The girls who start their anti-ageing skincare regimes
aged 11: So are dermatologists right to be worried about the effect of
potent ingredients like retinol and Vitamin C on young, sensitive skin?
By Samantha Brick
When
her alarm rings at 7am, Bella Bees springs out of bed to prepare for
the day ahead. Before she even thinks of breakfast, she sits down at her
vanity table to film herself getting ready for her TikTok followers.
Hers
is a five-step routine involving all the latest anti-ageing products,
including retinol eye cream (which, she says, stimulates collagen) and
hyaluronic acid serum (to reduce lines).
It
might cost £200 a month — she includes glycolic acid at night ('to help
remove the top layers of dead skin') — but Bella is adamant it's worth
the expense to hold back time.
'It's
an investment in my future self,' she says. 'These products are
important to my life because I want to prevent ageing. Who would want
wrinkles if there is a way to stop them?' Not that she's in danger of
seeing the signs of ageing any time soon; Bella is only 13 years old. An
age when most of us were content with soap and a splash of water, a
first foray into moisturiser, at most.
But
not so today's tweens. Dermatologists are warning that children as
young as ten are increasingly putting pressure on their parents to buy
them expensive, anti-ageing skincare products — to the detriment of
their young, sensitive skin.
Florence Marshall, aged 11, has a
four-step skincare routine. 'It takes me about 15 minutes to get my
face ready for school,' she says
SK:N Clinics Dermatologist
Dr Aiza Jamil believes there is no need for it. She stresses that a
skincare routine should typically only include cleansing, moisturising
and a sunscreen — and cautions there are dangers when children use
strong skincare ingredients.
'The
important thing to remember is that it's only after the age of 25 that
you start to see a decline in collagen, which can trigger the signs of
ageing,' she explains.
'Before that
you're still growing and producing lots of collagen — so you just don't
need anti-ageing products. You're not losing anything you need to
replace.'
Dermatology nurse
practitioner Louise Walsh agrees: 'Young skin works efficiently by
itself so shouldn't need these ingredients. We need more "active"
skincare as we age because the skin becomes lazy and less efficient at
renewing itself and recovering from day to day stressors: heating,
air-con, diet, pollution, sun exposure etc.
Layla Duffy, 16, who aspires to
become a lawyer, took an interest in caring for her skin after getting
acne. Her mother, Sheena Harewood, is relaxed about her daughter's
routine
'Under-16s should avoid
Retinoids and high concentrations of Vitamin C. Retinoids [of which
retinol is a type] are too strong for younger skin and may cause
irritation and will increase sensitivity to the sun.'
So how and why are children like Bella suddenly so interested in skincare they don't need?
'I
know it must be hard for older people to get their head around the fact
that I don't want wrinkles,' she says. 'But I believe my routine will
pay off later on in life. As for now, I don't suffer from breakouts. My
skin is very perfect, actually.'
It's
an approach taken by the many child influencers detailing their beauty
routines on social media, such as 12-year-old Ruby Alexis, whose 'get
ready with me' skincare routine videos have racked up more than 1.2
million likes.
Then there's the
enticing packaging. Celebrity-favourite skincare brand Drunk Elephant is
known for its brightly coloured aesthetic and cute product names, such
as the best-selling Lala Retro Whipped Cream (a moisturiser to you and
me) which contains fermented green tea to combat signs of ageing, though
the brand says this product is safe for kids and tweens to use.
The brand, which has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, has recently faced criticism for attracting children to its products. But have they gained this younger client base by design?
Founder
Tiffany Masterson disagrees. 'I've been reading that I chose the
colours and packaging to target children. This couldn't be further from
the truth and the truth is never as interesting, but I chose the colours
and packaging because it happened to be my aesthetic,' she has said.
In
a post on the brand's Instagram account, it was also stated: 'Many of
our products are designed for all skin, including kids and tweens.
First, I would say stay away from our more potent products that include
acids and retinols — their skin does not need these ingredients quite
yet.'
Andrea, 41, (pictured with her
daughter Florence) worries about the mixed messages around young skin.
'It does leave me feeling that girls my daughter's age could be
exploited by clever marketing campaigns,' she says.
Samantha
Sykes has spent 15 years managing a high-end beauty store and has seen
her customer demographic change dramatically over the past
year-and-a-half.
'Before our average
customer was mid-30s,' she says. 'Suddenly we are seeing girls as young
as eight or nine, dragging their mums with them to pay for their luxury
skincare.
'They are asking for creams they don't need at their age, which typically cost upwards of £50 per item.
'Our
policy is not to sell them products with 1 per cent retinol. Those
strong retinol creams can cause severe irritation to the skin if used
incorrectly, especially around the eyes. These children have no idea
what they're using or how to use it and could harm their skin. While
TikTok has a lot to answer for, their mums will often still go ahead and
purchase it for them. It's madness.'
Bella,
who has an older sister, aged 16, and three younger sisters, aged 11,
eight and seven, says her grandmother introduced her to skincare. 'I was
about 12 when my gran told me to start looking after my skin,' she
says. 'She gave me some moisturiser and said that as my older sister has
spots, she was worried my skin was going the same way.'
Bella's
skincare collection now includes rose-based micellar water to cleanse,
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, a retinol eye cream,
followed by Beauty Pie Triple Hyaluronic Acid anti-ageing serum with
'plumping idealift'.
She had to ditch
one oil-based moisturiser which made her skin 'greasy'. But as well as
the cost to the complexion, there's the financial hit.
Hannah Bees (pictured with her daughter Bella, 13) says 'there is so much pressure' from her children to keep looking young
'I
get £10 a week pocket money, which doesn't go far, but I manage to find
cheaper items on sites such as eBay and Vinted because they're
massively discounted. If I go into town with my friends, I go to the
stores where they'll give you samples.
'None of us want wrinkles. I want to look my best, I don't want to age. Now is the best time to start caring for our skin.'
Bella has no qualms about undergoing surgery or so-called tweakments in future, either.
'My gran has filler and Botox. I'd definitely consider both especially Botox as it makes you look pretty.'
Her
healthcare worker mother, Hannah Bees, 33, says: 'My girls have better
skincare routines than me. There are times I catch myself thinking,
"Should I be doing it too?" From a parent's perspective, it's hard
because they expect me to look a certain way.
'They compare me to other mothers and I don't want to embarrass them. There's so much pressure.'
That said, she admits her own routine is confined to an Aldi moisturising day and night cream.
'My
eldest daughter has developed spots on her face and no matter how many
times I explain to her it's because her skin can't breathe under
everything she puts on it, I might as well be talking to the wall. No
matter how often I explain to them that what they see online isn't real
life, I fear they've had this instilled into them. They're obsessed.'
Even
where young girls aren't using products containing specific anti-ageing
ingredients such as retinol, their skincare routines are incredibly
involved for their age.
Florence
Marshall's hobbies include dance, acrobatic gymnastics, yoga classes —
and a 'regular day and night skincare routine' that involves four
different steps.
The 11-year-old, from
Herefordshire, explains: 'I cleanse my face twice because everyone does a
double-cleanse. I then use a roller and face massager. The jade roller
unblocks pores and stimulates blood flow in your face. One of my friends
recommended it. It takes me about 15 minutes to get my face ready for
school — it's quite quick. At the weekends, I will spend 20-25 minutes.'
At
a cost of about £85 a month, Florence's focus on skincare began when
she discovered Instagram influencer Madi France, who at the grand old
age of 13 reviews skincare products and has 65,000 followers.
'Before,
I had red skin around my nose and also spots by my ears and chin. Now
once a month I use Body Shop Vitamin C liquid peel and Vitamin C face
mask. I have sensitive skin so I am careful about which brands to use.'
She
adds: 'I use Florence By Mills Swimming Under The Eyes Gel Pads costing
£34 for 60 pads. They're nice and gentle for my skin. They get rid of
bags and de-puff my eyes.'
Do
11-year-olds worry about puffy eyes? 'I usually get bags under my eyes
if I haven't had enough sleep or I've been drinking tea, then I'll do a
Love You Latte face mask,' Florence explains. 'It's supposed to ensure
my skin retains moisture all day.'
Florence's
mum, Andrea, 41, who works for a Multi-Academy Trust, worries about the
mixed messages around young skin. 'It does leave me feeling that girls
my daughter's age could be exploited by clever marketing campaigns,' she
says.
'Florence would use a lot more products if I allowed her.
'Some
companies are presenting them as 'healthy' — which is something
Florence's age group are interested in. They don't realise the fact they
are often designed for adults means that they're not necessarily
'healthy' for their own skin.'
Florence has taken to posting her complex routine online, achieving 1,900 views for her latest video within nine days.
'Her
other videos she made were of her playing with her Sylvanian families,'
says Andrea. 'But there is clearly an appetite for these sorts of
videos at the moment.'
Experts fear that the influx of tween and teen 'influencers' are doing more harm than good.
Psychotherapist
and anxiety expert Kamalyn Kaur says: 'Placing such a heavy focus on
skincare at such a young age can instill the belief that their natural
appearance is inadequate.
'This in turn
fosters unrealistic beauty standards, which negatively impact
self-worth. It is also conditioning young children to believe that there
is something wrong with ageing.'
Sheena
Harewood, 48, who works in customer service, admits to feeling relaxed
about her 16-year-old daughter's interest in skincare. She says: 'I'm
laid back about what she uses, even though she did try a charcoal
product once which didn't go well.
'Her skin reacted badly to the product and she looked like she'd been slapped.'
Her
daughter, Layla Duffy, who aspires to become a lawyer, was 13 when she
started caring for her skin after getting acne: 'I saw one doctor but
their attitude was 'you'll grow out of it' so I had to work out what
products to use on my own.'
As a result, Layla now uses a variety of soaps, gels, toners and creams, including a Vitamin C serum and a retinol serum.
'Children might think they are future-proofing their skin,' says dermatologist Dr Aiza Jamil.
'But
using anti-ageing products too early can cause long-term damage to the
skin barrier, making you prone to spots, photosensitivity and allergic
reactions.
'In short, it can invite more problems than it solves.'
