When her alarm goes off at 7 a.m., Bella Bees jumps out of bed to prepare for the day ahead. Before she even thinks about breakfast, she sits down at her dressing table to film herself getting ready for her TikTok followers.
Her five-step routine includes the latest anti-aging products, including retinol eye cream (which she says stimulates collagen) and hyaluronic acid serum (to reduce wrinkles).
It might cost £200 a month – she uses glycolic acid at night (“to remove the top layers of dead skin”) – but Bella is adamant it's worth saving time.
“It’s an investment in my future self,” she says. “These products are important to my life because I want to prevent aging.” Who wants to have wrinkles when there is a way to stop them? There is no danger that she will soon see the signs of aging; Bella is only 13 years old. A time when most of us made do with soap and a splash of water, at most a first foray into the world of moisturizer.
But not today's tweens. Dermatologists warn that children as young as ten are putting increasing pressure on their parents to buy them expensive anti-aging skin care products – to the detriment of their young, sensitive skin.
Florence Marshall, 11, has a four-step skin care routine. “It takes me about 15 minutes to get my face ready for school,” she says
The dermatologist Dr. Aiza Jamil from SK:N Clinics believes there is no need for this. She stresses that a skincare routine should typically only include cleansing, moisturizing and sunscreen – and warns that there are dangers when children use strong skincare ingredients.
“It's important to remember that it's only after the age of 25 that you start to notice a decline in collagen, which can trigger the signs of aging,” she explains.
“Before that, you're still growing and producing a lot of collagen – so you just don't need anti-aging products.” “You don't lose anything that you need to replace.”
Dermatology nurse Louise Walsh agrees: “Young skin functions efficiently on its own and therefore shouldn't need these ingredients.” As we age, we need more “active” skincare as skin becomes sluggish and less efficient at renewing and recovering from everyday stressors can: heating, air conditioning, nutrition, pollution, solar radiation, etc.
Layla Duffy, 16, who wants to become a lawyer, became interested in caring for her skin after suffering from acne. Her mother, Sheena Harewood, sees her daughter's everyday life as relaxed
“Those under 16 should avoid retinoids and high concentrations of vitamin C. Retinoids.” [of which retinol is a type] are too strong for younger skin and can cause irritation and increase sensitivity to the sun.”
How and why do children like Bella suddenly become so interested in skin care that they don't need?
“I know it must be hard for older people to come to terms with the fact that I don't want wrinkles,” she says. “But I believe my routine will pay off later in life.” At the moment I don't suffer from breakouts. “My skin is actually very perfect.”
It's an approach taken by many child influencers who detail 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 have collected.
Then there is the tempting packaging. Celebrity-favorite skincare brand Drunk Elephant is known for its colorful aesthetic and cute product names, such as the best-selling Lala Retro Whipped Cream (a moisturizer for you and me), which contains fermented green tea to combat signs of aging, according to the brand indicates that the use of this product is safe for children and teenagers.
The brand, which has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, has recently faced criticism for luring children to its products. But did they intentionally attract this younger customer base?
Founder Tiffany Masterson disagrees. “I read that I chose the colors and packaging specifically for children. “This couldn't be further from the truth and the truth is never that interesting, but I chose the colors and packaging because it happened to be my aesthetic,” she said.
A post on the brand's Instagram account also said: “Many of our products are suitable for all skin types, including children and teenagers.” Firstly, I would say that you should stay away from our more potent products, which contain acids and retinols contain them – your skin doesn’t quite need these ingredients yet.”
Andrea, 41, (pictured with her daughter Florence) is worried about the mixed messages surrounding young skin. “I actually feel like girls my daughter’s age could be exploited through clever marketing campaigns,” she says.
Samantha Sykes has been running a luxury cosmetics store for 15 years and has seen her customer base change dramatically over the last year and a half.
“Our average customer used to be in their mid-30s,” she says. “Suddenly we see girls as young as eight or nine dragging their mothers along to pay for their luxury skin care.”
“They ask for creams that they don’t need at their age and which usually cost more than £50 each.”
“Our policy is not to sell you products containing 1 percent retinol.” These powerful retinol creams can cause serious skin irritation if used incorrectly, especially around the eyes. These children have no idea what to use or how to use it and could be harming their skin. Even though TikTok has a lot to answer for, their moms will often still buy 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 skin care. “I was about 12 when my grandmother told me to start taking care of my skin,” she says. “She gave me some moisturizer and said that my older sister was worried that my skin would do the same because she had pimples.”
Bella's skincare collection now includes rose-based micellar water for cleansing, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, a retinol eye cream, followed by the Beauty Pie Triple Hyaluronic Acid Anti-Aging Serum with Plumping Idealift.
She had to give up an oil-based moisturizer that made her skin “oily.” But in addition to the cost of skin appearance, there are also financial implications.
Hannah Bees (pictured with her daughter Bella, 13) says “her kids put so much pressure” on her to look young
“I get pocket money of £10 a week, which isn't much, but I manage to find cheaper items on sites like eBay and Vinted because they're massively discounted.” When I go out on the town with my friends, go I go to the shops where you can get 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 taking care of our skin.”
Bella has no reservations about undergoing surgery or so-called optimizations in the future.
“My grandma has fillers and Botox. “I would definitely consider both, especially Botox as it makes you look pretty.”
Her mother, who works in healthcare, Hannah Bees, 33, says: “My girls have better skincare routines than me.” Sometimes I find myself thinking, “Should I do that too?” From a parent's perspective, it is difficult because they expect me to look a certain way.
“They compare me to other mothers and I don't want to embarrass them. “The pressure is so much.”
However, she admits that her own routine is limited to a moisturizing day and night cream from Aldi.
“My oldest daughter has pimples on her face and no matter how many times I explain to her that her skin can't breathe under whatever she puts on it, I might as well be talking to the wall.” No matter how many times I explain to them that what they see online is not real life, I'm afraid that's what's been drilled into them. You are possessed.'
Even if young girls don't use products with specific anti-aging ingredients like retinol, their skin care routines are incredibly complex for their age.
Florence Marshall's hobbies include dancing, acrobatic gymnastics, yoga classes – and a “regular day and night skin care routine” that includes four different steps.
The 11-year-old from Herefordshire explains: “I cleanse my face twice because everyone double cleanses.” I then use a roller and a facial massager. The jade roller opens the pores and stimulates blood circulation in your face. One of my friends recommended it. It takes me about 15 minutes to prepare my face for school – it's pretty quick. On the weekends I spend 20-25 minutes.”
For around £85 a month, Florence started focusing on skincare when she discovered Instagram influencer Madi France, who reviews skincare products at the ripe old age of 13 and has 65,000 followers.
“I used to have red skin around my nose and also spots on my ears and chin. Now I use the Body Shop Vitamin C Liquid Scrub and Vitamin C Face Mask once a month. “I have sensitive skin, so I'm careful about which brands I use.”
She adds: “I use Florence By Mills Swimming Under The Eyes Gel Pads, priced at £34 for 60 pads. “They're lovely and gentle on my skin. They eliminate bags and relieve puffiness in my eyes.'
Do 11 year olds worry about puffy eyes? “I usually get bags under my eyes when I haven't slept enough or drank tea. Then I use a Love You Latte face mask,” explains Florence. “It’s meant to keep my skin hydrated throughout the day.”
Florence's mother Andrea, 41, who works for a multi-academy trust, is worried about the mixed messages surrounding young skin. “I actually feel like girls my daughter’s age could be exploited through clever marketing campaigns,” she says.
“Florence would use a lot more products if I let her.”
“Some companies portray her as 'healthy' – which is what Florence's age group cares about. They don’t realize that the fact that they’re often designed for adults means they’re not necessarily ‘healthy’ for their own skin.”
Florence has started posting her complex routine online and her latest video has racked up 1,900 views in nine days.
“In her other videos that she has made, she shows her playing with her Sylvanian families,” says Andrea. “But there is clearly an interest in videos like this at the moment.”
Experts fear the influx of tween and teen influencers is doing more harm than good.
Psychotherapist and anxiety expert Kamalyn Kaur says, “Putting such a strong focus on skin care at such a young age can make you feel like your natural look is inadequate.”
“This in turn promotes unrealistic beauty standards, which negatively impact self-esteem. It also leads young children to believe that there is something wrong with aging.”
Sheena Harewood, 48, who works in customer service, admits she feels relaxed about her 16-year-old daughter's interest in skin care. She says, “I'm calm about her use, even though she once tried a charcoal product that didn't work out well.”
“Her skin reacted badly to the product and she looked like she had been slapped.”
Her daughter Layla Duffy, who wants to become a lawyer, was 13 years old when she started caring for her skin after suffering from acne: “I went to see a doctor but the attitude was that you'll grow out of it,” so I had to train which products to use on my own.'
That's why Layla now uses a variety of soaps, gels, toners, and creams, including a vitamin C serum and a retinol serum.
“Children may think they are future-proofing their skin,” says dermatologist Dr. Aiza Jamil.
“But using anti-aging products too early can cause long-term damage to the skin barrier and lead to breakouts, photosensitivity and allergic reactions.
“In short, it may cause more problems than it solves.”