At what age should someone start using a ten-step skincare routine? Fifty? Thirty? Twelve? As beauty trends seep into younger demographics, dermatologists are starting to sound the alarm, not just over children’s complexions, but their well-being.
Skincare, once the quiet domain of night creams and serums tucked discreetly on a parent’s bathroom shelf, has become a booming part of youth culture. On TikTok, tweens perform double-cleansing routines with military precision, layering retinol and exfoliating acids like they’ve just completed a dermatology degree. Popular brands like Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and The Ordinary are no longer niche; they’ve become status symbols, coveted by 9-year-olds and often sold out due to viral shopping hauls.
Dermatologists say it’s gone too far
According to the BBC, children are now flooding skincare aisles with money and misinformation, and many are damaging their skin in the process. Ingredients like salicylic acid, retinoids, and exfoliating AHAs, which are designed for adult concerns such as acne, ageing, or hyperpigmentation, are being misused by children whose skin doesn’t need them. The result? Sensitivity, rashes, and a generation confused about what healthy skin actually looks like.
“Kids are not just using moisturisers and sunscreen anymore,” warns UCLA dermatologist Dr. Marcia Hogeling. “They’re using anti-ageing products and actives that aren’t appropriate for their age.” In a UCLA Health article addressing the trend, dermatologists stress that less is more, especially for young, delicate skin. The best skincare for children, they say, is basic: a gentle cleanser, sunscreen, and a moisturiser if needed. Anything else is unnecessary and, in some cases, harmful.
So, what’s driving the skincare sweep?
In part, it’s the TikTok effect. Online skincare influencers, many of whom lack formal qualifications, have significant influence over what products are perceived as essential. Combine that with slick marketing, attractive packaging, and peer pressure, and suddenly, children appear to be twice their age.
But it’s not just about the physical risks. Critics are increasingly pointing out the psychological toll. If children are learning to “fix” skin that isn’t broken, what happens to their sense of self? Where’s the line between self-care and self-surveillance? It’s a cultural shift that feels eerily familiar, echoing earlier beauty pressures once reserved for adults. Only now, the anxiety comes in pastel packaging, and it’s reaching kids before they’ve even hit puberty.
Of course, some may argue that skincare is harmless fun, a new form of play or expression. And yes, washing your face isn’t inherently toxic. However, when children are being sold the idea that ageing is a disease to be prevented at the age of ten, we might want to pause.
Age might just be a number. But when 8-year-olds are using anti-wrinkle cream, it’s clear there’s a bigger problem.
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