent calendars remain a popular category, said Helen Wing, head of innovation at the research company Ipsos, though she noted that “the buzz around them has reduced a little bit.” Research by Ipsos shows shoppers are willing to pay somewhat more for a calendar, she said, provided the contents justify the price tag.
Wing pointed to the £285 advent calendar sold by Liberty, the upmarket department store, which she said is “very open about the value of the contents,” telling shoppers it holds more than £1,000 worth of products. “If you’ve got that reassurance when you’re making the purchase, particularly if it is for a gift, then it is important to have some faith that the contents are actually going to be worth the money that you’re paying,” she said.
What was inside the Skims advent calendar
- 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