Concern Rises Over Products Being Used in Children, Tweens Skincare Routines
Extreme skincare routines have become a growing sensation among children and young adolescents. Skin specialists in Australia are concerned over the routines as many include skin peels and potent formulas, such as retinol and hyaluronic acid, which are not meant for young skin.
Providers tell the Medical Republic there’s been an increase of children and teenagers presenting serious skin issues, such as allergic reactions, acne, and even hyperpigmentation.
The skincare craze was ignited over the last few years and an increase in influencers conducting “Get Ready with Me” (GRWM) videos on social media attract millions of views. These “skinfluencers” encourage tweens to post their own skincare routines, and the skincare manufacturers were openly targeting the age demographic, according to Mei Tam, MD, with the Skin Health Institute.
Tam says young skin is sensitive and doesn’t have a great barrier, applying theses allergens and chemicals create a risk of irritation and sensation.
“It’s definitely a big problem, all this marketing to young girls, age 14, even boys, to buy things to apply to their skin in the pursuit of skin perfection is just crazy,” Tam told The Medical Republic. “They don’t have the protection of tough adult skin. They don’t need tough adult skin products and these kids are putting it on gentle skin and they end up ruining it, and they can potentially sensitize to the allergens.”
Tam explains retinol and other anti-aging products aim to peel the skin to make it think it’s injured so it makes collagen. The GRWM videos show tweens layering these products on 10 products at a time, which in turn strips the skin.
“It’s like washing your dishes with more than 10 detergents. It’s squeaky clean, but you’re ruining the skin,” Tam said.
Allergic contact dermatitis is a risk because of the fragrances, essential oils, preservatives, emulsifiers, and other ingredients found in skin products. Sensitivity to these ingredients can create long-term allergies, even hyperpigmentation, which can take months to heal.
In recent months, Apotek Hjartat, a major Swedish pharmacy chain, moved to restrict people under 15 from buying advanced skin care with ingredients including AHA acid, BHA acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, enzyme peeling, and mechanical peels with physical grains. Customers must be 15 years of age, have parental consent, or a skin condition that justifies the use of these products under the new rule.
The use of extensive makeup and hair dye is another concern among tweens. Tam says there was a case where a 7-year-old developed an allergy to hair dye after parents took her to the salon to have her hair dyed pink.
“I’m seeing more and more 18-year-olds, 15-year-olds, coming to the patch test clinic to have testing done to check whether it’s cosmetics or their skincare causing problems,” Tam said.