It is no secret that young tweens are changing the face of skincare, but why the sudden surge in interest?
When you walk into the popular makeup store Sephora, there are items ranging from high demand body sprays, such as Sol De Janeiro, to the Rare Beauty Liquid Blush. Not only is the store stocked full of cosmetics, it is similarly stocked full of tweens psyched about the latest skincare product. But this could be a problem.
In a January 2024 article in BBC, author Annabel Rackham wrote that, “the growing use of skincare by children as young as eight years old could leave them with irreversible skin problems.” The problem with Generation Alpha (under age 13), is they are being influenced by people on social media to start a skincare routine. However, it is not necessary for children to buy expensive skincare because their skin does not need to be exposed to harsh chemicals.
Pre-teens often fall for the hype of a product that they see on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, and want to purchase the trendier and pricier brands, such as Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and Laneige.
The brand Drunk Elephant is often seen on social media for its bright colored packaging, and trending products. Drunk Elephant was founded by Tiffany Masterson and launched the brand in 2013. A popular item is the “Pronti Polypeptide Cream,” which is a moisturizer intended to improve, “the appearance of skin’s tone, texture, and firmness” according to the brands website. The frequently asked questions (FAQ’S) state that, “not every product in our line should be used by younger fans, 12 and under.”
The problem with the so called, “Sephora kids,” is that the children, along with the parents, are not always aware of the ingredients in the viral beauty products. Many viral products include active ingredients that are chemical exfoliants known as AHAs and BHAs, which assist in removing dead skin cells and oil.
Jessica Rohan is an English teacher and mother of two daughters, Fiona who is 10 years old, and Anna, who is eight. She said that does she does allow her daughters to use makeup and skincare but only, “the vegan products, like Glow Recipe, Saie, and Caudalie.
Rohan explained that her daughters save up their own money to buy the items they want, and enjoy watching YouTube videos about doing makeup. She said that she does, “not see the harm in it.”
She added that she and her daughters, “share products, so if the [product] is so bad for them why am I putting it on my face?”
Fiona, Rohan’s daughter, said that she sees people use skincare products and then goes to try them out in stores.
“But if I don’t like the [item], then I’ll just give it to my sister,” she said.
Fiona told The Willistonian that she likes to do skincare as a form of self-care.
“I have fun doing it, and my friends also have lots of skincare products,” she said.
Sephora, founded in 1969, is worth $37.2 billion; in 2023 the global retail sales increased by nearly $1.5 billion from 2022. In 2023, retail sales in the United States were nearly $8 billion.
A July, 2024 article by NPR, author Maria Godoy wrote that, teens and tweens have become major consumers of skin care products, because of what they see on social media. However, the downside to the consumption is dermatologists have been seeing many types of cases where children have irritated their skin using multistep routines. Godoy interviewed Carol Cheng, a pediatric dermatologist at the University of Caroline, Los Angeles, who said she has seen more kids come in with rashes caused by too much product on the face.
Lee Greener, Director of Financial Aid, is a dorm parent in Memorial East and a mom of a two-and-half year-old daughter. Greener said that once her daughter gets old enough, she would not let her use skincare products that are trending on social media, for a few reasons.
First, she said, “My children won’t be using social media until they are older. I believe that children don’t need cellphones until they actually need them.”
Greener emphasizes that when her daughter is old enough to buy skincare, she would explain why it is important to not use lots of products on her skin.
“I wouldn’t let her buy a [product] because you do not need to add more to your skin at such a young age because your body is still developing,” she said.
River Grady, a sophomore from Bedford, N.H, said when she was growing up, skincare didn’t even cross her mind because she was outside playing.
“My parent believed in the idea that you go outside in the morning and didn’t come in until the evening,” River said.
