Childhood is for concocting wild adventures with imaginary friends, transforming cardboard boxes into spaceships, and believing that a cape can make you fly; it’s not for fretting about fine lines and crow’s feet.
Instead of worrying about skincare routines, kids should be busy worrying about which flavour of ice cream to choose or if their superhero costume gives them enough superpowers to conquer the playground.
Leave the anti-ageing serums and wrinkle creams to the grown-ups; kids have bigger fish to fry, like mastering the art of building the perfect pillow fort or negotiating an extra five minutes before bedtime.
What Is The Phenomenon of Sephora Kids?
The Sephora kids, from 7 to 13 years old, are children obsessed with skincare routines including applying retinol and anti-ageing serums.
Tweens, also known as preteens, are children in the transitional stage between childhood and adolescence, as young as ages 10 to 12, who can distinguish between AHAs and BHAs, retinoids and retinol, and peptides and collagen. These kids are recording their ‘Get Ready With Me’ reels which include elaborate procedures of skincare on Instagram.
As USA Today reports, young kids, especially girls, are pouring into Sephora stores spending hundreds of dollars on their products. “Clean girl makeup” is now all the rage. This trend prioritises healthy, clear skin with minimal makeup, moving away from heavy concealers. Kids have embraced this shift wholeheartedly and obsessively.
What Do Dermatologists Say?
Dermatologist Dr Brooke Jeffy recalls a patient, around 11 years old, who developed a severe rash around her eyes from using retinol, an anti-ageing ingredient. The child insisted on using it despite its unsuitability for her age.
Jeffy said, “This rash had been going on for so long and was so intense, it’s probably going to take at least a month if not more, to totally resolve. All for trying to use an anti-ageing product that she doesn’t need.“
Jeffy and other dermatologists are now raising concerns about the beauty industry and culture that push unnecessary products and fears of ageing onto children too young to even drive.
Jeffy said, “They don’t understand the function of skin and that it’s not just this wall you can throw anything at. It’s kind of word of reason − word of their parents, sometimes, word of me or other physicians − against this huge industry of beauty and social media.“
According to Dr Danilo Del Campo, a dermatologist in Chicago, retinol is unnecessary for anti-ageing purposes in those under twenty, as collagen levels don’t start to decrease until later. “If you’re below 20, there’s no need to try and generate new collagen for anti-ageing,” he explains. “Current evidence simply does not support that.“
Dr Anthony Rossi, a dermatologist in New York, emphasises that the only skincare a child needs includes a gentle cleanser, a light moisturiser, and sunscreen. If a child requires additional products for a specific condition, they should seek advice from a board-certified dermatologist.
He advises, “We should really promote sun protection. If you’re going to invest money in skincare, especially for young children, sunscreen is the best option. It’ll save you years of anti-ageing treatments down the road.“
Read More: Are Sunscreen Pills The New Health Fad In The Market?
Why Are The Kids Obsessed?
Most of the ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos on Instagram are made by 7-year-olds who love skincare. They show off a collection of brightly coloured products in pink, blue, and green, all carefully chosen to promise perfect skin.
Brands like Drunk Elephant, Sol de Janeiro, and Glow Recipe package their products in attractive, eye-catching designs. It’s not just the colours that draw kids in; it’s also the promise of glowing skin and the cool factor.
As USA Today reports, the kids like the aesthetic of their washrooms queued up with expensive and attractive bottles of skincare products. This is a naive reason but what do we expect of Sephora kids?
Also, Instagram plays a significant role in making children obsessed with skincare and beauty trends by constantly exposing them to curated images of flawless skin and popular beauty routines. The platform is filled with influencers and beauty gurus who showcase their skincare products and routines, often presenting them as essential steps to achieving the perfect look.
Highly impressionable children can easily be drawn into this world, believing that they need to follow these routines to be accepted or admired.
Additionally, the social validation aspect of Instagram, where likes, comments, and followers serve as measures of popularity, further fuels this obsession. Kids see their peers and influencers gaining attention and approval for their beauty routines, making them feel pressured to keep up with the latest trends.
The colourful, aesthetically pleasing packaging of products, coupled with the promise of glowing skin, creates a strong allure, leading children to become fixated on skincare at an age where they should be carefree and enjoy simpler joys.
In a world where beauty standards are increasingly dictated by social media, it’s no surprise that even young children are getting swept up in the skincare craze.
With colourful products and promises of flawless skin, brands are successfully drawing in a much younger audience. However, this trend raises significant concerns, as children are often too young to understand the complexities of skincare and the potential harm of using products not designed for their age group.
After all, the true key to youthful skin isn’t in a bottle of anti-ageing cream but in protecting it from damage in the first place. By focusing on age-appropriate skincare, we can ensure that children enjoy their youth without unnecessary worries about wrinkles and fine lines.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Print, CNN, USA Today
This post is tagged under: Skincare Awareness, Children Health, Social Media Influence, Youth Skincare, Beauty Industry, Parenting Tips, Healthy Skin, Dermatology Advice, Skincare Trends, Protect Young Skin, Sephora Finds, Glow Recipe, Drunk Elephant, Sol De Janeiro, Skincare Routine, Beauty Products, Clean Beauty, Skincare Community, Healthy Skin, Youth Skincare
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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