Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor02.12.24
They’ve got the skin middle-aged women spend thousands of dollars to get – plump, baby-soft and ageless. So why are young children – who the media are referring to as “Sephora Kids” –demanding anti-aging skincare products for their birthday over Barbie Dreamhouses and Lip Smacker?
The answer lies in the Digital Age, where TikTok’s bevy of beauty influencers put their looks on display with transformative makeup tutorials, coaxing purchasing decisions from both the adult beauty enthusiast and the impressionable youngster. But children aren’t just watching these videos; they’ve developed an addiction of sorts to age-inappropriate beauty products, which are unknowingly doing more harm than good to both their physical appearance and mental health, doctors say.
According to Dr. Alexis Young, a dermatologist with Hackensack University Medical Center, preteens are being pummeled by societal pressure to live up to the perceived beauty standards shared on social media. This is forcing them—some even younger than 10—into the doors of Sephora stores.
In a recent article in The Guardian, a 30-something mother was “disturbed” by her 9-year-old daughter’s demand for anti-aging products for holiday 2023, which included a pricey eye serum containing potent anti-aging actives like retinol and polypeptides to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and reduce puffiness. Another child of a 50-ish woman insisted he needed retinol. Another child was reportedly using an essential oil marketed to prevent hair loss despite having a full head of hair.
Age-Appropriate Skin Care For Different Life Stages
While achieving “perfect” hair and skin or fitting in with the latest fad isn’t new, Young advises adherence to age-appropriate skincare lines as they are formulated for different life stages.
She also admonishes young consumers of the potentially harmful aftereffects of using age-inappropriate skin care on virgin skin.
Such products may contain potent ingredients designed for mature skin concerns; Using anti-aging products prematurely can lead undesirable effects like irritation and sensitivity, Young said.
“It’s advisable for young individuals to focus on a simple skincare routine with age-appropriate products and consult a dermatologist if they have specific concerns,” said Young.
What does an age-appropriate skincare routine look like for a preteen? According to Young, using products with ingredients that match the skin’s needs minimizes the risk of irritation and other adverse reactions, and promotes a healthy skin barrier while addressing “specific issues” relevant to the skin’s current condition.
There are brands touting age-appropriate skincare, such as TBH Kids, Be-Tween and SelfMade, for example.
TBH Kids
TBH Kids (messenger speak for “to be honest”) makes personal hygiene solutions for tweens. The brand’s founder, Risa Barash, insists her brand is meeting tweens’ needs by keeping its products simple and well, honest.
“Generally speaking, most tweens do not need a lot of products for their skin,” said Barash. “A face wash, an oil-free moisturizer and some sunscreen is all they need.”
TBH Kids’ Face Moisturizer, for example, is formulated specifically for younger skin to keep it hydrated, and it also helps maintain the natural protective skin barrier. It includes “age-appropriate” levels of vitamin C, peptides and hyaluronic acid to help kids maintain their naturally fresh, glowing faces, according to the company. Other ingredients include alanine, an amino acid that balances moisture levels and hydrates the skin; arginine, an antioxidant that protects the skin’s barrier; and physalis angulata extract, which eliminates bacteria and reduces redness and inflammation.
For hormonal skin, the brand’s bestselling Spot Foaming Face Wash contains 0.4% salicylic acid and natural willow bark to cleanse clogged pores and dry up zits.
Be-Tween
Be-Tween told HAPPI she thinks it’s “great” that the young generations are displaying a keen interest in self-care and skincare, but one that should be a positive experience over a “hurried attempt to mimic adult beauty routines.”
Namhee Han, founder of tween skincare brand
Be-Tween currently has three products in its lineup: aloe cleansing ball, aloe moisturizer and the aloe mask powder. The aloe cleansing ball is billed a “jelly-like ball” that encourages an experiential approach to face washing. The ball allows children to create a lather by using water and the ball to make face washing a playful activity.
The aloe moisturizer contains squalane and hyaluronic acid, which provides optimal hydration suitable for preteen skin without a sticky residue. When using the aloe mask powder, children can assume the role of the chemist with its slime-like texture.
“My kids really enjoy making slime, and when you mix water with the aloe mask powder, it creates a slime-like texture that you can put on your face and peel off after it dries off,” Han explained. “It will leave your face feeling refreshed and it's great for acne-prone skin.”
Han said feedback has been positive from Gen Y and X-age parents who say they wish they had a similar skincare line when they were that age. Aside from hearing that kids love washing their face with the product as much as its pleasant scent, the most touching feedback is that the line has been a problem-solver.
“Parents shared instances where the products have played a role in boosting their kid's confidence during minor breakouts,” said Han. “Witnessing the positive impact of a steady skincare routine on restoring confidence is truly gratifying.”
SelfMade
SelfMade is applying the power of psychodermatology (the interaction between mind and skin) to educate young consumers about choosing age-appropriate skin care with an emphasis on emotional well-being.
Keira Barr, the psychodermatologist-in-residence at Selfmade, encourages a “safe space” for youngsters to talk about their concerns, desires and feelings when it comes to products they’ve seen demonstrated on social media that they think they need.
To encourage tweens to learn about the connection between skin and well-being, the brand’s Rupture and Repair set is a good place to start. Targeting healthy skin and hair, it contains the Corrective Experience Comfort Cream, a skin softener for the face and body that hydrates and smooths rough skin, and the True Resilience Grit Scrub, which helps reduce dead skin buildup and promotes healthy hair growth.
What to do when a 10-year-old kid asks for skincare treatment with retinol?
Experts say parents should have a sit-down with their child about their motivation for desiring these products. And, together they can decipher what might be a good regimen.
“Social media’s influence on tweens, is, unfortunately, the impetus for this craze right now,” said Barash. “Parents can use this as an opportunity to connect with their kid(s) and google products and the ingredients they want to purchase. Get them involved so they can understand for themselves what is safe and what is not.”
Good For You Girls
Kimberly Grustas established Good For You Girls in 2008 when her daughters were tweens and was “appalled” at the lack of age-appropriate personal care options.
“My daughters were born with asthma and allergies and I hail from the nutrition space,” Grustas told HAPPI. “I knew I could do better.”
At the time, she said there was an obvious void in the market for skincare brands catered to teen and tween girls; the majority of them, she felt, were centered on adults and anti-aging. Wishing to create a brand that addressed the needs of young skin that would champion the transition between girl and young adult, Grustas created “Good For You Girls,” which makes clean formulas addressing the personal care needs of young girls from lip balm to facial cleansers, body washes and deodorant.
Social media, which was predominantly Facebook at the time of the brand’s founding, has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights over nearly two generations later with negative influences on TikTok and the Sephora Kids phenomenon.
“My brand has always been about protecting girls, and I don't believe any brand belongs in a young girl’s bathroom,” said Grustas, adding that naivety among girls is equally propelling purchasing decisions over their actual desire for the products featured in the videos they're watching.
She continued, “Girls are desperate to fit it,’ as they have always been, but it used to be fitting in with their peers, now it is the entire planet. In my opinion, it exposes how society in general has abandoned this important demographic.”
As a brand, Grustas says she believes she has a duty to protect children. Active ingredients in Good For You Girls products include aloe, arnica, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, chamomile, citric acid, glycerin, green tea, jojoba, rose hip and sunflower oils, witch hazel, hyaluronic acid and lavender, among others with 100% natural scents.