Beauty brands are increasingly moving into a new — and controversial — category: skincare for kids.
That jumped into the spotlight last week when Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell came under fire after launching Rini, her new children’s skincare line, which currently sells hydrating face and eye masks.
Although she said on Instagram that the brand is meant to help kids care for themselves in a “fun, gentle, and safe” way, many followers argued she had “absolutely missed the mark.” Critics accused the Canadian actor of pushing harmful beauty standards onto young girls, noting that 4-year-olds don’t need specialized skincare of any kind.
Mitchell’s brand also arrives in the middle of the “Sephora kids” phenomenon, in which tweens and early teens flock to beauty stores in search of the latest TikTok-approved products. The trend has spawned 7-year-olds posting “get ready with me” videos and sharing full skincare routines online — a development dermatologists say is cause for concern.
“From a dermatologic perspective, young children do not need skincare beyond the basics, like a gentle cleanser, a bland fragrance-free moisturizer, and excellent sun protection,” Dr. Shannon Humphrey, a board-certified dermatologist in Canada, tells The Independent.
“From a developmental perspective, we want children to be playing rather than worrying about a hydrocolloid face mask. The concern is that introducing beauty routines too early may redirect children’s attention away from play and social development.”
Research suggests that viral skincare routines may be doing more harm than good. A study published in Pediatrics in June analysed 100 social media videos of girls aged 18 and under sharing their skincare regimens and found that many were using products containing an average of 11 potentially irritating active ingredients.
Dermatologists have been closely monitoring the rise of these trending beauty products — most of which aren’t formulated for children — and warn that certain items should be strictly off-limits.
Here are nine skincare product types that dermatologists say kids should avoid, and why.
Serums with Peptides
Consultant dermatologist Dr. Daniel Glass, the founder of The Dermatology Clinic London, says kids should steer clear of facial serums that have peptides.
These ingredients are amino acids added to skin care products “to boost their effectiveness” in creating new proteins, like elastin and collagen, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Those proteins can then help overcome signs of aging, such as dullness and wrinkles.
“While these ingredients may benefit more mature skin, they’re not needed in children and are often too harsh for developing teenage skin, potentially causing issues such as irritation, dryness, and damage to the skin barrier,” Glass tells The Independent. “Teenagers naturally produce plenty of collagen and don’t need these potent actives.”
Anti-aging creams
Just because adults on TikTok are sharing candid reviews of anti-aging creams doesn’t mean children should be copying them.
Dr Matthew Knight, a board-certified dermatologist in Florida, notes that ingredients such as retinol are designed for anti-aging concerns that simply don’t apply to kids.
“Anything labeled ‘wrinkle-fighting,’ or ‘collagen-boosting,’ is completely unnecessary in this population and will only irritate skin without a long-term benefit,” Knights says, simply.
Alcohol-based toners
Humphrey emphasises that products with active ingredients — those formulated to treat specific skin concerns — aren’t appropriate for young, sensitive skin. That includes alcohol-based toners, which are meant to strip excess oil, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Instead of helping, she says, these toners can irritate children’s skin and disrupt their natural skin barrier.
“Their skin barrier is thinner and more permeable, which allows ingredients to penetrate more readily and more deeply,” Humphrey says.
“This makes children’s skin more sensitive and more prone to irritation, inflammation, or allergic reactions when exposed to products that are unnecessary or too strong for them.”
Exfoliators
Exofoliants are used to remove dead skin cells, resulting in smoother and brighter skin.
However, Humphrey says that most exfoliators have two ingredients that are “too potent for developing skin and can disrupt the skin barrier”: Alpha-Hydroxy Acids and Beta-Hydroxy Acids. These are also two ingredients that have been credited with anti-aging effects that kids don’t need to worry about.
“Hydroquinone and many botanical brightening agents are unnecessary for children and carry a higher risk of reactivity,” she says.
Antibacterial body wash
Since there are many different soaps that your kids can choose from, Dr. Glenn Kolansky, a board-certified dermatologist in New Jersey, is urging parents to read product labels.
He says that children should not use any soap with the antimicrobial chemical triclosan, since it can disrupt the skin cell turnover, a “natural bodily process that removes dead skin cells to reveal new, healthy skin cells below,” according to the U.S. Dermatology Partners.
Research has also found that triclosan can lead to skin irritation for a child. A recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that children with higher levels of the chemical were more likely to develop eczema and hay fever.
Fragrances with phthalates
Kolansky urges kids to avoid using any cosmetic products with phthalates, an endocrine disruptor that can interfere with the body’s hormones. However, phthalates play a big role in the beauty industry, since they function “as solvents and stabilizers in perfumes and other fragrance preparations,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kolansky explains that phthalates increase T3 and decrease T4 levels, which are two essential thyroid hormones.
“Besides controlling main body functions like metabolism, these hormones play a role in skin to maintain moisture, the natural cycle of skin cell renewal, and collagen production. Phthalates mimic or block hormones in the body, leading to excess signaling or inhibition of essential signaling,” he says.
Scented glitter products
Along with fragrances and body sprays, scented glitter products, like a body butter meant to hydrate and moisturize the skin, contain phthalates. According to Knight, these types of products are not only endocrine disruptors that can affect one’s hormones, but they are also “a huge trigger for allergic contact dermatitis in kids.”
Essential Oils
While essential oils like lavender are often used for their calming scents, they’re also popular among adults to target issues such as inflammation, acne, or athlete’s foot.
However, Knight warns that these oils should not be used on children’s skin. “Lavender, tea tree, peppermint, and citrus oils are frequent causes of allergic contact dermatitis and irritant dermatitis,” he explains — with the latter occurring when a substance damages the skin directly, rather than through an allergic reaction.
