Will luxury advent calendars make sense this year?

As snow fell in Paris, the holiday spirit is slowly settling into the streets glittering with freshly installed Christmas decorations. On social media, the festive mood is already in full swing with billions of "unboxing" videos of advent calendars, which have now become an annual tradition. Every autumn, the internet eagerly awaits the release of luxury brand advent calendars, promising a magical experience with high-quality products. However, in December 2021, Chanel faced a massive backlash when an influencer named Elise Harmon filmed herself opening the products from the French house’s calendar. She gradually discovered that the surprise box was far from worth the €850 she paid. In the TikTok video, the young woman unveils – to her dismay – stickers, tiny beauty products, a low-quality keychain, and even a protective pouch typically given for free with Chanel purchases.

The video, which has gone viral with 18 million views to date, outraged users over the disproportionate price of the luxury brand’s calendar. The uproar became so intense that the French company had to issue a statement justifying the price tag. The following year, while one might think fashion brands would have learned from this negative publicity, Dior released an advent calendar priced at €3,300, which immediately caused a bad buzz for its undesirable products. American influencer Jackie Aina posted a video in which she expressed disappointment over the small boxes containing mostly mini perfumes and candles. The cherry on top was when the beauty influencer unboxed a box containing just a candle lid… In response to these outrages, some defended the brands by noting that they often list the contents of the calendars on their websites. Indeed, Chanel had clearly listed all the products in its controversial calendar. However, some prefer to keep the surprise to preserve the fun and excitement of advent calendars, which is a reasonable approach.

These negative episodes have highlighted a crucial question: are luxury advent calendars a scam? In their advertisements, luxury brands almost always promise that the value of the contents significantly exceeds the listed price of the calendar. For example, the beauty advent calendar from Harrods was sold for €250 but claimed to contain products worth €1,600, while Sephora’s, priced at €199, promised items worth €1,000. However, it’s challenging to verify the value of products that are not typically available on the market. How can we know if the figures brands display reflect real value? Nonetheless, other advent calendars are prized for their high-quality contents that exceed expectations.

This is the case, for instance, with the English beauty brand Boots, which offers a calendar featuring 25 full-sized beauty products, unlike many brands that prefer mini sizes. Boots’ No7 Ultimate 25-Day Beauty Advent Calendar is sold for €146 with an estimated value of €616 on its official website. Judging by reviews, consumers appear quite satisfied with this surprise box, finding it both cost-effective and generous. Some whisper that the bad buzz surrounding Chanel and Dior boosted sales of other advent calendars priced significantly lower but offering better-quality items. Spending €150 on a calendar doesn’t seem so excessive compared to those paying €800 for trinkets. In any case, the success of these surprise boxes shows no signs of stopping. Millennials are particularly fond of them, finding a sense of nostalgia for their childhood when chocolate has now been replaced by high-end products.