‘Dystopian’ skincare products target children

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I hate to sound like one of those people back when I was a kid who said "well back in my day ..." but I don't know how you can't feel that way with the hyper-targeting of kids, particularly girls, when it comes to cosmetic products on social media and everywhere else: 

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... a growing number of brands are moving into the children’s, teenage and young adult skincare market. In October, the first skincare brand developed for under-14s, Ever-eden, launched in the US. Superdrug has just created a range for those aged between 13 and 28.

A number of brands have surged in popularity among very young social-media users, creating a phenomenon known as “Sephora kids”. These children share videos showcasing beauty products from Drunk Elephant, Bubble, Sol de Janeiro and similar brands.

Actor Shay Mitchell, who has 35.2 million followers and is famous for her role in the American mystery teen drama series Pretty Little Liars, has released a hydrogel skincare mask for children, saying it was “inspired” by her daughters. She said she wanted to create something “fun, gentle and safe”.

The co-founders of Rini, who include Esther Song and Matte Babel, describe the brand as “where skincare meets play”, with a mission to nurture “healthy habits, spark confidence, and make thoughtfully crafted daily care essentials and play products accessible to every family”.

However, the trend has met a backlash from dermatologists and commenters online. Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist at 55 Harley Street, central London, described it as “ridiculous”. She said: “I think these products are completely unnecessary. When we look at what we put on children’s skin, we must weigh up benefits and risks, and in this case there are no real benefits, yet we expose children to unnecessary risks.

“It’s important that we set a good example for young people in how to maintain healthy skin, without drawing too much attention to appearance or creating scrutiny around how their skin looks. At this age, skincare should be purely functional: gentle cleansing, moisturising if the skin is dry and sun protection. A melting cleanser or fragranced products do not support the skin barrier in any meaningful way.”

She added that very young children are naturally unselfconscious, and “we don’t want to encourage them to focus on appearance or create anxiety about how their skin looks”. She said children’s skin is more sensitive, “and exposing them to multiple unnecessary chemicals increases the risk of irritation and sensitisation later on”.

 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/nov/16/dermatologists-criticise-dystopian-skincare-products-aimed-at-children