To think pre-teen girls don't need expensive skincare - "Cosmeticorexia" BBC piece.

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I found this BBC article interesting and a bit concerning - it describes girls as young as 8 spending hundreds of pounds on skincare, including products with ingredients aimed at much older skin, such as retinol, which might damage young skin.

I'm not in touch at all with the world of teenagers and pre-teens. When I was that age (1980s) we would start buying bits of make-up probably about secondary school age, use the kind of acne-defeating products mentioned in the article, and maybe a basic moisturiser such as 'Simple' or 'Oil of Ulay' as it used to be called, but no one would think of buying anti-ageing products or having a multi-layered skincare regime costing £££.

Posters who have daughters in that age bracket - how common is this now? Would you discourage them from doing this?

The concern is not so much having a skincare routine per se - it does seem a shame for them to get locked into an expensive and time-consuming process before it's needed - but the use of retinol products that might actually be damaging their skin.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx212x41evwo

It doesn't mention adult aimed skin care doesn't it? That's the point

We aren't talking about adults. At that age I didnt have a skin care routine I just got in the shower or bath and washed my face. I never had horrendous skin not using adult products at 10

I have a preteen who isn’t interested in skin care at all and a teenager who loves skin care but is very balanced in what she uses.

I love skin care so have been able to talk to them about what is good for your skin and what isn’t. Im
not an expert at all, but have taught them that as a pre teen you do not need “actives” on your face unless these are prescribed by a GP for a skin condition.

On this basis, all my preteen is allowed to use is SPF and moisturiser. I did once let her buy a serum because the main ingredient was glycerin.

Just awful awful parenting. These poor girls. What hope have they mentally if subjected to such a focus on their face at 10?Then there is the chemicals slathering all over their faces.

At 10 the only thing on my DD’s face was mud and sunscreen. She has the most gorgeous skin now.

Skin care products nearly all give me spots so I don't use them.

My girls are in their early 20s but the only time they wear make up is on stage (actually ds is the same )

There were girls that used a lot of makeup but not huge numbers in the school. The school had a rule that from year 9 upwards they could wear discrete make up, which I think helped because they could experiment a bit, but not overdo it.

Dd2 used to not infrequently get stopped and asked to prove she didn't have makeup on - which she did easily with a wipe. I told her the joke was that not only did they think she had makeup on, but they didn't even think it was discrete (and no she wasn't putting it on after she'd left).

Oh I agree with that but that was the point I was making in my very first post that you were commenting on. It’s fine to buy a few bits to indulge an interest or help with a minor skin care concern but they just shouldn’t be complex adult aimed ingredients.

I was always asking for Matey in my bath. That was aimed at kids and probably full of harsh chemicals. We didn't have it often as I think my parents thought it was a bit daft and too expensive probably. My hair was knotty without conditioner and Vosene shampoo. Even with conditioners they were pretty bad in the 1980s.

Also had a perm about twice a year between the ages of 13 and 18. I was always dyeing my hair from 14 onwards. Let's not think too carefully about the chemicals that went on my head.

TikTok is to blame. Sephora has a major problem with gangs of teenage girls now too apparently.
Sephora workers on the rise of chaotic child shoppers: ‘She looked 10 years old and her skin was burning’ | Children | The Guardian https://share.google/0MtB9w1UH7M9QsjQm

Certain formulas of micellar water have drawn scrutiny for containing controversial preservatives like PHMB (polyhexamethylene biguanide). PHMB is a suspected carcinogen in high doses.

Independent safety reviews, such as those from the Danish Consumer Council (THINK Chemicals), have occasionally flagged specific micellar waters. Some formulas were marked down for including suspected hormone disruptors or potential carcinogens.

There are warnings about the cumulative effect of low-dose chemicals we are exposed to across multiple daily products.

Why oh why would you give this to a 10 year old to play with and put on their skin on a daily basis?

There are gentle soaps that are far better for young skin than cleansers meant for adults, e.g Neutrogena or Pears, or Waitrose do a clear glycerine soap.

I find Pears very harsh and drying, and my skin isn't particularly reactive.

Surely a water baby wipe or bath
water is fine. Funny how we all survived without products before TikTok and Sephora .

We used a good one and she doesn't play with it, strictly used to clean her face.

She doesn't use a cleanser meant for adults. I wouldn't put any of those soaps on my or her face

I used to use Neutrogena as a teen and it was fine. Didn’t dry out my skin at all.

Sorry but you’re deluded. They all have shit in.She doesn’t need it and you are starting a build up of unnecessary chemicals whilst setting a young girl up with an obsession and focus on beauty and her face. She should be out playing not sitting on screens watching other young girls use skin care whilst slathering her face with shit she doesn’t need.

This. And we wonder why our children are so unhappy. People jump to social media but it's what social mediaactually is: advertising platforms. Anti social media in fact.

Of course it causes no conflict, because you've just gone along with it, in fact probably even promoted it

Are you comparing fostering a life long habit of 'beauty products' and all that that entails psychologically for women, with pokemon cards!!!!

I find it ironic that as middle aged women we (generalisation) want, or are marketed products to make our skin more youthful, dewy etc
When kids are under 10 surely their skin is what the ideal is!! Of course I know no amount of product is going to make my skin look like an 8 year olds.
But the fact they are targeted makes me really depressed because (i imagine) its mainly aimed at girls, why are we saying under 10s need to do anything to improve what is likely healthy perfect skin. Of course use spf and obviously if medically appropriate use other things. But its almost encouraging kids to be self conscious about it.

DD is fanatical about skin care (she's nearly 20) she had a lot of (what I think was) hormonal acne when she was 17 and spent a fortune on things she thought would help. I wasnt convinced that using multiple products (and concealers) was going to help but I did sympathise because she was very self conscious about it. It has improved although she still gets break outs, but I dont know whether its due to what she uses or whether she would have grown out of it anyway.

I listened to an episode of the Rest is entertainment podcast, with Richard Osman and Marina Hyde. They briefly covered this in an episode about nepo babies because allegedly Harper Beckham (14) is bringing out a new skincare range.

Your making a lot of assumptions. I'll stick with what works for her and continue to enjoy her living her best life as a happy, confident, smart and amazing child.

I think some is hygiene - everyone should wash their face with something, whatever suits, a mild soap or a basic cleanser. Everyone should wear SPF on their face when needed and you need something to wash that off
children or teens with drier skin may need a moisturiser

I don’t see the harm with a cleanser, spf, and moisturiser. It’s the stuff like retinol that’s harmful

but then it always was the case of teens slapping stuff on and parents tutting, I used to use 10-0-6 which smelled like acetone or apricot scrub and take half my skin off

Their parents must be enabling this nonsense. Where else would a pre-teen child get a three-figure sum for skincare?

Oh god I remember the St Ives Apricot face scrub 😅

I’ve always said that I’ve told her that I’m not getting her anything more complex than a simple moisturiser, cleanser and spf because it could be harmful. She’s accepted that because she’s sensible and not a brat. You’re getting yourself into a froth about nothing certainly in relation to my dd. My point about the Pokémon cards related to the theme of the cost of all these items. Firstly ours haven’t cost much at all, secondly boys collectible items are as equally costly if not more.

Maybe she’ll have a life long interest in beauty, maybe she won’t. You obviously don’t, that’s fine, we’re all different.