Experts Weigh In On ‘Baffling’ Tween Skincare Trend
By Movieguide® Contributor
Parents are taking note of a puzzling new trend for tweens — skincare products.
“My daughter and all of her friends are obsessed with skin care products and routines,” a Reddit post noted. “She has jade rollers, contour ice cube, mycellar water, lotions and serums etc. Anytime we go into a store she’s begging me to go to look at skin care products. This is the age group that needs this stuff the least! I never went through this phase as a kid so I’m baffled.”
Hundreds of people weighed in, pointing to TikTok and Instagram videos that have popularized having a skincare routine. Others shared that they also went through a similar phase.
Tweens’ use of skincare products has become so popular that some brands are even specifically catering to the age group.
Rile and Gryt are two companies that launched earlier this year, both aimed at tweens and teens.
“We have this education arm, we have this community arm and then we have this product arm,” Gryt co-founder Kathryn Beaton told Glossy, adding that the company’s main focus is empowering young people.
“We are a tween and teen empowerment brand built on the belief that one’s own actions matter — and building healthy habits at an early age sets someone up for a more resilient, grittier adulthood,” she continued.
For any parents who are worried about this trend, Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a pediatric psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, encouraged them not to worry.
“Sometimes we put adult lenses on things,” she told TODAY. “For example, kids are probably attracted to skin care simply because they think it’s fun and the products smell good — we’re panicking that next they’re going to want anti-aging treatments. We’re putting our own grown-up fears onto them.”
Sinclair-McBride added that a skincare routine is a fun step for young girls who aren’t old enough to wear makeup.
“They might be thinking, ‘I can’t wear a full face of makeup, but I can do a skincare routine like the big girls,’” she said.
Rahma Hida, a pediatric psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, shared some questions concerned or curious parents can ask their tween.
“You might say something like, ‘I noticed you’re really into your skin right now. I was just curious about what brought this up for you,’” Hida said. “Try to avoid closed-ended questions that can make children more defensive. For instance, ‘Did you see something on social media?’ If their answer is pretty innocuous, then you can assume it’s just harmless fun.”
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