'Dear Santa, I'd like a retinol for Christmas': How parents can navigate the child skincare boom
As teens and tweens navigate the world of skincare through the lens of social media, they are being told that 10-step skincare routines are non-negotiable and harsh actives are needed to ensure fitting in.
If you were a teenager in the ‘90s or aughts, the likelihood is that your beauty routine might have consisted of a tea tree oil-scented spot treatment, a thick, claggy balm to moisturise, and toothpaste if all else failed.
Fast forward to today, and it’s an entirely different story. As teens and tweens navigate the world of skincare through the lens of social media, they are being told that 10-step skincare routines are non-negotiable and harsh actives are needed to ensure fitting in.
A recent YouGov poll found that 46% of six to 11-year-olds have an active social media account, despite platforms implementing age restrictions. For children whose parents have strict social media rules, advertising is still managing to creep in by way of ‘safer’ social media platforms YouTube Kids and YouTube shorts, which proves nowhere is safe from influencer marketing. But where did it all start, do we know?
“What I understand is that it all kind of exploded off the back of Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West’s Get Ready With Me videos,” child psychotherapist Colman Noctor shares.
“I believe she was about nine, and had an elaborate 45-minute skincare routine that she would do every night. That, of course, went viral, and it snowballed from there. That then resulted in children mobbing cosmetics stores and either destroying tester products or buying expensive products with their pocket money. There are reports that some of these products were things like retinol and anti-ageing creams, which actually harm children’s skin. For me, this was coming firsthand through the clinical arena, while outside of work, my own daughter began asking for skincare. That’s when I started to realise the real harm.
"Now I’m not a dermatologist, but I am concerned about the mental health impact of all of this beauty messaging because it’s essentially telling you that you’re not enough. We’ve known for decades that this affects women in adulthood, but now it’s getting closer to childhood, and, quite frankly, stealing that carefreeness.
“Childhood should be protected from that; we’re not born disliking ourselves, we learn that over time.”
At the time of writing, #genalphaskincare boasts some 15.7 million views on TikTok. And with unofficial ambassadors like North West, 10, and cousin Penelope Disick, 11, regularly racking up thousands of views on their skincare posts, how does a family help navigate their child through the murky world of skincare today?
“There’s just so much excess and saturation that is marketed by all these companies at young children,” Gemma Jones, the medical representative for Bioderma says.
“For adolescents, if they really want to introduce a skincare routine, I would tell them to go in with the boring basics; a hydrating cleanser, a moisturiser that is either hyaluronic acid or glycerin-based and an SPF 30 or higher that is well-formulated and fragrance-free.”
Puberty, as we know, can bring oiliness, spots and blackheads, resulting in their child feeling insecure and low. Other skin conditions, such as eczema, can also affect a child’s confidence. So in instances like those ones, what’s a parent to do?
“You can start by what we call a monotherapy,” Jones says.
“In the short term, get a cleanser or a moisturiser that has a small dose of salicylic acid to very gently exfoliate. Our Sebium range is formulated for ages 10+, so if you do want to start somewhere, I’d recommend our Sébium Foaming Gel (€16, Boots) and Sébium Kerato+ Anti-Blemish Gel Cream (€16.95, lookfantastic.com) for a few weeks, before returning to a more hydrating routine when things have cleared up.”
Ellen Kavanagh Jones, founder of pre-teen skincare line Your Skin Stuff, began thinking about creating a brand when she noticed that no products really existed for the age group her children or step-children were in.
“You have every product available for babies and teenagers,” she says. “But this group was kind of left out,” she says. “It’s that age that kids start getting independent with their hygiene, and for those kids, aged nine and 10, who want to look after their skin, we wanted to provide something.”
Though skincare tends to dominate the conversation aesthetically, Kavanagh Jones is insistent more credence should be given to a daily routine.
“It’s our biggest organ,” she says. “And getting kids into a good routine with it at an early stage is actually a good thing. Kids are asking for certain products these days because they see older kids doing that online, and that’s so normal. They want to be part of the conversation no more than we did...
"If we can get them to wash their face day and night without any arguments… that’s amazing.”
For parents whose children are writing Santa lists filled with adult-strength products, what is the best way to go about telling them no?
“The way to broach it is to focus on the health aspect,” Noctor says. “Telling them that their skin is beautiful as is and that these products will only destroy that. Don’t go buying them the €90 product because of their pester power. By not buying, you’re saying they don’t need it.”
Noctor shares that today, his daughter is thankfully over the skincare phase. Does he think it’s a phase for everyone?
“I would hope so. But when you think about the psychology of building habits, that’s how routines get entrenched. If you have a nine-year-old doing skin routines, by the time they get to 11, it’s entrenched. Companies know that. By creating these entrenched habits, every nine -year-old they recruit will simply result in a serious investment for the company. And we don’t need children suckered into that level of dependency.”
All a kid really needs is a cleanser and SPF, but these products are safe for children who are keen to have their own skincare routine
For pre-teens who are concerned with spots, this gentle formula features niacinamide, an ingredient which helps to curb oiliness while also reducing inflammation.
For dry and sensitive skin, this contains allantoin, panthenol and plant extracts to give the skin a hug from the inside out.
Designed specifically for those with oily or stressed skin, this oil-free moisturiser contains a blend of arginine and niacinamide for their moisture-binding, skin-balancing properties. Great for pre-teens with oilier imbalances.
Developed with dermatologists, this extra-thick formula is packed with moisturising ingredients, such as ceramides, to protect and soothe dry, chapped skin.
Riemann P20 Sensitive Skin SPF 30 is dermatologically tested, fragrance-free and provides up to 10 hours of very high broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays.
