Business product idea for teen girls...is this good or bad?

[Mummaneedswine]

I have a little girl who has started noticing the differences between our bodies and talking to me about it. She's very inquisitive and asks about body hair, babies and products I use. She's dying to be grown up bless her.

Anyway, shaving came up as I was shaving my legs and she expressed she didn't look forward to hairy legs. I said it's a part of growing up and she asked what kids products she will have to use. It got me thinking. I know she won't use anything for a while but I've researched and there is very little for teens that remotely seems fun or less icky as a embarrassed girl with a changing body. My mum made me feel so awkward about periods and shaving and tbh I was left alone to just figure things out by myself.

So my question I guess is does anyone think there is market for a fun personal care brand aimed at teens to early twenties. Something that is colourful, informative but made to make using those things less embarrassing and more like a fun form of self care? I'm thinking natural deodorants, razors, shaving foam potentially period products if it took off?

Would you regularly buy something like this for your teen girl if it made her less embarrassed and more excited about taking care of herself?

I would love all your honest thoughts on what is missing from the market, price point, subscription thoughts, etc 😊

I don't think there is much of a market for it , for a number of reasons
Young girls usually start by using their family products that are already at home.
Cost
Razors are an age restricted product.
Teenagers don't want to be seen as childish.

I could imagine an existing manufacturer of such products could have some success by marketing some as a junior range.

There may be more of a market for a gentle range for delicate skin .

My daughter hated her hairy legs last year so much she wouldn't wear shorts, this summer she's stopped being bothered about it. None of her friends care and the boys her age wouldn't dare say anything these days, or they don't care either.

I think these products already exist. I remember buying nair hair removal spray as a teen. No one told me about hair removal, I just found razors in the bathroom and used them. Teenagers are very into skincare these days and there are a lot of products markets towards them.

Please don't create a range of razors for kids.

I don't think you should be encouraging pre pubescent children to equate 'caring for ones self' with removal of bodily hair, which they presumably don't even have yet?
Shaving brands are already unnecessarily 'girly' in their marketing of pink razors for double the price of blue ones, for example.

I don’t have a teen girl, but I have a 10yr old boy and there is definitely a gap in the market!

I was rooting around both Boots and Superdrug and couldn’t find a single product for boys that wasn’t aimed at men! There’s no male equivalent unicorn 🦄 bubble baths etc….It was a choice between ‘Cookies and Leather’ or ‘Africa’

Not necessarily.

I have friends who grew strong dark leg hair by the age of 11/12 and were embarrassed to do swim/do PE as the boys made fun of them. They mostly nicked their Dads razors and absolutely mangled themselves.

Two of those friends were subsequently diagnosed with PCOS in their twenties.

Bodyform do a range of period products for teens with fun colours, and period pants are available in teen sizes on Amazon so I think those markets are covered. I don't think making shaving products fun or desirable is necessarily a great idea as body hair should be a choice not a trend and razors aren't toys. Removal of hair is for comfort and/or societal pressure not a part of puberty like periods or smelling of BO. I should think the majority of teenagers would prefer to feel more grown up rather than going for products that seem aimed at kids. Unfortunately I don't think the idea will get much traction 🙁

My DD is hitting puberty despite only being 10, and finding appropriate deodorant for young and sensitive skin has been hard (she has eczema). I found some organic, hand made ones that work. Otherwise frankly she smells. She didn’t want ‘kiddy’ ones, because she’s used to me and my focus with such things, she cared more about (a) environmental impact (no plastic packaging for instance); and (b) whether it worked without causing skin problems. Like a pp said, so much is down to parental influence.
Period products, we went with Modibodi’s teen range, and because she finds it all a bit embarrassing, the no nonsense packaging seemed to help.
In terms of general skin care, I’ve talked to her about how to care for her skin, and why, and she uses specialist products for delicate skin. Again, she isn’t so fussed about the look of the packaging. Eg reusable cotton wool pads instead of disposable, a natural as possible with products.
Regarding leg shaving, or other body hair removal, I feel quite strongly that this isn’t something women should feel constrained to do, let alone girls. I have therefore made sure that she has never seen me shave my legs etc, and I haven’t done it at all the last couple of years (ie once she was old enough to start to notice), as I reckon I have to set a good example on this by showing it’s not required. If she decides to do it when she is older I will of course help her to find appropriate products and explain the various options. In the meantime when she commented on the fact that I have hair on my legs and she doesn’t, I just explained that yes, adults do, unless they remove it. She was a bit confused as to why they would remove it, which I counted as positive!

reminds me of luna, downloaded it for dd 14 last year and has loads of articles she could learn from experts about puberty (body hair, periods, etc). there's a part in the app too where they can ask experts anonymous question so it's empowering but still makes it easier for teens who feel awkward about talking about those stuff. you'll have to search "we are luna" to find the exact one x

I must admit since I was a teen thankfully things like sanitary towels have both improved and have better marketing.
I do not think that products for teens is forcing them into growing up but is catering to a market which has long since been neglected.
there does seem to be a need for products not forcing into adulthood or like childish but catering for their needs embracing current fashions etc
a lot of girls do not have adult support so are left to find things themselves, thus if there was a clearly marked range of items they could buy it would make life better for them.
it could also be better for people who work with teens and need to be able to help them with products they need
shaving legs is something some girls really need if they are dark haired as is arms face etc but not always easy to ask for help with

This thread was started nearly a year ago.

My daughter has this, it's helped a lot with ehr confidence

No, I wouldn't buy any of that and neither would my DDs.

I don't think embarrassment is the problem you believe it to be these days.