A single TikTok unboxing just got a $5 billion brand to refund every buyer. Creator Kayla Ryan opened Skims' $148 Accessories Advent Calendar, found hair ties and bobby pins instead of anything Skims is famous for, and racked up 18.9 million views. Within days, Skims contacted every customer with a full refund or store credit.
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Kayla Ryan's TikTok unboxing of Skims' $148 advent calendar passed 18.9M views and 1.7M likes.
- The box held hair ties, bobby pins and keychains, not a single bra or pair of underwear.
- Skims contacted every buyer with a full refund or credit, and the emails listed $150.
- Cofounder Emma Grede's "I don't worry about the haters" set off a second wave of backlash.
- A $5B brand reversed course in one news cycle because creators told the truth on camera.
What actually happened?
On November 6, Ryan posted her unboxing of the $148 calendar, a 12-day box Skims sells as an "accessories advent calendar," according to TODAY. Behind the doors were keychains, hair ties, scrunchies, clips, bobby pins and a compact mirror, plus the bra-strap headbands that BuzzFeed singled out. No bras, no underwear, no loungewear. Her verdict took one line.
"I'm hoping this is a prank and the last one is a $150 gift card for all my money back."
Kayla Ryan, TikTok creator, via TODAY
The video passed 18.9 million views and 1.7 million likes, per Yahoo Entertainment. Other creators piled on with their own unboxings, and the calendar became the season's punchline. Skims had a problem it couldn't market its way out of.
The brand folded fast. A spokesperson told TODAY the company was "aware of the feedback" and admitted that "for some, the calendar didn't meet expectations." Ryan posted her own refund email about two days after her video, and the emails BuzzFeed reproduced listed $150 for the refund or credit, $2 more than the sticker price.
"We have personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar and offered them a choice of a full refund or a SKIMS credit to put towards other products."
Skims spokesperson, statement to TODAY
The calendar was also pulled from immediate sale on Skims' US site and replaced with a waitlist, FashionUnited reported, and NBC News confirmed the refund offer. Australian shoppers had paid AUD$276 for the same box, per Pedestrian.tv.
Then cofounder Emma Grede reopened the wound. Asked by TMZ about the critics on November 11, she said, "Your question is really good, but, you know, I don't worry about the haters," as BuzzFeed reported. Commenters answered with "We're disposable cash cows," a line that ended up in headlines.
Why does this matter for creators?
Look at the scale. Skims was valued at $5 billion after a $225 million round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, per Bloomberg, and was reported to be expecting more than $1 billion in 2025 net sales, per FashionUnited. A creator with a phone and an honest reaction got that company to offer every buyer their money back inside one news cycle.
This isn't about follower counts. It's about trust: audiences believed one creator's live reaction over a holiday campaign from one of the most famous brands on earth. That trust is now a working check on what brands charge, and creators should stop treating it like a side effect.
Credit where it's due, too. Ryan was the most-viewed voice, but she wasn't the only one, and the backlash was a group project by creators who chose candor over politeness.
Where does this go from here?
Expect brands to think harder before shipping filler to an audience that films everything. Skims hasn't said how many calendars it sold or how many buyers took the refund, but the playbook is now public: one believable unboxing, a creator pile-on, a refund. Every brand with a holiday drop just learned what a $148 price tag has to justify.
The lesson cuts both ways. Creators who sell their own products are held to the exact same standard. Fans will unbox a creator's merch drop as ruthlessly as they unboxed Skims, and they should.
What does Fanvault think?
Fanvault's position is simple: the trust Kayla Ryan just demonstrated is worth more than any celebrity logo, and creators should be the ones capturing its value. That's why every Fanvault profile comes with a storefront, with buy-it-now drops for limited releases and authenticated memorabilia carrying provenance metadata (signed, worn, condition), so fans know exactly what they're buying before they pay. Creators keep 92% of every sale, against a 15% fee on Fanvue, 10% + $0.30 on Passes and roughly 20% on Fanfix. No mystery boxes, no hair ties dressed up as luxury, just ownership and transparency.
Skims spent its credibility on hair ties. Kayla Ryan spent one video and got every buyer a refund offer. That's the power shift, and it belongs to creators.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was inside the Skims advent calendar?
According to TODAY, the 12-day calendar included keychains, hair ties, scrunchies, clips, bobby pins and a compact mirror, and BuzzFeed noted bra-strap headbands. It cost $148 in the US.
Did Skims refund the advent calendar?
Yes. Skims told NBC News and TODAY that it personally contacted every buyer with a choice of a full refund or Skims credit. Emails reproduced by BuzzFeed listed $150, $2 more than the US price.
Who is Kayla Ryan?
Kayla Ryan is the TikTok creator whose unboxing became the most-viewed post of the backlash, passing 18.9 million views per Yahoo Entertainment. Several other creators posted their own unboxings too.
What did Emma Grede say about the backlash?
Asked by TMZ on November 11, the Skims cofounder said, "Your question is really good, but, you know, I don't worry about the haters," as BuzzFeed reported. The comment triggered a second round of criticism.