Should These Two Women Use The Same Skincare Products?
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“Girls! I’m not going to say it again: Flush the toilet, wipe the toothpaste off the countertop, and close the cap on your vitamin C serum; it’s going to oxidize!”
That’s an actual sentence I yelled to my kids recently. If you overheard me, you might’ve assumed I have college-aged children. But nope: My girls are 13, 10, and 6 years old. Out of all the pop-culture-driven kid phases we’ve been in—American Girl (check!), Barbiecore fashion (love that!), the Disney princess machine (been there, still doing that!)—nothing has prepared me for the phase we’re currently in: high-end skincare. And I’ve been a beauty editor and writer for more than two decades (hence, my vitamin C knowledge).
My kids’ bathroom rivals any magazine beauty closet I’ve ever worked in, stocked with various serums, face (and butt!?) creams, foaming cleansers, scrubs, and star-shaped pimple patches (which, by the way, kids wear in public like a badge of honor). My teen is leading the way, but even the 6-year-old loves her self-care Sunday rituals that often include a skin-softening bath bomb and a hydrating sheet mask.
You don’t have to be a parent to know that my girls are right on trend. In 2023, teen shoppers spent 33 percent more on cosmetics and 19 percent more on skincare compared to the previous year, according to insights gathered by investment bank Piper Sandler. What's more, Generation Alpha (that's kids born after 2010) has an obsession with skincare that may have fueled a surge of beauty-related spending during the recent holiday season, a CNBC article suggests.
Just do a quick search on TikTok or Instagram and you’ll find middle-schoolers proudly showing off Sephora shopping hauls featuring brands such as Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and Laneige, and “GRWM” (that’s ‘get ready with me’) videos that include hydrating eye patches, ice rollers, and brightening serums. They’re recounting 12-step routines at 12 years old. The takeaway is clear: Skincare is in for today’s youth—and they’re using #girlmath (and gift cards) to justify the spending.
How did we get here?
It’s simple, really: “Social media and influencer culture,” insists Karan Lal, DO, a double board-certified pediatric and cosmetic dermatologist based in Scottsdale, Arizona. There's been a boom of kids on social media platforms such as TikTok, a by-product of the pandemic. “Pre-Covid, I would ask kids what products they were using on their face, and they would say, ‘bar soap,’” says Dr. Lal. “Now, when I ask the same question, both girls and boys will say things like, ‘CeraVe moisturizer, a niacinamide serum, and sunscreen,” he says. “These are things that I can’t get many of my adult patients to get on board with.”
Despite some potential pitfalls (we’ll get to those), Dr. Lal sees the shift as mostly positive. “I love seeing kids more empowered to care for their skin; they do their research, and it makes my time with them easier.”
Noelle Cusumano, 42, of Smithtown, New York, feels similarly. She likes that her 11-year-old daughter, Gia, who has a multi-step routine and rotates different products, is proactive about her skin. “I wish I started younger,” she says. “I didn’t take good care of my skin until my mid-20s.” Gia has carte blanche to play around, but like many moms I’ve spoken to, she draws the proverbial line in the sand at retinol. This potentially irritating ingredient is used to address fine lines and wrinkles—things you'd be hard-pressed to find on the skin of Generation Alpha.
Mark Curry, co-founder of The INKEY List, a science-led skincare line that has gained popularity with young shoppers, says it’s not just social media that's behind the trend. He believes the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and technology) that these kids have been exposed to from a young age. also plays a role: “When you're bombarded by science and technology throughout your early education while being always-on digitally, you're going to be significantly more predisposed to all things science,” he says. That includes high-tech skincare.
Do tweens need a $62 moisturizer?
Still, the question remains: Are elaborate (and expensive) skincare routines a necessity for younger people? It’s a major debate on social media. After an explosion of articles, posts, and videos on the tween skincare phenomenon, the brand Drunk Elephant was basically forced to comment on social media about kids using their pricey skincare products. Founding partner and chief creative officer Tiffany Masterson said this demographic may not be ready for alpha hydroxy acids and ingredients like retinol, but that there are plenty of products in the line suitable for tween and teen skin. The response spurred many reaction posts from dermatologists, estheticians, and other skincare professionals, claiming the line is too pricey—and unnecessary for young skin.
“It blows my mind how brilliantly they’ve been able to develop a young fan base,” says Boston-based dermatologist (and mother of a skincare-curious 11-year-old) Ranella Hirsch, MD. Dr. Hirsch says that her daughter has a stash of Drunk Elephant and other trendy skincare products she’s been gifted because it’s, well, it’s cool. “Let’s be clear; it’s entirely a status symbol,” she says. “The kids don’t care so much about efficiency or efficacy; they pick products because all the cool kids use them.”
Skincare is a hot topic amongst the moms of Dr. Hirsch’s daughter’s classmates and in her practice. “I pare down every one of these kids' routines,” she says. “The kids come to me with breakouts, and I’m not treating them; I’m not medicating them. I just make them stop using all the crap they’ve been playing with.” They’re using too much on their skin at once and causing inflammation and irritation, adds Dr. Hirsch.
The ‘more is more’ mentality
And if the flurry of TikTok videos of #sephorababies ransacking the retail stores, making a mess of the samples, and being rude to employees and other customers isn't enough to convince you things have gotten out of hand, consider Dr. Hirsch's important point: Taking care of your skin at an early age may be a good thing, but too much of a good thing can be bad—and irritating—on delicate kid skin. “The philosophy with this age group is often, ‘let’s do more,’” says Dr. Hirsch. They wind up piling on too many active ingredients or over-exfoliating with scrubs or acids. “If you’re 13 and just prepubescent, you don’t even have a high level of oil yet, so it’s a lot on your skin.”
Curry agrees that most teens and tweens don’t need to be using so many actives on their faces. He adds that the onus is on brands and dermatologists to educate tweens and teens on what’s best for their skin and age—"not just allowing them to copy what they see trending on social media.”
Jenn Falik, 44, of Westport, Connecticut, can relate—her 13-year-old daughter, Alexa, fueled by what she'd been seeing on social media, once asked a salesperson at Sephora for a product to help with breakouts. Unbeknownst to Falik, Alexa slathered the prestige product all over her face one night instead of just directly on her blemishes (the recommended usage). “She had such a bad reaction; her face was raw and red, and we had to get a cream from our dermatologist,” she says. “I think she used it a couple of times as a spot treatment, and it worked, so she was like, ‘Oh, then I’ll just put it everywhere.”
It's a familiar scenario to docs: “I am seeing more sensitivity on the face,” adds Dr. Lal. “I call it ‘teenage rosacea,’” he says, likely due to over-drying their skin barrier (the outermost layer). And as facial oils gain momentum, Dr. Lal is also seeing more seborrheic dermatitis, a flaky-skin condition often confused for dry skin caused by yeast. “It’s like facial dandruff, and the oils only feed the yeast,” he says. So, kids use the oils to combat what looks like dry skin, only to worsen the condition.
There is an upside, say experts
So, no, kids don’t need fancy skincare to have clean, healthy skin. A basic cleanser and moisturizer with sunscreen are fine for most young complexions. However, Dr. Hirsch sees an opportunity to use this interest in beauty to get kids on board with sun protection. “There are a lot of sunscreens masquerading as skincare or makeup right now, and you can get this savvy group to use it,” she says. “That’s one redeeming quality about this trend.”
I discovered another benefit of having a skincare-obsessed teen: It’s forged an unexpected bond between my oldest daughter Aubrey and me. And as we enter those angsty teen years, I’ll take whatever bond we can get. I do find she listens to my advice—and passes it along to her friends. I’ve overheard her saying, “My mom said we don’t need glycolic acid.” And “Peptides won’t hurt us, but we really don’t need them.”
As for that vitamin C serum she uses for skin brightening, I tell her, “Kid, you’re 13. This is as bright as it gets!” But I’ve lost that battle, especially after she sent me a screenshot of a dermatologist I’ve interviewed countless times, quoted to say vitamin C’s antioxidant qualities and acne-scar-reducing benefits make it a good ingredient for teen skin.
Indeed, but only if you keep the cap on, dear daughter.
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